The OPRF girls swim team is off to a strong start this season, and it showed at the Riverside-Brookfield Invitational Saturday.
The Huskies took fourth place at the invite with 171 points, as senior Kate Walby placed sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:12.34), an event in which she qualified for state last season. She also placed eighth in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:24.78.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” she said. “It’s definitely the time to experiment since it’s early in the season and I’m feeling good about the training we’re doing, and technique tweaks we’re doing.”
“Across the board, I’m really happy with how the girls did,” said head coach Clyde Lundgren. “When you watch their strokes, you can tell they’re battling. The fatigue sets in, but they keep pushing. That type of character attribute is something we really value. They’re putting the work in at practice, they’ve got great attitudes, and they’re taking care of themselves outside of the pool. I’m delighted to be a part of it.”
Freshman Lily Cook took seventh place in the 500-yard freestyle (5:40.45), shaving 10 seconds from her previous time for the event, as well as 10th place in the 200-yard freestyle with another season-best time of 2:07.87. Walby, along with teammates Avaa Ruffer, Kyie Miller, and Evelyn Hasenbalg finished third in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:56.46.
Oak Park and River Forest’s Avaa Ruffer during the 200 Yard Medley Relay at the RB Girls’ Swim Invite Saturday, September 14, 2024 in Riverside. | Steve Johnston 
Oak Park and River Forest’s Avaa Ruffer during the 200 Yard Medley Relay at the RB Girls’ Swim Invite Saturday, September 14, 2024 in Riverside. | Steve Johnston 
Oak Park and River Forest’s Kate Walby during the 200 Yard Medley Relay at the RB Girls’ Swim Invite Saturday, September 14, 2024 in Riverside. | Steve Johnston
“I think the team did very well overall,” Walby said. “We came out and just threw it all out there and had some really fast swims or just went out fast and hoped for the best, and that’s all you can do at the beginning of the season.”
Junior Hailey Boland took fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:00.54, and placed second in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:10.23. Miller placed fifth (26.12) and Hasenbalg placed seventh (26.19) in the 50-yard freestyle. Hasenbalg also took ninth place in the 100-yard freestyle in 58.11 seconds. Junior Avaa Ruffer took sixth place in the 100-yard butterfly in 1:04.13. For diving, junior Jillian Louie took third place with a score of 203.15.
This was the first seeded meet for the team in this young season, after participating in the KP Invitational and a dual meet with Glenbard West, Walby knows that she and her team are getting back into the swing of things and feeling better with each swim, while still knowing what to work on as the season progresses.
“I felt a lot better at this invite for sure,” she said. “We’re more in shape now and it’s easier to get out there and do all the events. Everybody is doing a lot better at hammering down in the water. I have some work to do in my strokes in Individual Medley, and my breaststroke needs some tweaking in the stroke, just a couple of things to fix up as the season goes on.”