2024 IHSA Girls Champs: 2 Relay State Records Fall in Prelims, Izzy Beu Clocks 1:57 200 IM

2024 GIRLS IHSA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Prelims: Friday, November 15, 2024
• Finals: Saturday, November 16, 2024
• FMC Natatorium, Westmont, IL
• SCY (25 Yard)
• Meet Central
• Prelims Heat Sheet
• Live results available on MeetMobile. PDF results will be published on the meet central website.
• Live Stream
• PRELIMS RESULTS

Prelims of the 2024 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Girls State Championships took place on Friday evening a the FMC Aquatic Center in Westmont. It was a phenomenal prelims session, seeing some of the state’s top recruits really pop.

There was a couple state records broken on the day as well. The 400 free relay saw the IHSA record get shattered by not one, but two, teams. Saint Charles North saw Izzy Beu (50.47), Tessalina Stavropoulos (49.80), Martyna Dobek (50.36), and Kate Farrell (48.80) combined for a 3:19.43, blowing away the previous IHSA record, which stood at 3:22.48 from 2017. Aurora Rosary had a great relay as well, with Ariyana Nieckula (50.86), Becky Rentz (48.51), Annabelle Nawrocki (51.28), and Paige Kowal (49.60) team up for a 3:20.25, also crushing the previous record. Given how close they were in prelims yesterday, the final today should be an exciting one.

Though they were 2nd in the 400 free relay, the Rosary team of Rentz (22.63), Nieckula (23.09), Kowal (22.94), and Olivia Moore (23.38) got the job done in the 200 free relay, swimming a 1:32.04. That performance broke the IHSA record, which Rosary had set last year at 1:32.45. That relay from last year also featured Moore, Rentz, and Nieckula, but Kowal, who is a freshman this season, is a new addition.

Aurora Rosary senior Becky Rentz, a Notre Dame recruit, put up some great individual swims to go along with her relay legs. Rentz, the defending IHSA champion in the 200 free, ripped a 1:46.23 in prelims yesterday to notch the top seed for today’s final by a big margin. Rentz holds a career best of 1:46.17 in the event, a time which she swam back in February of this year.

Rentz went on to lead prelims of the 100 free as well, clocking a 49.16. That swim blew away her previous best of 49.89 in the event. The 100 free looks like it should be a great race in finals, as New Trier senior Tierney Lenahan was 49.37 yesterday.

Lenahan, a Duke recruit, went on to clock a 53.38 in the 100 back, posting the top time of prelims by well over a second. She holds a career best of 52.78 in the event.

Saint Charles North senior Izzy Beu really put on a show in prelims as well. The Georgia recruit ripped a new career best of 1:57.94 in the 200 IM, leading the event by nearly 4 seconds. She was great all around, splitting 25.39 on fly, 30.23 on back, 34.26 on breast, and 28.06 on free.

Beu later swam a 53.62 in the 100 fly, securing the top seed for today’s final there as well. She was just off her personal best, which stands at 53.58.

Yet another senior, Whitney Young’s Isabella Chow, had a fantastic swim in the 50 free yesterday, throwing down a personal best of 22.68. Chow, a Northwestern recruit, held a previous PB of 22.75 from last December’s Winter Junior Nationals – West meet.

Chow went on to scrape into the 100 final for today, finishing 8th yesterday with a 50.34. She’s been as fast as 49.86 in her career, though that time came back in 2022.

Aurora Rosary senior Elizabeth Nawrocki swam a 1:00.74 in the 100 breast, touching first, just ahead of Rockford Christian senior Brooke Corrigan, who went 1:00.94. Nawrocki, like Beu, is a Georgia recruit, and her swim yesterday clipped her personal best of 1:00.89, which was set at last year’s IHSA State meet. Meanwhile, the performance yesterday was massive for Corrigan, whose previous best was a 1:02.28, which she had just swum last weekend. Corrigan is a Wisconsin recruit.

Saint Charles North senior Avery Luedke posted the top time in the 500 free on Friday, swimming a 4:50.86. The Tennessee recruit was just off her career best of 4:49.15, which she swam in February of this year. Teammate Kate Farrell was close behind in prelims, swimming a 4:51.67 for 2nd.