CLC’s relay team snaps local slump

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Crystal Lake Central will end a six-year drought among local schools Friday when its 200-yard freestyle relay team competes at the IHSA Girls Swimming and Diving State Finals.

Central also qualified for state in three individual events out of the St. Charles East Sectional on Saturday.

Marisa Barton led the Tigers, winning the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events and anchoring the 200 freestyle relay. Central’s relay team of Nikayla Dahl, Jess Schwendau, Courtney Lefevre and Barton are the first area team to qualify for state in a relay since 2005.

Dahl took second in the 50 freestyle (24.45 seconds) but was well under the state qualifying time.

Qualifying a relay team has been a goal of the Tigers all season. When Barton touched to finish the relay under the state cut, their emotions erupted.

“We just screamed for like 30 seconds straight,” Barton said.

Tigers coach Lindsay Mernitz said she was more nervous for Barton and Dahl in the 50 freestyle than she was for the 200 freestyle relay. With Dahl starting the relay with a 24.57 split, followed by Schwendau (25.66) and Lefevre (25.44), Barton needed a 24.12 but swam a 23.39 to help her team qualify.

“The girls were so pumped and so excited,” Mernitz said. “As soon as Marisa got in the pool I said, ‘We got this.’”

After going to state last year in the 50 freestyle as Central’s lone representative, Barton is especially happy to have some company this season.

“Last year it was a lot fun to go to state,” Barton said. “This year it will even be more fun with three teammates.”

Barton’s times in the 50 (23.73) and 100 freestyle (52.20) events were among the fastest in the state. Her 50 time was second only to Glenbrook South’s Olivia Smoliga (23.03), who won at state last year in the 100 backstroke and 50 freestyle.

Barton’s 50 time was a personal best, the first time she had ever gone under 24 seconds and one of only four state swimmers to be in the 23s. When Barton finished the race she knew she had qualified but misread the scoreboard.

“At first I thought it said 24,” Barton said. “I looked again and kind of celebrated.”

In the 100 freestyle, Barton broke 53 seconds for the first time and will be in the final preliminary heat at state as the sixth-fastest qualifier.

Barton, who went under the state cut in the 100 freestyle for the first time at the Fox Valley Conference meet Nov. 5, struggled early with maintaining her pace in the second half of the race. She attributed her success to strength training outside of the pool.

“For the first half of the season I just wasn’t feeling it,” Barton said. “Doing all that weight training, I think it helped me in the second 50.”

Barton did not make the finals last season as one of the top 12 swimmers. This year she hopes to maintain or improve her seed position and be racing Saturday in the final heats.

“I don’t want my season to end Friday,” Barton said.

The state meet begins at 3:30 p.m. Friday at New Trier and continues at 1 p.m. Saturday.