FVC meet too tough to predict

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Predicting a winner at the Fox Valley Conference Girls Swimming Meet on Saturday at Woodstock North, isn’t as easy as looking at the teams’ FVC dual meet records.

Crystal Lake Central was undefeated (6-0) in FVC duals, with Jacobs close behind at 5-1 and Cary-Grove at 4-2. But dual meet success doesn’t necessarily offer a direct correlation to doing well at a multi-team event.

“It’s still anyone’s game,” Trojans coach Scott Lattyak said. “It’s a matter of who’s able to pull it together the best.”

At the Woodstock Invitational this season, the Golden Eagles won and outscored the Tigers by more than 100 points. With only two individual wins at Woodstock, the Eagles’ success was evidence of their depth. In six individual races, Jacobs placed two swimmers in the top five.

Eagles coach Michael Slowik said his swimmers are on the top of their game. Freshman Nicole Sanchez has broken 26 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle and 56 in the 100 freestyle.

One big difference between a dual and multiteam event is that only two swimmers can compete in each individual event versus three in a dual. Where a team’s second swimmer places often is the difference between winning and losing.

Teams also can only enter one team in the relays. With relay points double that of individual events, not getting disqualified is as important as winning.

Central coach Lindsay Mernitz said she thinks the FVC title is going to come down to the relays.

“It’s going to be a close meet,” Mernitz said.

The Tigers might be tough to beat in the freestyle relays led by Marisa Barton and Nikayla Dahl. Barton has state qualifying times in the 50 freestyle this season, is close in the 100 freestyle and Dahl is close to the state cut in the 50 free.

The Central team which included Jess Schwendau and Courtney Lefevre, swam a season best 1:42.94 in the 200 freestyle relay Friday, three seconds off the state qualifying time.

Dundee-Crown was the only FVC team not at the Woodstock Invitational and the addition of the Chargers should have an impact on the FVC Meet. Although D-C might not have the depth to challenge for the team title, the Champa (Colleen and Emily) and Skoog (Ashley and Rachel) sisters definitely will have an impact on individual and relay place winners.

Upcoming meets: FVC Meet at Woodstock North 1 p.m. Saturday; Sectional meets at Vernon Hills, Barrington, St. Charles East and Byron 1 p.m. Nov. 12.