By Michael Wojtychiw

Swimming has long been considered a sport that sees only suburban or private schools having success. And when you look at the schools that win state and individual titles, you could say that’s true. 

However, in recent years, the Chicago Public League (CPL) has started to make good traction with the other schools. Last season, four CPL swimmers made it to the second day of the state swimming meet, Championship Saturday, highlighted by a couple of sixth-place finishes. 

So this year, when the state meet came around, the CPL was looking to make its name yet again with three different swimmers making it to the meet’s second day. Lane Tech’s Anastazja Szukala made it to the 200- and 100-yard freestyle consolation heat, Whitney Young’s Renee Tan to the 200- and 500-yard freestyle consolation heat and Taft’s Kayla Duran making the championship heat of the 100-yard breaststroke race.

“I’m glad that CPS is starting to get more recognized state-wide,” the Lane senior said “The suburban schools are such powerhouses, but having the chance to go to finals against those schools and seeing that more CPS kids are doing that, it gives me hope that one day it’ll come where more city kids and teams are making it to state and finals.”

“It shows the kids coming into high school that you don’t have to go to these suburban powerhouses to get fast, you can do it at CPS.”

“We’re getting there,” Tan said. “Next year I think we’ll have a relay at state. With the team we’ve got coming back and adding Isabella Chow, we’ll be here.”

For senior Szukala, making it to Saturday meant even more because she didn’t think it was actually an option coming into the weekend.

“I honestly didn’t think I’d make it to the second day, it was a goal of mine just to make state,” she said. “Part of me knew I could make it, but it was a great end to my high school season and high school career.”

“I’d made state before and went to state but didn’t make finals. So I came in thinking it’d be ok if I didn’t make finals, my hopes weren’t too high. For my 100 free, I had to do a swim off and that was really stressful. But I’m glad I got to do it.”

After not qualifying for the second day last season, Szukala’s goal coming into the year was to make it out of the preliminaries.

She did even better than that, but to get to the second day in the 100 free, she had to take an extra step. 

Her time of 52.18 put her in a swim-off to qualify for Saturday’s finals. The University of Vermont-bound Champion set a career best in the swim-off (51.14) and then went out and swam another time that would have been her personal-best on Saturday (51.98).  Her 200 free time was good for a ninth-place finish and 100 – time had her take 10th place.

“It was really stressful,” she said, “I think the adrenaline carried a lot of it. But I love racing and having my team and friends supporting me, it really got my blood pumping.”

“The girl I was racing had had a couple relays before and I was coming off of a bunch of rest. I got the best time out of it and that was awesome. I dropped nearly a whole second from the hour before.”

Tan was one of the swimmers who had made it to Saturday last year. This year, as a sophomore, her goals were to make it back by using what she had learned at the meet last season.

“It was really crazy getting back here,” she said. “I made it back in the same races I was here for last year too. I anticipated making it back for one final, but was happy to make it back for both.

“Last year, when I got here I was terrified of everything, everyone looked so much taller and bigger than me. But this year I think I learned not to be as scared because at the end of the day, it’s just a meet and the most important thing is to have fun.”

Tan came back to state this year and finished a spot behind her CPL rival Szukala in the 200 free with a time of 1:53.07 and then finished with a time of 5:03.69 in the 500 free final. Her time in Friday’s 500 free prelims of 5:02.27 was a season-best.

The sophomore has really gotten better as a swimmer as the year has gone along and feels there’s really been one big reason behind that.

“I’ve really worked on my turns this season,” Tan said. “This year I’ve had a lot more support and that’s helped push me in all my races all year.”

Taft’s Kayla Duran was the other Chicago Public League representative Saturday at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont. The junior followed up last year’s sixth-place finish with another sixth-place time in the 100-yard breaststroke. 

A great part of the swimming state meet is the comradery that is felt in the pool between all the swimmers, regardless whether they’re high school teammates or not. With so many of the swimmers swimming on club programs that encompass swimmers from all different schools, many of the athletes are club teammates with some of their high school rivals.

This was evident during the meet Saturday with swimmers from schools like St. Ignatius cheering on Tan and Duran because they swim for the Wolfpack Aquatic Club. 

“It’s amazing having that support,” Tan said. “Right before the 500, there were a couple of St. Ignatius girls that wished me good luck and that was really nice of them.”

“It shows what swimming is about.