It’s the final weeks of the girls swimming and diving regular season with Benet Academy making the annual trip to Oswego East to take on the Oswego Co-Op. The prep for the postseason is underway with conference meets being held next weekend. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Eiseman and Malm impress on the diving board
Starting on the diving boards with a pair of elite performers. Benet senior Elin Eiseman set the Redwing six-dive record earlier in the season with a score of 243.75. Eisman does not quite reach that mark in this matchup, but she still records a solid 229.20 overall.
The defending state champion, Kate Malm from the Oswego Co-Op takes the board and shows her stellar skill set. A performance of 295.80 dazzles the crowd as Malm looks ready to repeat as state champ next month.
Abigail Morrissey starts a strong night with a win in the 200 IM
Oswego picks up a pair of wins in the 200 medley relay and the 200 freestyle before the 200 individual medley hits the water. In lane three is Abigail Morrissey from Benet Academy. Teammate Tate MacDonald swims in lane five. Sofia Torres from Oswego is in lane four with teammate Claire Flanigan in lane six. MacDonald gets the narrow edge early in the butterfly, but Morrissey takes control when they flip to the backstroke. She builds a lead and holds it through the breaststroke and closes things out in the freestyle with a winning time of 2:13.44. Torres comes in second with Flanigan in third.
A much quicker race comes up next with the 50-yard freestyle. Molly Gonzalez from Oswego swims in lane four against Redwing competitors Clare Donnelly in lane five, Beatrix Pearson in lane one, and Eleanor Parsinen in lane three. It’s a tight race throughout, but in the end, Gonzalez just edges out Donnelly for the win as Pearson and Parsinen take third and fourth.
After a brief break, Beatrix Pearson from Benet is back in the water in the 100 fly in lane three. Ava Cabrera from Oswego is neck and neck with the Redwing in lane four. The race goes right to the wall with Cabrera winning by a nose with a time of 1:01.08, with Pearson at 1:01.72.
The Oswego Co-Op pulls away for the team victory
Another race that goes down to the wire is the 200 freestyle relay. Benet in lane four uses Abigail Morrissey to start things off, followed by Pearson, Parsinen, and Donnelly. Oswego has Maddie Liska start things off, followed by Lauren Szadorski, Molly Gonzalez, and Victoria Jordan. Neither team can gain much of an edge as the race progresses, as the Co-Op holds a minimal lead. With the anchor legs fighting for the finish, Jordan is able to hold off Donnelly for the win by just over a half-second.
Just a few races remaining when the 100-yard breaststroke dives into the pool. Mia DiGiovanni from Oswego swims in lane four with Clare Donnelly back in action in lane three. A great push off the wall from Donnelly gives her a slight advantage on the final turn. DiGiovanni gains ground with a furious finish. The video pretty clearly shows that Donnelly hits the wall first, but the scoring gives the win to DiGiovanni. A very close race, regardless. Maddie Liska from Oswego comes in third.
Oswego with a sizeable lead on the team scoreboard, but Benet has had several strong performances. Abigail Morrissey looks to end on a high note with the 100 backstroke from lane three. The top competition comes from Vera Skubiak in lane four from Oswego. Morrissey is able to hold off the other swimmers to earn her second win of the night with a time of 1:00.48, less than a second ahead of Skubiak. Oswego takes the team victory by the score of 123-62.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
