Health & Fitness
York Hosts IHSA Girls Swim & Dive Sectional Saturday
To qualify for the state meet, a swimmer must either win an event at sectional or swim at a state qualifying time in the final of a sectional event.
The York Community High School girls' swim and dive team will enter Saturday's IHSA sectional as host knowing it will likely be the final team meet of the season. Odds are good though that some York swimmers can qualify to next Friday's IHSA state meet in Evanston. So the York Dukes will head to sectional looking to finish the team season on a high note.
"The team is ready for our girls to have fast swims," York girls' swim coach Sarah Pauly said.
To qualify for the state meet, a swimmer must either win an event at sectional or swim at a state qualifying time in the final of a sectional event.
York has a few things working for it this Saturday. First, the Dukes are the host so the home pool offers a familiarity advantage. Second, the Elmhurst (York) Sectional has only 14 teams, less than most of the other sectionals held around Illinois. Third, in many events, the fiercest competition comes from swimmers from Downers Grove North and Addison Trail Coop. so some of the fast competition is well known to the Dukes swimmers. Finally, perennial local state qualifiers from the West Suburban Conference Silver like Lyons Township and Hinsdale Central are competing at another sectional (Downers Grove South) this year.
According to the psych sheets, which list the seed time for each swimmer in the sectional, York senior Shannon Sullivan has the best chance for York to make the podium as top finisher. She has already performed state cut times this fall in the 100 and 200 freestyle. York will have stiff competition from the Sims sisters (Gabby and Maddie) from Downers Grove North and from Addison Trail’s Kelly McNamara and Molly Kuenstler. Those two Addison Trail swimmers compete with the Elmhurst Swim Team club during the other months of the year and are friends and club teammates of many of the swimmers on York’s sectional team.
Others on the York squad are close to state cut qualifying times.
Paula Nolte is slated for the 100 breaststroke and her older sister Hannah Nolte is set to swim the 100 backstroke. Jessica Woolfe and Perri Brinkmeier will swim the 50 freestyle. Anna Pankau and Alison Brodt are both scheduled in the 500 freestyle and Juliana Reinhofer is ready for the 100 breaststroke. Katie Sullivan and Sam Marlott make the psych sheet for the 100 butterfly. H. Nolte or Carly Redmond will be one of the two York girls in the 100 freestyle along with S. Sullivan. Brodt will also perform the 200 freestyle. The York athletes who will swim the 200 IM are still being decided although P. Nolte is a sure bet to be one of the two York swimmers to compete in that event.
The Dukes 200 medley relay team will be Pankau, P. Nolte, K. Sullivan and Brinkmeier, with Marlott and Paige Jaeger as alternates.
Find out what's happening in Elmhurstwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The two York freestyle relays have the exact same girls, based on fastest times and fastest relay splits. Woolfe, S. Sullivan, H. Nolte, Brinkmeier, Redmond and Jaeger, who all have had some solid relay splits at conference and during the fall season, are listed to swim the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay. Freestyle relay teams are always subject to change during the week leading up to the sectional.
Divers for the York sectional team will be Leah Young and Anna Kirschbaum. Divers compete Friday evening.
Find out what's happening in Elmhurstwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Dukes have been cutting back this week in swim training, have stopped two-a-day practices and have reduced their grueling daily swim yardage as they try to taper into Saturday's meet to save energy and insure fast times for the sectional.
"Our girls have certainly put in the work" Pauly said.
Elmhurst (York) Sectional
Addison Trail Coop.
Bensenville (Fenton)
Downers Grove North
Elk Grove Village
Elmhurst (York)
Franklin Park-Northlake (Leyden)
Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West Coop.)
Hoffman Estates (Conant)
Lisle (Sr. High)
Roselle (Lake Park)
West Chicago (Wheaton Academy)
Westmont
Wheaton (Wheaton North Coop.)
Wheaton (St. Francis)
Teams to Watch
Addison Trail Coop.
Downers Grove North
Lake Park
Wheaton North Coop.
York
Athletes to Watch
Albrecht (Downers Grove North) 50 freestyle
Bagley (Wheaton North Coop.) 100 breaststroke
Kuenstler (Addison Trail Coop.) 50 freestyle
McNamara (Addison Trail Coop.) 100 butterfly
H. Nolte (York) 100 backstroke
P. Nolte (York) 100 breaststroke
Schaffer (Wheaton North Coop.) 100 freestyle
Serniute (Downers Grove North) 100 freestyle
G. Sims (Downers Grove North) 100 backstroke
M. Sims (Downers Grove North) 100 butterfly
S. Sullivan (York) 200 freestyle
Truby (Downers Grove North) diving
Warfield (Lake Park) 100 backstroke
Woolfe (York) 50 freestyle
The York sectional swim meet will begin at 1 p.m. Sat. Nov. 10 at the York Aquatic Center.
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