IHSA Girls Champs Finals: Notre Dame Recruit Becky Rentz Rips 1:45 200 Free, 48.6 100 Free

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 RECAP
• FINALS RESULTS

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS (TOP 10)

1. Rosary – 290
2. New Trier – 272
3. St Charles North – 251
4. Stevenson – 176
5. Lyons – 146
6. Hinsdale – 105
7. Loyola – 81.5
8. Neuqua Valley – 80
9. Whitney Young – 79
10. Fremd – 65

Finals of the 2024 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Girls Championships took place yesterday at the FMC Aquatic Center. The meet saw Rosary repeat as state champions, though New Trier, who won back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, made it a close meet. New Trier finished runner-up for the 2nd year in a row, while St Charles North rounded out the top 3.

There were some really phenomenal swims on the day, including Rosary’s 200 free relay breaking the IHSA record that they had set on Friday in prelims. Becky Rentz (22.65), Ariyana Nieckula (22.79), Paige Kowal (22.84), and Olivia Moore (23.41) combined for a 1:31.69, taking nearly half a second off the 1:32.04 they swam in prelims. A couple other notable splits in the 200 free relay include St Charles North senior Avery Luedke anchoring her relay in 22.62, and Lyons senior Ella Jean Kelly anchoring her relay in 22.76.

Similarly, St Charles North would break the IHSA record they set in prelims in the 400 free relay as well. Tessalina Stavropoulos (50.16), Luedke (49.37), Kate Farrell (50.59), and Izzy Beu (49.08) teamed up for a 3:19.20, clipping the 3:19.43 they went in prelims. Rosary was close behind, seeing Nieckula (50.64), Rentz (48.89), Kowal (50.08), and Annabelle Nawrocki (50.75) swim a 3:20.36. The fastest split in the field came from New Trier senior Tierney Lenahan, who anchored her relay in 48.49.

Outside of the relays, Rosary senior Becky Rentz was exceptional in finals, winning the 200 free in 1:45.73. That swim marks a career best for Rentz, a Notre Dame recruit, and scared the IHSA record of 1:45.53 that Annika Parkhe set back in 2021. St Charles North’s Avery Luedke, a Tennessee recruit, ripped a huge personal best for 2nd, swimming a 1:47.83. Luedke’s previous best was the 1:48.39 she swam in prelims on Friday. Coming into the meet, her PB was 1:49.87.

Rentz went on from the 200 free to win a thriller in the 100 free. She touched in 48.69, narrowly touching out New Trier senior Tierney Lenahan, who finished in 48.79. Both performances marked huge career bests. Rentz came into the meet with a PB of 49.89, which she swam in February of this year, before going 49.16 in prelims on Friday. Lenahan came into the meet with a career best of 49.68, then went 49.37 in prelims before clocking her 48.79 in finals.

Lenahan, a Duke recruit, would go on to win the 100 back in 53.20, touching 1st by well over a second. She holds a personal best of 52.78 in the event.

Avery Luedke was back in action in the 500 free, where she won in 4:48.42. The performance clipped her previous best of 4:49.15, which she swam back in February. She swam a consistent race on Saturday, splitting 55.22, 58.48, 58.51, 57.92, and 58.29 respectively by 100.

Whitney Young senior Isabella Chow, a Northwestern recruit, put up a great swim in the 50 free, winning the race convincingly with a 22.53. Chow’s previous best stood at 22.75.

Another top swimmer at the meet was St Charles North senior Izzy Beu, who won the 200 IM and 100 fly. Following her 1:57.94 in prelims of the 200 IM on Friday, Beu won the event in 1:58.24 on Saturday. She then went on to swim a 53.22 en route to victory in the 100 fly. Her 100 fly time marks a career best. Beu is a Georgia recruit.

Rosary senior Elizabeth Nawrocki swam a 1:01.04 to win the 100 breast. She clocked her career best of 1:00.74 in prelims. Rockford Christian senior Brooke Corrigan came in a close 2nd with a 1:01.12 after clocking a huge personal best of 1:00.94 in prelims. Nawrocki, like Beu, is a Georgia recruit, while Corrigan is heading to Wisconsin next fall.

New Trier earned a win in the 200 medley relay. Lenahan (25.30), Riley McNeal (28.82), Zara Bolton (23.77), and Maeve O’Donnell (22.76) combined for a 1:40.65.

Oswego junior Katie Malm won diving with a final score of 492.00.