IHSA GIRLS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Friday, November 18th – Saturday, November 19th
- Evanston, Illinois
- Live results (also on Meet Mobile, search ‘IHSA‘)
- Short Course Yards
Oswego East’s Georgia White had a statement swim this afternoon in the 200 free, breaking the state record of 1:46.98 with a lifetime best 1:46.66. White lopped off almost five seconds from her season best, and lowered her own best time from a 1:49.85 to her 1:46.66. The previous IHSA state record was held by Kirsten Jacobson, who set the record in 2013. The junior White also flew past the Evanston Township High School pool record of 1:47.17, set in 2005 by Kelly McNichols. Finishing 2nd in this prelims swim was Loyola’s Ella Tierney with a best time of her own (1:47.49), which will make for a great battle in finals tomorrow.
White was far from done, however. In the 100 free, she charged to the prelims win with a 49.93, with no other swimmers breaking 51 seconds. She also put up a 23.25 split on Oswego East’s 200 free relay, and split a 49.95 on their 400 free relay, the latter of which took the #1 seed for tomorrow’s finals.
Ema Rajic of University (Urbana) came within three hundredths of the 200 IM state meet record with a 2:00.70, though her seed time is actually ahead of that record. She’ll battle with Tennessee commit Alexis Yager of Rosary tomorrow in finals. Yager posted a 2:01.32, and will look to defend her 2015 title. Rajic would swim her way to a huge new state record in the 100 breast, however, her 1:00.90 shattering the 2nd-oldest individual record in the books, a 1:01.83 by Ashley Wanland set in 2007. The 200 IM record is the oldest, set in 1999 by Emily Pisula, and Rajic will have her eyes set on that mark tomorrow. She did set the pool record today, however.
Annika Wagner of Maine South and Grace Cooper of Oswego East were two freshmen who stood out today. Wagner snuck into the A final of the 200 IM with a lifetime best 2:02.62, as well as posting a 4:55.41 to make the 500 free A final. Cooper, meanwhile, posted a 23.58 to qualify for the 50 free A final. More impressive, however, was her 22.48 medley relay anchor leg for Oswego East, the fastest in state by nearly four tenths.
