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OPPrairiedaily.com sports
the orland park prairie | November 27, 2019 | 37
Swimming
Giglio-Fasel tag-team ends with another state appearance
JEFF VORVA, Sports Editor
4
The Sandburg 200 free relay team of pose before
heading to the IHSA state meet, where it finished in 28th
place with a time of 1 minute, 42.37 seconds. PHOTO
SUBMITTED
When Sandburg sophomore
diver Maddie Giglio
and diving coach Leslie
Fasel had their first practice
together, well, let’s just say
they were both learning on
the job.
“[Sandburg swimming
coach] Anna [McBride]
asked me to coach diving,
and I said ‘absolutely not,’
because I’m a gymnast and
I was a gymnastics coach
all of my career and I didn’t
know anything about diving,”
Fasel said. “I never
dove.”
But she took the job and
had a willing-to-learn pupil
in Giglio.
“Maddie and I came in at
the same level,” Fasel said.
“We knew nothing about
diving.”
Nothing became something.
And something became
something else.
The final order of business
in the Giglio/Fasel
partnership just concluded
over the weekend. Giglio
did not have the finish she
was looking for as she
placed 42nd out of 48 divers
in the preliminaries of
the Illinois High School Association
State Swimming
and Diving Finals on Friday,
Nov. 22 at New Trier
High School in Winnetka.
Her prelim efforts netted
her 166.35 points and that
was not enough to make
it to the top-16 semifinals.
Still, it was her second trip
to the state finals and she
earned a scholarship to dive
at the University of Toledo.
“Maddie had a great
season, unfortunately she
Sandburg diving coach Leslie Fasel keeps a watchful eye on Maddie Giglio during
the Lockport Sectional on Nov. 16. Two years ago, the two were diving novices and
since then, Giglio became a two-time state qualifier in the sport. JEFF VORVA/22ND
CENTURY MEDIA
didn’t fare with the outcome
she hoped,” Fasel
said. “She has a great opportunity
to continue on
with the University of Toledo
and be the best diver
she can be.”
On the swimming side,
junior Jenna Falsey claimed
32nd out of 33 qualifiers in
the 500-yard freestyle with
a time of 5 minutes, 26.47
seconds.
The 200 free relay team
of Maureen Flannery, Erin
Barry, Julia Barry and Colleen
Donnell took 28th out
of 29 competitors with a
1:42.37. But the future of
those swimmers is bright
as Flannery and Julia Barry
are freshmen, Erin Barry is
a sophomore and Donnell
is a junior.
Heading into the state
competition, Giglio had
two great meets in a row.
She set a personal-best record
of 429.60 on Nov. 2
at the SouthWest Suburban
Conference meet and
two weeks later busted
that mark wide open with
a 446.20 at the Lockport
Sectional.
Last year, she finished
21st in the state, missing the
16-diver semifinals.
Now that the diving season
is over, she is heading
back to high school
gymnastics again with the
newly merged District 230
co-op team.
“It’s more for fun – to be
with the team again,” Giglio
said. ”
Fasel is looking forward
to the boys diving season.
“It’s going to be fun,”
she said. “We had a diver
[Cody Thill] who finished
eighth in the state and we
are hoping to improve on
that.”
Our staff’s predictions for the top games for all eight state championship games
OK, this is it for 16 football teams in Illinois and
six Press Box Pickers in the 22nd Century Media
office. We are picking all eight IHSA championship
football games and chances are good that many
on the panel could not tell you where some of the
teams in the smaller classes are, geographically.
Vorva’s one-game lead? That could shrivel up
quickly if Czaja, Millar or anyone else gets hot.
Game of the Week
• Class 8A: LW East (13-0) vs. Warren (13-0).
Other Games
• Class 1A: Lena-Winslow (13-0) vs. Central A&M (13-0)
• Class 2A: Nashville (12-1) vs. Sterling Newman (12-1)
• Class 3A: Byron (12-1) vs. Williamsville (13-0)
• Class 4A: Richmond-Burton (13-0) vs. Murphysboro
(11-2)
• Class 5A: St. Rita (10-3) vs. Rochester (12-1)
• Class 6A: Prairie Ridge (12-1) vs. E. St. Louis (Sr.)
(13-0)
• Class 7A: Nazareth (13-0) vs. Mt. Carmel (13-0)
56-13
Jeff Vorva |
Sports Editor
• LWE 30, Warren 21. Another state
title for the Griffs has been in the
cards since last year’s shocking loss
to Loyola in the semis.
• Lena-Winslow
• Sterling
• Byron
• Richmond-Burton
• St. Rita
• East St. Louis
• Nazareth
55-14
Thomas Czaja |
Senior Editor
• LWE 17, Warren 14. Griffins
emerge victorious from epic battle
to win state title.
• Lena-Winslow
• Nashville
• Williamsville
• Richmond-Burton
• St. Rita
• East St. Louis
• Nazareth
54-15
Steve Millar |
Sports Editor
• LWE 20, Warren 14. The two best
defenses in the state square off, but
it’s the Griffins who have enough
big-play potential on offense to
get it done.
• Central A&M
• Sterling Newman
• Byron
• Richmond-Burton
• St. Rita
• East St. Louis
• Nazareth
51-18
Joe Coughlin |
Publisher
• LWE 20, Warren 7. Defensive
slugfest with Griffins making big
plays necessary for a title.
• Lena-Winslow
• Sterling Newman
• Byron
• Richmond-Burton
• Rochester
• East St. Louis
• Mt. Carmel
50-19
Sean Hastings |
Contributing Editor
• LWE 42, Warren 28. Griffins finish
season undefeated, AJ Henning has
a huge game.
• Central A&M
• Nashville
• Byron
• Murphysboro
• St. Rita
• East St. Louis
• Mt. Carmel
48-21
Heather Warthen |
Chief Marketing Officer
• LWE 28, Warren 14. Griffins bring
home another trophy for the case.
• Central A&M
• Nashville
• Byron
• Murphysboro
• St. Rita
• Prairie Ridge
• Mt. Carmel