NL_111518

46 | November 15, 2018 | The New Lenox Patriot SPORTS
newlenoxpatriot.com
Central wins first sectional in school history
Sean Hastings
Freelance Reporter
It came down to the final
event, but by the time
Lincoln-Way Central senior
Cetta Senese touched the
wall at 3 minutes, 36.81 seconds,
the Knights had captured
their first sectional title
in school history at Lincoln-
Way East Saturday, Nov. 10.
Senese swam the final leg
of the 400-yard freestyle behind
Autumn Hufnagl, Sierra
Maze and Belle Dutka,
who opened the race.
The Knights won their
first sectional with a score
of 296. East came in second
with 292.
Central’s relay team was
able to finish just in front
of East, which finished at
3:40.18.
“Once I was done, it was
the best feeling ever,” Senese
said. “But leading up to
that, I was so nervous, there
was so much pressure, I
knew it came down to that.
We already had the lead, so
knew we had to hold it to
make it stronger.
“Just touching the wall
was the most amazing feeling
knowing that we did it
and we finished it and finished
out strong. It was really
fun. When I heard everyone
scream I knew [we
won it].”
Senese earned a trip to
state in all four of her events
including 400 freestyle relay,
the 200 individual medley
(2:09.55), the 200 medley
relay (1:47.12) and the
100 breaststroke (1:06.44).
For Senese, being her senior
season, things could not
be going better right now.
“We’ve been working
hard all season for this and
this was probably the best
possible outcome we could
have ever hoped for,” she
said. “As a senior, just to
finish it off just like this, it’s
perfect. All four years led up
to this and I couldn’t be happier.”
Besides the sectionalclinching
relay team, also
heading to State for the
Knights is the 200 medley
relay team of sophomore
Keara McGowan, Senese,
Josephine Moline and Madi
Jager and the 200 freestyle
team of Dutka, Sierra Maze,
Jager and McGowan.
McGowan is also going
to State for the 50 freestyle
(23.71) and the 100 freestyle
(52.27), and as just a
sophomore she is excited to
have success early on and
be able to keep building off
it as an individual and with
her team.
Her time of 23.71 seconds
in the pool record was also
good enough to set a pool record
at East.
“It’s amazing to know
that the hard work has paid
off and it’s a great feeling
to know that we’ve been so
supportive of each other,”
McGowan said. “Our team
culture is amazing and we
all just love and support each
other so much, so to share
this is the best feeling ever.”
Also earning a state-qualifying
time was Jager in the
100-yard freestyle (52.88).
To kick off the celebration,
coach Pat Shaughnessy
jumped into the water fully
clothed, and was excited to
celebrate the first sectional
championship with his team.
“We knew it was going
to be tough, Lincoln-Way
East dominated 10 out of
11 years,” he said. “They
dominated today and were
amazing, so for our girls to
fight all the way through and
not get down and inch away
at that lead (was awesome).
We were down (score-wise)
the entire meet.”
Lincoln-Way Central senior Cetta Senese swims the 200 individual medley Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Lincoln-Way East
Sectional in Frankfort. She, along with three others, qualified for state in this event. Photos by Laura Burt/22nd Century Media
Freshman Autumn Hufnagl swims the 500 freestyle. She
finished third at that event, but she qualified for state in the
400 freestyle relay.
Divers Rebekkah Schimick
and Rachel Kachinsky
finished in fifth and sixth
with scores of 365.80 and
352.70, respectively.
Shaughnessy said the
Knights’ depth is what
helped win them the meet,
The Knights celebrate in the pool after winning their first
sectional title. Even coach Pat Shaughnessy dove in with
them.
and that makes it that much
better.
“We prepare them for
that,” he said. “You want to
win the meet? You have to
win the race. That is what it
is coming down to. It’s one
chance.”