Rolling Meadows, St. Viator and South Elgin took the top three team finishes in the girls swimming and diving invitational hosted by Hoffman Estates on Saturday.
The Mustangs had 157 points, just ahead of the Lions (154), and South Elgin finished with 116. Elk Grove (89) placed fourth and the host Hawks (77) were fifth, just ahead of Wheeling (69).
Rolling Meadows got an individual win in the 100-yard backstroke from freshman Ashley Hintz (1:05.06). None of the Mustangs’ four relays finished lower than fourth, and individuals consistently placed high in the meet’s fast-faster-fastest heated format.
The top-finishing relay for Meadows was the medley, where Hintz, Kate Mallek, Jenna Pors and Jenna Windhorst placed second in 2:02.44.
Elk Grove freshman Natalie Wlodarz was a winner in both the 200 free (2:04.68) and the 100 fly (1:02.52).
St. Viator came up with a clean sweep of the relays, winning the medley plus the 500, 200 and 400 free relays. Taking the legs on those efforts for the Lions were Jayne Bottarini, Hannah Higginson, Ashley Alteri, Julie Warren, Crystal Schuster, Lily Collins and Rittarose Battin.
Wheeling’s Anna Emery was a big winner in diving with a score of 222.85, and Wildcats junior Meghan Hergert was second in the 50 free (26.23).
at Woodstock: Conant came up with plenty of strong performances in earning a second-place finish.
Jacobs/Hampshire was the team winner with 314 points; Conant had 258 and Huntley was third at 216.
Cougars senior Aly Wooley had winning efforts in both the 50-yard freestyle (25.78) and the 100 free (55.99).
Freshman Megumi Komoto had the top finish in the 200 IM (2:15.87) and set a team record with her runner-up placement in the 100 fly (1:00.17).
Conant also had a victory in the 200 free relay, where Komoto, Wooley, Kayla Wartman and Sarah Erne finished in 1:45.27.
Girls tennis
Saturday’s Prospect Power 8 featured the ‘Patriot 7’ as all three singles players and four doubles teams from Stevenson posted finals victories.
The girls from Lincolnshire bested the competition with 84 points.
Glenbrook North finished second with 42 points while Naperville North was third with 39. Buffalo Grove (fourth place) and Prospect (sixth place) scored 23 and 18 points, respectively.
Buffalo Grove and Prospect had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at each other’s lineup, which could be important. The two face off Thursday, Sept. 28 and will likely affect the MSL East’s final standings.
“It’s nice that we’re able to see Prospect, because it’s going to be tough in the East,” said Buffalo Grove coach Kevin Schrammel. “It’s good to see the girls get some experience and see where they are mentally and physically. You also have the opportunity to see the girls in different situations. I always tell them that ‘You have to play outside of your comfort zone to make you a better tennis player.’ ”
The Bison had four fourth-place showings including senior Dasha Ignatova at No. 1 singles.
Ignatova notched a win against Naperville North’s Kayla O’Connor 6-2, 6-1 but faltered to Stevenson and then to Lake Zurich’s Sophia de la Reyes 6-3, 6-3 in the third-place match.
Other Bison fourth-place finishers included the No. 1 duet of Kina Tamai/Emma Boyd, No. 2 tandem of Paige Sterker/Isabel Royz and No. 3 pair of Leanne Lee-Priscilla Yuan.
A four-year varsity player, Ignatova not only been a stellar piece to the Bison tennis program but excels in other areas as well. She and other Buffalo Grove students championed the Elevate club, which is a school chapter of the national Life of an Athlete program.
This club at Buffalo Grove now has strong membership since its inception in fall 2016. The program encourages student peers to remain drug and alcohol free as well as stressing the importance of a healthy diet and sleep habits.
Ignatova and others from Elevate were presented with the Life of an Athlete’s “Program of the Year” award earlier this year.
Ignatova plans on attending to continue her tennis career at the club level in college.
“I think it’s good to get extra time to work on form,” Ignatova said of her effort in the invite. “I’m not sure of the position I’ll be playing in sectionals, but mentally it helps you with strokes. Our team is strong this year. We’ve had a lot of pasta parties to build chemistry with the team.”
Prospect received fifth-place finishes from its No. 1 doubles team of Colleen Stanford/Ellery Whitebloom and No. 3 Alyssa Kubitz/Annie Walsh.
Knights coach Mike McColaugh was happy with how his team performed against a competitive field.
And as MSL play continues, McColaugh is optimistic about Prospect’s road toward the postseason.
“Three of our four doubles teams went 2-1 (Saturday),” he said. “There were a lot of positives to take away. I thought in the backdraw there were a lot of even match play as we prepare for the MSL. We got a good sneak preview (of Buffalo Grove) to give ourselves a chance.”
McColaugh and Prospect will host the annual 16-team Fall Classic on Saturday. It features area teams Buffalo Grove, Prospect, Hersey, Fremd, Rolling Meadows, Conant and Stevenson.