Great Scott! Star leads Beads to four-peat

Rosary celebrates after winning their fourth straight swimming state title.

(Donnell Collins/For the Beacon-News)

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One of the best swimmers of the decade capped her high school career with the performance of a lifetime at the state finals Saturday at New Trier.

Rosary senior Olivia Scott accomplished her longtime goal of breaking one of the most celebrated state records when she won the 100-yard butterfly for the third time. Scott’s time of 53.09 seconds was .02 lower than the mark held since 2001 by former Rosary star Mary DeScenza.

“This is something I’ve been trying to get since freshman year,” Scott said. “I really had no idea what was going to happen. My last 25 I was really trying to push for it. I was dead at the end but I kept going and going.

“At the finish I was like, ‘I’m going to turn around and it’s not going to be the record.’ But it was and I was so happy, so relieved.”

Scott’s record was met by roars from the crowd and hugs from her fellow competitors, including Downers Grove North junior Haley Sims, who clocked 54.80 for her second straight runner-up finish.

“It was amazing,” Sims said. “I’m so happy for her. It’s such a cool thing to do.”

The record was the highlight of a banner day for Scott, who also won the 200 individual medley for the second time, finishing in a personal-best 2:01.64, just .97 off the state record. She also anchored teammates Sarah Sykstus, Rachel Burke and Katherine Hare to victory in the 200 free relay (1:35.06) and teamed with Mackenzie Powers, GiSun Pak and Hare to take second in the 200 medley relay.

Including relays and team championships, the Auburn-bound Scott won 19 career medals, 13 of them gold.

“Olivia carries a lot of burden…so to come in here and actually break that record, (which) is one of the toughest records on the board, was a hell of an accomplishment for her,” Rosary coach Bill Schalz said. “That record has been a special one, so I’m glad that it was broken by Olivia.”

Scott’s effort helped Rosary join New Trier, Hinsdale Central and St. Charles as the only schools to win four straight team titles. The Beads tallied 177 points. New Trier was second with 129 and Fenwick third with 96.

“Words can’t describe it,” said Powers, who finished third in the butterfly and fourth in the 100 backstroke. “It takes a team to win. I think everyone contributed.”

New Trier won the 400 free relay in 3:27.63 behind Maddy Urban, Megan Marchuk, Morgan Scott and Samantha James. The Trevians received runner-up finishes from Urban in the 100 free and Paige Grant in diving.

Fenwick captured its first trophy as Notre Dame-bound senior Kelly Ryan won the backstroke in a personal-best 55.42 to become her school’s first state champion. Defending champion Jane Murno of Evanston, who was second in the 50 free, was disqualified.

“I’m completely in shock,” Ryan said. “I knew I could do it, but being seeded first coming into finals just really gave me confidence to do it for real. It was definitely a tough race, but I think my finish was way better than my finish yesterday. I’m so happy that I did this for Fenwick and for everyone else on my team.”

Barrington senior Emily Fogle successfully defended her title in the 100 breaststroke, timing 1:02.64. While that was less than a second shy of the state record she was shooting for, Fogle was still satisfied.

“I can’t really ask for more,” said Fogle, who will swim at Purdue. “Coming back to finals is just an accomplishment by itself and winning the whole thing is something you have to work for and something you have to want from the beginning of the season, and I did want it really badly.”

Fogle, who added a third-place finish in the IM, narrowly missed winning four breaststroke titles. She was second as a freshman and sophomore before becoming Barrington’s first swimming champion last year.

Stevenson senior Kerrin Seymour finished her prep career the same way she started it, capturing her second diving crown in four years by scoring 439.25 points to edge defending champion Grant by 5.15 points.

Seymour, who has signed with Stanford, won the 2006 title and followed up by taking fourth in 2007 and sixth last year.

“I’m really, really happy to end the way I started,” Seymour said. “Freshman year I didn’t know what I was getting into. Senior year is a lot better.”

While she didn’t greatly expand her repertoire of dives during her prep career, Seymour did perfect what she had, scoring high points with her ninth dive – an inward 1 1/2 – and nailing her back twister.

“In general, I’m a little stronger,” Seymour said. “I was really awkward as a freshman. I’ve kind of grown into my body. I didn’t do that many different dives, but they were definitely a lot higher. And I had more confidence than freshman year.”

Sims turned in the gutsiest performance of the meet, taking second in the fly and the 200 free (1:51.57) despite suffering from pneumonia.

“I’m feeling a lot better than I was when I first found out I was sick,” said Sims, who has been under the weather for three weeks and was diagnosed on Monday. “It threw me a little bit emotionally at first, but I had to get myself together and focus on what was in my control and what I could do. I just worked through it and made the best of it. I know a lot of other girls are dealing with illness and injury, so it’s no different.”

St. Charles North’s quartet of Lauren Reynolds, Angie Chokran, Taylor Gannon and Kirsten Hutchinson won the 200 medley relay in 1:45.82. It is the first state title for the North Stars.