Boys Swimming: Host Evanston to be well-represented at state meet

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2/18/12. Winnetka. Evanston's Mackenzie Miller (left) and Christopher Russo (right) share a hug after both qualified for the state meet in the 100 Freestyle at the New Trier Sectional. Miller finished 6th and Russo finished 4th overall. | Tracy Allen~for Sun-Times Media

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Updated: March 24, 2012 8:48AM

Evanston hosts the state swimming meet Friday and Saturday, and the home team will be well represented.

The Wildkits turned in a fine performance at Saturday’s New Trier Sectional, qualifying 13 individuals and three relays. Evanston (260 points) placed second overall in the 13-team meet.

“(All our swimmers) knew they were going to be close (to qualifying). I said to them, ‘It’s going to come down to a good touch, good turn and a lot of heart,’ ” said Evanston head coach Kevin Auger. “Obviously, they showed a lot of heart because we were on the good side of every touch, and we had some (time) drops that were even more than what we expected. It was a tremendous day.”

Evanston’s biggest “sure thing” heading into the meet may have been senior Wesley Marberry, who qualified in the 200-yard IM (2nd place, 1:54.87) and the 100 breaststroke (1st, 59.41).

Marberry actually won the breaststroke from the third of four heats, and did not compete head to head against the meet’s best swimmers. However, he still managed to chop four seconds off his previous season-best.

“I was going for the gold the whole time. I knew I had the potential to drop four seconds from my season-best time,” said Marberry, who competed in the state prelims in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke last season. “I’m always racing against the clock. Beating other swimmers is nice, but it’s about me. I have a time in my head that I want to go, and that’s what I go for.”

Auger said he believes Marberry will score points at the state meet this year, which means finishing top-12 in Friday’s prelims and advancing to Saturday’s finals.

Marberry said that is, indeed, his goal.

“I haven’t maxed out,” he said. “I’m going to keep rolling and drop more time, and hopefully make it to Saturday.”

Senior divers Philip Strunk and Dylan Peters also enter the state meet with a chance to score points, Auger said. During the sectional, Strunk (437.85) finished third and Peters (396.75) was fourth. Those scores rank 15th and 27th, respectively, heading into the state meet.

Auger said the divers also helped set the tone at the sectional, getting the job done during the morning session.

“Give credit to the divers — they started us off well,” Auger said. “They both put down some great dives. We came (to the pool) and said, ‘Yeah, we got two divers!’ It gets you pumped up right from the start.”

Evanston’s relays also are in position to make some noise at State.

The 200 medley relay team (senior Benjamin Sommer, Marberry, senior Mackenzie Miller and sophomore Christopher Russo) finished second at the sectional (1:36.89), and enter state as the 12th-ranked foursome.

The quartet of senior Jack McBratney, freshman Ryan Knohl, senior Hunter Wilson and Russo placed second in the 400 free relay (3:13.33), putting up the 16th-best sectional time.

The Evanston 200 free relay finished third (1:27.6) at the sectional. The squad of Marberry, McBratney, Wilson and Miller is seeded 24th heading into State.

Evanston’s other state-meet qualifiers are: McBratney and Wilson in the 200 freestyle; Knohl in the 200 IM; Russo and Miller in the 50 free; Russo and Miller in the 100 free; McBratney in the 500 free; Sommer in the 100 backstroke; and freshman Maciej Olszewski in the 100 breaststroke.