Swimming: H-F's Dobben eyes strong finish

Beginning her fourth year on Homewood-Flossmoor's swimming and diving team, senior Anna Dobben can't help but think luck is on her side.

After a year at New Trier, the state final is returning to Evanston High School, where Dobben swam at the state meet during her freshman and sophomore years. Her efforts included a bronze-medal-winning performance in the 100-yard freestyle when she was a sophomore.

Dobben is hoping history is an indication of what's to come.

"Especially since state is at Evanston this year, I was there my freshman and sophomore years," Dobben said. "I feel very familiar with the pool. I know what the blocks are like, and I know there's a warm-down pool. I know the layout of the land."

Dobben is one of many Southland swimmers who have hopes of getting to Evanston in November for the state meet. In 2007, Dobben finished fourth in the state in the 200-yard freestyle.

"It was very exciting," Dobben said."It just teaches you to get better and that I can do it in different events because that was the first time I'd ever done the 200 freestyle at the state meet. It was just awesome getting fourth place."

Homewood-Flossmoor coach Tim Caldwell can think of no better student-athlete than Dobben to help lead his team.

"Anna is one of those 1 percent people," Caldwell said of her rare combination of skills. "She's a great student, a great person, a great athlete and a hard worker. Anna enjoys pressure, and she comes to practice and work hard. She doesn't sacrifice athletics for academics, or academics for athletics."

Caldwell also will be looking to senior Kristina Welke to lead a young Vikings team that also needs strong efforts from Hannah Ongman, Katie McCue and Rebecca Matthews.

"With this group, we only have two returning state qualifiers (Dobben and Welke)," Caldwell said. "It's not so much that people are returning, but there's an opportunity now for some seniors. For some of the girls, it's their year and their time to shine."

In her senior season, Dobben's goal is simple: state or bust.

"For myself, I really just want to get back to state," Dobben said. "I want to get into that final heat."

Looking ahead to all a season can offer, Caldwell knows that much of the time it isn't even the opponents who cause the most problems.

"We can't control what other people are going to do," he said, "but we know what we're going to do, and as long as we swim fast, we're going to be happy."

Other programs in the Southland appear to be working up to the elite level, including Evergreen Park.

In 2007, for the first time since Kristie Kelly made it in the 1995-96 season, Evergreen Park sent a swimmer to state when sophomore Brooke Telander qualified in the 50-yard freestyle. The fates seemed to be against the Mustangs as Telander's swimming cap split in two pieces as the sophomore prepared to swim in the state preliminaries.

"There were seconds (to go), and her eyes were as big as saucers," Evergreen Park coach Jim Clarke said. "(Lockport coach) Grant Ferkaluk was awesome. He just grabbed a cap from one of his girls, flipped it inside out and had it on (Brooke's) head in a second. We were so happy, because she not only got up there but then also qualified for finals."

In the finals, with a new swimming cap, Telander finished eighth.

"I was nervous," Telander said. "I was ranked fourth, but I didn't know if I'd make it to finals because there were a lot of girls right by me, maybe a couple-hundredths of a second away. It was really nerve-racking. There were a million people there, and coach and I couldn't even find a place to sit."

Finishing eighth was quite the turnaround for Telander, who as a freshman almost didn't go out for the team but changed her mind after attending a meet.

Adding to her already busy schedule, Telander also is a member of the cheerleading squad that finished eighth at state in medium team results.

This year, Telander wants some company from her teammates at the state swim meet.

"I'm hoping I get to state again this year," Telander said. "That would be really exciting, and hopefully, one of my teammates makes it with me. I think we're going to do really good as a team. We have a strong team this year."

Clarke also is counting on seniors Kate and Anne Koronkiewicz and junior Jill Pastik for productive seasons.