Girls Swimming: State-bound Balda swims season best

Updated: November 15, 2011 8:31PM

She’s hardly a typical No. 24 seed.

Ashley Balda, a junior at Lake Zurich High School, will carry that number to the 100-yard breaststroke prelims Friday at New Trier. But it’s a good bet the Bear star will be on the medal stand at the IHSA State Meet.

The evidence: Balda finished 11th in state in 2011 (1::06.97) in this event. Moreover, she was not tapered for the Barrington Sectional on Nov. 12. Balda simply wanted to qualify: she accomplished that goal by taking third in 1:07.48.

“We had kind of a different game plan,” said Lake Zurich coach Jill Kragseth. “We want her to peak on Saturday (of state) and get the best time possible.”

Kragseth knows Balda is ready for the challenge.

“She is a very competitive person,” the coach said. “She gets very serious when her races come up. She does very well in the big meets.”

Balda delivered a solid performance in sectional, eclipsing her season-best swim by three seconds.

“She had a very considerable drop,” Kragseth said. “But we’re hoping she can drop even more on Friday.”

Balda has plenty of experience under her belt, as she’s a year-round club swimmer with Patriot Aquatic Club,

“She’s been swimming year-round for quite a few years,” Kragseth noted. “That really helps her with endurance.”

Her excellence in this event is a function of several factors.

“Breaststroke is all about timing,” Kragseth said. “She has the timing, strength and endurance (to succeed). It’s a perfect match for her.”

When Balda arrives for the state prelims, there will be no surprises.

“Based on her experience from last year, she knows what the meet will be like,” Kragseth said. “As much as I tried to tell her from my experience of working with other swimmers, the personal experience was huge. She has a lot more information (to draw on).”

This Bear will be flying solo at state. But she won’t be lonely on the pool deck.

“Ashley would love to have some of her teammates with her,” Kragseth said. “But because she swims club, she knows a lot of the kids she’ll be swimming against. So, she won’t be completely alone.”

If all goes according to plan, Balda will be surrounded by cheering fans on Saturday.

“With our new game plan, she’s hoping to be faster (than last year) and to finish higher (than 11th),” Kragseth said.

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