LA’s Roggi collects 2 top-5 finishes; HP’s Eliacin adds to her medal count

Loyola Academy’s trip to the IHSA swim and dive championships didn’t get off to a good start on Friday, but coach Greg Hartman was proud of the Ramblers at the end on Saturday, Nov. 15, in Westmont.

Loyola was disqualified in the first event of the weekend, 200-yard medley relay preliminary, and worked back from there to a ninth place team finish anchored by the performance of sophomore Lia Roggi.

“That’s where you test the quality of the kids who are in those suits,” said Hartman, who was filling in for absent head coach Mike Hengelmann. “Times are one thing but the quality of the human beings on this team are top notch. They are Ramblers all the way. And no one got it started this weekend better than Lia Roggi.”

Roggi finished third in the 50 free (23.22 seconds), fifth in the 100 butterfly (55.25) and kicked off a record-setting performance for the Ramblers 200 free relay team. Roggi, junior Sophia Friestedt, freshman Kennedy Fitzgerald and junior Kinsley Fitzgerald swam to sixth place in the 200 free relay with a time of 1 minute 34.85 seconds, a program record.

Friestedt added a ninth-place result in the 50 free and 14th in the 100 free, and teamed with Roggi, Kinsley Fitzgerald and Victoria Simon to finish ninth — and a heat victory — in the 400 free relay.

The numbers added up to a ninth place team finish with 86 points — 4.5 more than the Ramblers scored a season ago when they placed seventh.

“The state meet is always filled with ups and downs and it tested our resilience this weekend,” Hartman said. “We got off to a bit of an odd start and by the time the 50 frees were up, we were back on it again.

He added, “It’s been a wonderful ride for these girls. They are a really light-hearted team. They are really there for each other and all come back (next season), so we are looking forward to next year. Meanwhile, we’re going to enjoy a really nice season.”

Giants junior makes podium for third straight season

Highland Park junior Brooke Eliacin is no stranger to the IHSA finals and came away with hardware for the third straight season.

Eliacin placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.53) — her best result yet after finishing fifth as a freshman and 15th as a sophomore. She also was 16th in the 50 free.

“I am proud of myself and proud for showing up,” she said. “It’s fun to see my friends and I like when we all can compete with each other.”

She added about the state meet, “It’s really fun, it’s exciting. I like seeing the crowd and everyone cheering. It’s a fun experience.”

Eliacin now switches her focus to the junior nationals this winter, and she plans to get even faster over the next year.

“My plan is to keep swimming and training and just staying in the water,” she said. “I know I am going to junior nationals, so I’ll be training for that and then on seeing where I go from there.”

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