Fenwick girls swimming wins 27th sectional title

The Fenwick High School girls swimming and diving program has had four head coaches this decade. For most other high school programs, it would be a challenge to maintain success with so much leadership turnover. 

But having a tradition of excellence in water sports means there is an ingrained culture of success Fenwick has been able to maintain despite the merry-go-round. 

“With different coaches, the only constant we’ve had is each other,” said Fenwick senior Maggie Rainiere. “We do really well leaning on each other, which shows up in our relays and how well we do.” 

At the IHSA Leyden Sectional in Franklin Park, Nov. 7, it came as no surprise to see the Friars once again on top of the standings.  

Their 313 points gave them a sectional championship for the 27^th time overall, and their 26^th in the last 27 years. Lane Tech finished second with 281 points, and Oak Park and River Forest finished third with 243 points. 

First-year Fenwick head coach Bryan Lee was named the Sectional Coach of the Year. Afterward, he thanked his team for an outstanding performance. 

“It’s a credit to the girls. I don’t think I did much,” he said. “They just trusted me, listened to what I said. They’re amazing.” 

Fenwick won seven events at Leyden. All told, the Friars qualified three relays and 10 individuals for the state finals. 

“It never gets old to be honest,” Raniere said, adding another sectional plaque to the trophy case. “I felt like we earned it all. We knew we were favored, but we know nothing’s given, so we’re excited about it.” 

Raniere was victorious in the 100 freestyle with a time of 52.82 seconds. She also qualified in the 50 freestyle, finishing second (24.12) by three-tenths of a second to classmate Maeve Ryan, whose winning time of 24.09 set a new Leyden pool record. 

“It was awesome. I just love the 50 so much,” Ryan said. “It’s so fun to race against Maggie. We train all year together, it’s the best.” 

Junior Audrey Munley also qualified in two events, winning the 200 freestyle in 1:52.25 and getting second in the 500 freestyle (5:07.48), just five-tenths behind Avery Hickey of Lycée Français de Chicago. 

“I feel pretty good. It’s always fun to qualify,” Munley said. 

Junior Samantha Stowe was Fenwick’s third individual multi-qualifier, winning the 100 butterfly (58.66) and taking second in the 100 backstroke (58.01). Senior Jill Peele won the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.86.  

Senior divers Valencia Ptak and Estelle Fask also qualified for state. Ptak was second with a score of 428.05 points, and Fask was third with 390.50 points. 

Fenwick qualified all three relays, winning two of them. Sophomore Eden Ling, Ryan, Munley, and Raniere were victorious in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:36.89. The 400 freestyle unit of Munley, Ryan, Raniere, and Stowe won in 3:32.29. 

The 200 medley unit of Stowe, Peele, senior Lily Mullins, and Ling finished second in 1:48.84. 

“Anything can happen with tapers, that’s why tapers are magical,” Lee said. “They pulled through, and I can’t be more grateful for those seniors. This is a big jump for our confidence going into state.” 

“This is totally the greatest group of girls ever,” Ryan said. “I love these girls and I couldn’t find a better team to do this with.” 

The state finals take place Nov. 13-14 at FMC Natatorium in Westmont. Fenwick is optimistic about doing well there. 

“We always do really well at state and we’re going in with some good seed times and a lot of confidence,” Raniere said. 

OPRF 

While the Huskies did not qualify any swimmers for state, sophomore diver Ayanna Dairyko won the competition to advance to state. Her total of 464.75 points set a new school record. 

OPRF coach Clyde Lundgren felt his team competed well, and with the majority of the team returning next season, he’s optimistic about the future. 

“I’m super-pleased with how they did,” Lundgren said. “Six of the eleven swimmers were ninth-graders. I couldn’t ask for more; the girls gave it their best and that’s something they have to be proud of. It’s definitely something we can build on. We’ve got three more years with half of them, being able to build off of this season. It bodes well for them individually and for the program.” 

Trinity 

The Blazers finished eighth with 32 points and did not have any qualifiers. However, first-year coach Cailey Mazur likes the direction in which her program is heading. 

“We’re proud of the girls’ performance. They worked incredibly hard and every swimmer made meaningful time drops,” she said. “Sectionals gave our swimmers a valuable championship-level benchmark.  

“With more competitive swimmers choosing Trinity, we’re growing our depth and raising the level of what we can accomplish together. Our goal is to become a program that sets the pace at sectionals and earns state qualifications.” 

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