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mokenamessenger.com sports
the Mokena Messenger | February 8, 2018 | 47
fastbreak
Boys Swimming
LW Central captures conference meet ahead of state finals
22nd Century Media File
Photo
1st-and-3
Like fish in water
1. LW Central boys
swimming
Tim Murphy (above)
won the 100 freestyle
and 100 backstroke
en route to
the Knights’ SWSC
Red Division Conference
title Saturday,
Feb. 3.
2. Record breaker
Knights freshman
Joe Bozzi set a new
SWSC record in the
500-yard freestyle.
Bozzi’s time of
4:51.72 beat the old
record of 4:54.54,
and was still not as
fast as his personal
best time of 4:47.01.
3. Danny O’Brien
O’Brien took home
first place in both
the 200 freestyle
and the 100 butterfly,
narrowly edging
out teammates
Bozzi and Tim Kirk,
respectively.
Dave Owen, Freelance Reporter
The Knights are the kings
of SWSC Red swimming.
With Tim Murphy and
Danny O’Brien each winning
two individual events
and freshman Joe Bozzi
setting a new meet record
in the 500-yard freestyle,
Lincoln-Way Central sped
to 271 points to easily top
closest pursuers Andrew
(second-place 190) and host
Lincoln-Way West (third,
187) and win the Saturday,
Feb. 3 conference meet.
“This meet is just really
exciting,” said Murphy,
who won the 100 freestyle
(50.77) and 100 backstroke
(55.60), and also joined
O’Brien, Bozzi and Josh
Fox on the winning 200
and 400 freestyle relays. “It
means a lot to win conference,
so having that extra
motivation really helps you
push through, especially
during a hard week of practice.”
With the rest/taper imminent
for Feb. 17 sectionals,
the Knights showed no
signs of fatigue in a huge
performance across the
board. The Central junior
varsity also won the team
title by an 85-point margin.
“Varsity came in with
higher yardage [in workouts]
this week, so for that
we swam incredibly well,”
Central coach Luke Bell
said. “And JV had some
great swims, as well; Noah
Ivicic swam his personal
“It’s a new experience. The
environment [of high school
swimming] is completely different
than club season. I just want to do
my best for the team, and be here
to help out.”
Joe Bozzi — Lincoln-Way Central freshman, on
setting a new SWSC conference meet record in the
500-yard freestyle
best in the 100 fly, Will
Jager in the 500 freestyle
dropped eight seconds, and
Sean Murphy a freshman
swam best times. Great
swims all around.”
Bozzi’s 500 swim had the
most historic impact. His
pre-taper time of 4:51.72
was well off his season
best (4:47.01), yet easily
shattered the four-year-old
SWSC Red record pace of
4:54.54.
That league record impressively
added to his
high-impact freshman season.
“It’s a new experience.
The environment [of high
school swimming] is completely
different than club
season,” Bozzi said. “I just
want to do my best for the
team, and be here to help
out.”
A 2017 state meet veteran
along with Murphy,
O’Brien won both the 200
freestyle (1:49.09) and 100
butterfly (55.52) as a final
tuneup for the state series.
“I thought the meet went
great,” O’Brien said. “Everyone
was swimming really
well. I had some good
racing out there with Joe,
and our relays were good.
I’m satisfied.”
The Knights had great
double efforts in both the
100 freestyle — Murphy
edging teammate Fox by
just .06 of a second — and
the 200 free, as O’Brien
topped Bozzi by .2 of a second.
“Danny swam his heart
out in the 200 freestyle,
1:49, a great swim there,”
Bell said. “And Joe, as well
(second-place 1:49.28 in the
200). They both had phenomenal
swims.
“And Tim had his best
time in the backstroke. He
broke the 56-second mark
[at 55.52] after being 56.08
Lincoln-Way Central’s Tommy Kirk finished first in the 200
IM as the Knights took the SWSC Red Division conference
title. 22nd Century Media File Photo.
twice this season. And even
a few kids that have been
sick the past few weeks had
great times. Josh Fox had an
awesome 100 freestyle.”
Tommy Kirk (2:05.26)
and Nate Fritz (2:05.82)
were one-two in the 200 IM,
and Kirk was also second in
the 100 butterfly. Kirk also
teamed with Justin Hearne,
Matt Senese and Zach Athos
to win the 200 medley relay
(1:46.55).
“All the relays did really
good – it was a real team
effort,” Bozzi said. “Everyone
here did a good job.”
Athos showed versatility
by placing third in both
the 50 and 500 freestyles,
Senese was third in the 100
breaststroke and Hearne
placed fourth in the 100
backstroke.
Murphy summed up the
Knights’ key to success.
“We train really hard,
and I think the close team
dynamic of everyone being
friends,” he said. “Workouts
are hard during practice,
but just being able to push
each other, knowing what
someone’s going through
and how you can get them
to work even harder — that
really has made this season
more successful.”
Now the Knights confidently
prepare for higher
stakes.
“It’s different going to
sectionals,” Murphy said,
“because we try to cut back
on yards as it gets closer
so we can be rested and
swim as fast as we possibly
can.”
“A couple more days of
hard practices,” Bell said,
“and then it’s tapers and see
what they can do (at sectionals).”
Listen Up
TUNE IN
Index
“It’s different going to sectionals, because we try
to cut back on yards as it gets closer so we can be
rested and swim as fast as we possibly can.”
Tim Murphy – Lincoln-Way Central swimmer, on the Knights’
strategy heading to sectionals
Girls Basketball
TBA, Monday, Feb. 12
Lincoln-Way East opens regional title week
at home
41 – High School Highlights
40 – Athlete of the Week
FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor T.J. Kremer III, tj@moke
namessenger.com.