Westmont swim club  produces winners

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Lyons Township's Maddie Naughton swims in the 200-yard Individual Medley. | Michelle LaVigne~Sun-Times Media

Updated: December 11, 2011 8:32AM

Westmont High School doesn’t have a swim team, but the school’s swimming pool doesn’t go completely unused.

The Westmont Swim Club, which rents use of the pool from the school district, will have nearly a dozen swimmers competing in Saturday’s sectionals representing four different high schools. Three schools will be at the Lyons Sectional at 1 p.m. held at the south campus in Western Springs.

Junior Elly Vitek, a Western Springs resident, is the only member of the Westmont club competing for LT. Vitek finished 31st in the 200-yard freestyle in last year’s state meet and is looking to make return appearances in that event and in the 400 freestyle relay this weekend.

With fellow club swimmers from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South at the sectional, Vitek will enjoy the reunion.

“It will be a lot of fun,” Vitek said. “It will be fun to see each other at the meet. We joke with each other and pretend that we’re rivals even though we all like each other.”

Westmont club members at the Lyons Sectional will include Vitek, Hinsdale South seniors Dana Vinyard and Hannah Veselik and Hinsdale Central’s Jen Coady, Genna Heidkamp, Kristen Worthington, Lindsay Pavich, Kerry Grosshans, Hannah Lillioja and Olivia Garrett.

At the Fenwick Sectional, Westmont club members from Fenwick include sisters Maureen and Colleen Barron of Darien, Grace Gibbons of La Grange and Haley Wickham of Clarendon Hills.

On March 3, Maureen Barron set new Westmont club records for the Senior Women’s division in the 50 and 100 free and Vitek established a record in the 200 free. With combinations including Vitek, Coady, Heidkamp, Barron, Worthington and Pavich, the club also set new records in March in the 400 free, 800 free and 200 medley relays.

“Honestly, I don’t know why (we’ve had success). I can’t explain it, but some of these girls; a lot of them have started with me when they were 9 years old,” Westmont club coach Adam Cremieaux, who is in his seventh season at Westmont. “In the last eight years, these girls do what they can. As a coach, I couldn’t be prouder.”

Parents are heavily involved in the Westmont club. Vitek’s mother, Christy, is a second-year coach for the club for swimmers younger than 10. Christy swam and played water polo at Lyons and also competed for Westmont. Kerry Grosshans’ mother, Barb, coaches 11 and 12 year olds and Judy Coady is a manager and assistant coach. Judy handles travel arrangements and has been with the club for 14 years.

Her daughter, Jen, will sign a letter of intent with Illinois on Wednesday to join her older sister Sarah, who already swims for the Illini.

Jen Coady was ninth in last year’s state meet in the 200 IM and was a part of all three state qualifying relays.

“I hope all three relays will qualify (again),” Coady said. “I think all three relays could finish in the top 12 and a couple of them in the top six.”