Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

All the luck at Saturday’s girls swimming state meet belonged to girls named Julia.

It started in the morning, when Lyons coach Kurt Johns received news that Chatham Glenwood senior Alexis Preski was not feeling well, and there was a chance freshman Julia Kral would take her place in the 100-yard breaststroke consolation finals.

Kral was not scheduled to swim in any other events Saturday at New Trier, but the Lions planned to attend the final day of the state meet anyway to see what it takes to become a champion. She finished 13th in Friday’s preliminary round, and only the top 12 get to race Saturday.

But as the first alternate, she was prepared, and when Preski was ruled out, Kral made the most of the opportunity. She beat five other swimmers who posted higher qualifying times and won the consolation final, thereby earning Lyons’ only seven points of the meet.

“It was a really hard mental thing for me,” Kral said. “It was definitely a challenge, waking up and thinking, ‘I’m not swimming,’ and then having to get my suit and get ready.”

Preski also was scheduled to swim in the 500 freestyle. New Trier senior Julia Green, who didn’t even realize she was first alternate until well after her swim Friday, learned about her good fortune an hour before she had to be in the pool. She placed third in the 500 free consolation final.

“My coaches reminded me that I’d been doing this all year,” said Green, who had to turn around and race in the next event, the 200 free relay. “My team helped me fight through the pain and the discomfort I was feeling.”

Breaking barriers: Of the five state records to fall Saturday, four came in the races for athletes with disabilities.

Jones sophomore Sophia Vilim, who has limited vision in both eyes, broke her own Class B state records in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles. The IHSA divides athletes with disabilities into Class A and B depending on the type and severity of each impairment.

Vilim is involved with the Paralympics and sees no reason why her record should last past next year’s state meet.

“The main goal of all the Paralympics stuff is not to leave anybody on the sidelines,” she said. “I hope next year that I can break my state records again, keep swimming and make new personal bests.”

Sandburg junior Rachael Apter also broke her own state record in the Class B 100 breaststroke.

Tuning out the noise: How do you stay focused when you’re the highest-qualifying diver and already have a state title and a second-place finish to your name?

Don’t pay attention, of course.

“Watching the other divers really doesn’t help,” Naperville Central senior Sydney Dusel said. “I typically put in my headphones and go into the locker room and just focus on myself and my dive.”

Dusel, who will dive collegiately for Virginia, finished with a score of 490.60 to take home her second title in three seasons. She’s the first diver to win two out of three years since Deerfield’s Christina Loukas won three straight from 2001-03.

“Today was probably the most nerve-racking, just with everyone here for the last three dives,” Dusel said.

[email protected]

More Top Picks Best Label Makers For Organization

Twitter: @Stainbrook419