C-G warms up for FVC by beating Warriors

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CRYSTAL LAKE – A week away from the unofficial Fox Valley Conference Meet, the Cary-Grove co-op boys swimming team’s 104-66 victory against McHenry raised the excitement level for both teams.

The Trojans won seven of 11 events Friday and look to be the favorites heading into the meet Feb. 13 at Woodstock North, where they will try to repeat as FVC champs.

Because the FVC has only four boys swimming teams, there is no official FVC meet.

“They’re the toughest team in conference,” C-G’s Christian Weber said of McHenry. “We needed to get excited for conference, and a win here gets us excited.”

Weber won two individual events, taking the 50-yard freestyle in 23.05 seconds and the 100 butterfly in 56.04, and swimming the final leg of the Trojans’ winning 200 medley relay.

After not competing in the 100 butterfly for several meets, Weber said he has shaved 2.5 seconds off his time in the past three weeks and hopes to qualify for state.

C-G’s Michael Hamman won the 200 individual medley in 2:05.83 and 100 backstroke in 56.83 seconds. He also was a member of the 200 medley relay team.

Although he doesn’t have as many swimmers as last season, C-G coach Jim Andriakos said that his team has more depth.

“We’re right where we want to be,” Andriakos said.

For the Warriors, who finished third last season at conference, Friday’s meet showed them what they have to do if they want to be conference champions.

“It builds adrenaline for conference, but it also puts them down-to-earth to show them how tough conference is going to be,” McHenry coach Caitlin Sullivan said.

The Warriors won two of the three relays, taking the 400 freestyle relay in 3:23.48 and the 200 freestyle relay in 1:36.11. Reilly Shanahan swam the first leg of both relays and won the 200 freestyle in 1:48.77 and the 100 freestyle in 49.02 seconds.

Sullivan said that she wasn’t focused on times, but rather on her team’s effort, and with the better effort, times will improve.