Lions finish third at conference meet
By George M. Wilcox gwilcox@pioneerlocal.com February 6, 2012 11:10PM
Lyons Township's Danny McGuinness dives into the pool at the start of the 50-yard freestyle event, during the West Suburban Conference Silver Division meet. | Jerry Daliege~for Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 11, 2012 8:07AM
Danny McGuinness qualified for last year’s state meet as an individual in only the 100-yard freestyle.
The Lyons Township senior is going for two individual events this year. Whether he gets there or not, will be decided in the next two weeks. The LaGrange Park resident ended the regular season Saturday with a pair of second-place individual finishes at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division meet at Downers Grove North. LT (224 points) finished third as a team behind Oak Park-River Forest (243) and Hinsdale Central (334), which won its 41st conference title since 1966.
McGuinness, who was 38th in last year’s 100 free at the state meet, finished behind Hinsdale Central’s Connor Schroyer (50.43) in the conference’s 100 free with a 50.62 time. The state qualifying time in the event is 48.33.
LT will compete in the Fenwick Sectional Feb. 18 with the host Friars and OPRF.
“I felt a little tired,” McGuinness said. “I felt good, but I would have liked a little rest. I dropped quite a bit of time.”
McGuinness also finished second (22.96) in the 50 free to Hinsdale Central junior Jonah Heiser (22.51), who shaved and tapered for the event and is unlikely to pull off a simliar victory in the York Sectional for the Red Devils. LT’s Peter Dore (23.98) placed fifth.
The biggest test for swimmers such as McGuinness is being able to drop time under the state-qualifying mark given the long break between conference and sectional meets.
“It doesn’t hurt. Some people expect (it hurts), but it’s not that bad,” McGuinness said. “I felt going in that I can go way faster.”
During the break before the sectional, McGuinness has a plan during practices.
“I’m going to be working on my starts a little bit,” McGuinness said. “I’ll keep working on my flip turns. That’s where I get momentum.”
LT’s top relay, the 200 free, also finished second with McGuinness as the anchor behind Texas Freund, Joe Shannon and Dore. LT (1:33.76) finished behind Hinsdale Central (1:30.36), which won all three relays at the conference meet. LT’s 400 free relay with Freund, Dore, Benjamin Hewett and McGuinness (3:29.36) took fourth place.
McGuinness was one of 10 LT swimmers to be named to the West Suburban Silver all-academic team with Andrew Balch, Sebastian Hoak, John Linehan, Daniel Mohler, Peter Perez-Tamayo, Samuel Smetko, Robert Williams, Christopher Withington and Kovas Zygas.
LT’s 200 medley relay of Withington, Shannon, Adam Kline and Dore (1:44.78) placed third. Withington placed fifth (59.70) in the 100 back.
Shannon came in third in the 100 breast (1:03.63) and took fifth in the 200 free (1:54.64). Josh Hirt (5:01.68) was fifth in the 500 free.
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