It’s the Battle of the Valley’s as Neuqua Valley girls swimming visits Waubonsie Valley hoping for victory in a DVC matchup. The Warriors now have a pair of conference matchups under their belts after a victory over Metea Valley a week ago. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Less than a one second difference between the top spots in the 200-yard medley relay
Starting with the 200-yard medley relay. Both teams jump out to a fast start, neck and neck with Waubonsie’s Mirabelle LaCoursiere starting to break ahead. Brooklyn Landtiser and Abbey Brown maintain the lead for the Warriors as Anna Honcharuk keeps the momentum going in the freestyle with Neuqua’s McKenna Buedel keeping pace, following teammates Charlie Satlak, Sophie Diorio, and Rosie Wong. Going down to the wire, Honcharuk gets the win for the Warriors with a time of 1:52.18, with Buedel helping the Wildcats finish in second place by less than one second! An exciting way to start the night.
Swimming ahead to the 100-yard butterfly. Saanvi Khopkar, Brown, LaCoursiere, and Aubrey Talaga are competing for the Green and Gold, with Ava Wallin, Taylor Tuch, and Rosie Wong competing for the Wildcats. LaCoursiere gets out to a slight lead with everyone remaining in striking distance as the race continues. Down the final stretch, Brown and LaCoursiere compete for first as Brown reaches the wall just ahead of her teammate with a time of 1:00.45 seconds, LaCoursiere finishing in second by three tenths of a second. Neuqua’s Rosie Wong finishes in third place.
Anna Honcharuk leads Warriors to 100-yard free victories
Coming up next, the 100-yard free. Anna Honcharuk gets out to a fast start for Waubonsie. The Warrior is able to increase her lead and comfortably gets her second win of the night in 53.96 seconds. Wildcat teammates Bree Pepping and McKenna Buedel finish in second and third, with Pepping getting the second-place finish by less than two-tenths of a second.
Getting back to the relay action with the 200-yard free relay. Wildcat teammates Taylor Tuch and Buedel are shot out of a cannon with Warrior Calin Ball applying the pressure. Tuch gets to the wall first, followed by Charley Satlak, who increases the Neuqua lead. Warrior Malini Madiman and Neuqua’s Elle Fairchild both fly through the water and are neck and neck with Satlak. Taking advantage of their great start, Carolina Piater dives into the water faster than you can blink and sees the lead increase with Sofia Piater swimming the anchor leg. Not looking back, Sofia Piater reaches the finish line first with a time of 1:39.93 seconds, three seconds faster than the second-place Wildcat team. Waubonsie’s group of Ball, Madiman, LaCoursiere and Estelle Casteneda finish in third with a time of 1:42.70 seconds.
Swimming teams both perform well at Waubonsie, but Neuqua takes the victory
The final individual race of the night, the 100-yard breaststroke. In lane four, Sophie Diorio from Neuqua Valley gets out to the early lead with everyone else keeping pace. Extending her lead, Diorio gets to the wall before Waubonsie’s Brooklyn Landtiser with a time of 1:08.74 seconds. Landtiser finishes in second place, just under two seconds behind.
Closing the night with the 400-yard free relay. Tuch and Buedel get out to another strong start with Carolina Piater looking to increase the lead for Neuqua. Taking advantage of the strong start, Sofia Piater dives into the water, looking to close out the night with another relay win for the Wildcats. She does just that with another first-place finish. Tuch, Buedel, Carolina Piater, and Sofia Piater finish in 3:38.31 seconds, six seconds faster than Waubonsie Valley who takes second.
Neuqua Valley finishes the meet strong and gets the road victory over rival Waubonsie Valley, 107-79.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
