It was a moment of great disappointment for Griffin O’Leary, but the Barrington sophomore swimmer turned it into a sign of sportsmanship.
O’Leary had just completed the 100-yard backstroke at the state finals Saturday at Evanston. O’Leary touched the wall in 49.43 seconds, only 0.14 off the pace of champion Jaden Olson of Jones.
As soon as they got out of the pool, O’Leary turned to Olson and shook the hand of the state champion.
“When someone beats you by (a small margin), you shake his hand and say ‘great swim’ and get back into the pool on Monday,” Broncos coach John Valentine said. “(O’Leary) could not represent the school better.”
O’Leary entered the finals with the fastest time from Friday’s prelims (48.90). All season, O’Leary has been able to win races with a torrid final 50 yards. Saturday, racing the best swimmers in the state, he fell behind Olson in the first two lengths and was unable to close the deficit.
Valentine said O’Leary, who also finished runner-up a year ago in the backstroke, will learn form another state experience.
“He knows he made a technical mistake. He had a bad foot turn at the third turn, and he has to change that,” Valentine said. “He can’t slow down, he has to hit every turn hard. In the state meet, there is no holding back, you have to go all out all four lengths. But we are very excited about Griffin’s performance this weekend.”
O’Leary said he wanted to go out fast because knew Olson and St. Charles East junior Calvin Windle, who placed third, would try and set the pace.
“I wanted to keep with them and try and beat them on the back half. They just out-touched me,” O’Leary said. “I was a little more happy with my prelims. This race felt good.”
Barrington made the consolation finals in the 200 medley relay. O’Leary, senior Jack Hoppe, senior Shawn Ujiiye and junior Daniel Langlois placed 10th with a time of 1:34.93.
O’Leary also placed fourth in the 100 butterfly (48.90). As a team, Barrington finished with 30 points, good for 15th place.
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“As a team, we were pretty happy with everything and excited about next year and the years to come,” O’Leary said.
Thomas breaks records: At the beginning of the boys swimming season in November, Hersey sophomore Noah Thomas shared a goal with coach Dick Mortensen.
Thomas had done his homework and knew what he wanted to accompish in the athletes with disabilities division at the state meet.
“He knew what the record was in the 50 (free) and 100 (breaststroke) and he said, ‘I’m going after it,'” Mortensen said. “He had the state program and said, ‘This is what I’m doing.'”
Saturday, Thomas accomplished what he set out to do.
Thomas won titles in all four athletes with disabilities events — 50 free, 100 free, 200 free and 100 breaststroke — and set state records in the 50 free (37.19) and 100 breaststroke (1:47.04).
“He expects to win every time in the pool. This (state meet) really brings the monster out in him, to be able to complete against kids of equal ability,” Mortensen said.
As a team, Hersey had one of the more successful seasons in recent memory.
The Huskies broke program records in the 200 and 400 free relays and the won the Mid-Suburban East for the third year in a row. Spencer Burkhalter broke the school record in the 100 breaststroke.
“We had a banner year. Very, very exciting,” Mortensen said. “They set the expectation for the younger swimmers, and we hope it continues to roll.”
Jon J. Kerr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press
Twitter @Pioneer_Press