Kara Savegnago enjoyed a high school career most teenagers could only imagine. In fact, you could say that of every member of the 2008 Rosary swim team, which captured its third consecutive state championship Nov. 22. Still, Savegnago was something special.
A leader by example and a voice of support and encouragement for her teammates, the senior is the Beacon News Girls Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year.
Serving as the leadoff leg on all three relay teams, she propelled the Beads to a state record in the opening event of the IHSA meet -- the 200-yard medley relay.
The Beads broke the state mark in that race in the preliminaries and bested the record again in the finals. In the latter race, Savegnago had Rosary out front after the first leg and they never looked back.
"She's a captain and she's been a great leader," Rosary coach Bill Schalz said. "She's really taken ownership of that role, from that first relay in the finals to the last one. She got us a lead in the 200-yard medley and that kind of sent a message."
The Beads nearly secured the state championship just by qualifying competitors in eight of the 12 finals of the two-day meet. Putting themselves in such a strong position allowed them to be aggressive and race for records. Rosary swept the relays and almost set three state records in the process. The 200 freestyle relay squad established a state mark while the 400 freestyle group came up a mere 22-hundredths of a second shy of tying the record.
"We were fortunate to have such a huge lead going into (the finals) that we were able to really cut loose our relays," Schalz said. "We could have disqualified all three relays and still possibly won the meet."
Savegnano also won an individual medal by placing third in the 50 freestyle.
"Most people ask me, 'Don't you wish you could swim the 100 free and the 50 free?' But actually I really love doing the relays," said Savegnago, who will swim for Louisville beginning next fall. "It's something we take pride in, because you're not swimming for yourself, you're swimming for your team. It's kind of cool."
Savegnago is reluctant to say "I" during an interview, and it is understandable why. The Beads are successful because of their depth and team attitude. Senior Kally Fayhee, who was also on the freestyle relays, will swim at Michigan next year and Elisabeth Tavierne, who swam on the medley relay unit, is headed to Ohio State. Fellow senior Mary Tonner also will compete in college, though she has not decided where.
"I think what's cool about her getting this award is that swimmers that swim relays are typically the ones that sit back while the individuals swim. Last year Kally won the 500 and Olivia (Scott) won the 200 IM and the butterfly, so it was more about them. Kara was involved in it, but you didn't see it because we didn't win the relays. But this year winning the relays kind of brought all that hard work and training to fruition."
Winning three state championships made it difficult for Savegnago to decide which was the most rewarding, but then again it really doesn't matter. The Beads have become the benchmark of IHSA swimming and could be for a long time.
"It's kind of a tie for the first one and the last one," she said. "The first one was just so awesome because it was the first time for our school and everything, and the last one was really awesome because we were the leaders and state champions on a state championship team."
Like beads on a Rosary, they come one after another. Girls Swimming Athlete of the Year
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