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Boys Swimming: Lyons’ McGuiness has return to state in mind
The Lyons Invitational boys swimming meet with Hinsdale South, OPRF, Marmion and York. was held 1/28.Lyon's Township's Brendan Weibel swims in the 500 yard freestyle.
| Tamara Bell~Sun Times Media
With only one senior on board, expectations aren’t as high for Lyons Township this season as they were last season, as the Lions headed into the final week of the regular season.
The team’s lone individual returning state-meet qualifier — senior Danny McGuinness, of La Grange Park — hopes to return to the state meet in the 100-yard freestyle. But he has made better progress in reaching the State-qualifying time of 21.98 in the 50 freestyle.
McGuinness won the 50 free (22.50) and finished second in the 100 free (50.09) in the five-team Lyons Township Invitational on Saturday.
LT (253.5 points) placed second in the meet, behind Marmion.
McGuinness just missed State-qualifying time in the 50 free. In the 100 free, he finished second behind Marmion’s Jonathan Thielen (48.77).
McGuinness started off the season slowly and was plagued by shoulder injuries early in the year. He’s the team’s only senior, as the rest of the team’s core consists of three freshmen, three sophomores and four juniors.
“Now the lights come on (for some swimmers),” said LT coach Scott Walker. “The thing is, the season is almost over. We’ve been telling them: prepare all year. Everyone gets excited in this short of time.”
Lyons Township will compete in the West Suburban Conference Silver meet at Downers Grove North, beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Lions will compete in the Fenwick Sectional on Feb. 18.
“We’ve very young,” Walker said. “If we get anything going, we’re going to be great.”
Walker is enthused about both of LT’s freestyle relays. The 200 free relay (Texas Freund, Joe Shannon, Peter Dore and McGuinness) took second in 1:32.46. The 400 free relay (Freund, Dore, Ben Hewett and McGuinness) was third in 3:29.51.
“That’s all you want in all the relays; you want all four to click at the sectional,” Walker said.
The 200 medley relay (Jack Garrow, Joe Shannon, Adam Kline and Dore) placed third in 1:47.32.
Shannon, who placed second in the 100 breast (1:03.24), is another top candidate for state-meet qualification. The State-qualifying time in that event is 1:01.28. Shannon has to cut more time to reach the State cut in his other event, the 200 free. He was third (1:53.59) at the Lions’ invite, and the State cut is 1:45.63.
One of LT’s other top performers was Brandon Weibel, who placed third in both the 200 IM (2:10.05) and 500 free (5:08.39).
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