Can Swimmers Take Down IM, Breaststroke Records?

Clio Hancock established a school record in the 200-yard individual medley event back in 2017 for the Evanston girls swim team.

Don’t expect that record to last longer than it takes Vanya Gojakovic or Nina Gatchell to graduate from high school.

Both Gojakovic, a rising sophomore at ETHS, and Gatchell, a promising freshman, are taking aim at Hancock’s record time of 2:04.96 for the Wildkits and figure to play key roles as underclassmen this fall.

The two standouts are especially strong in the breaststroke portion of that race, and high school swim coaches typically build strong breaststrokers into state threats in the IM. That’s the plan for ETHS veteran coach Kevin Auger going forward.

And the school record in the breaststroke might be within their grasp, too.

“We’ve definitely had a lot of good female breaststrokers come through this program,” Auger said prior to Friday’s season opener against Loyola Academy. “Vanya’s in the 1:05 range (for 100 yards) and Nina’s right behind her at about 1:06. I think one, or both of them, can get that IM record before they’re done.

“Vanya had a great time drop in the IM (to 2:10.64, good for 5th place at the sectional meet) at the end of last year and was just a little short of qualifying for State. And then she really shocked us with the fastest split in the 400 freestyle relay. She doesn’t really have anyone to push her (as the program’s top swimmer) overall, but we have girls who can push her in the breaststroke, the IM, the backstroke. I think she has a shot at the record in the breaststroke (1:04.59), too. She has a lot more in her. She just has to push herself a little more.

“Now that Nina’s here we can put Vanya back in the backstroke again. Nina’s gone 1:01 in the backstroke (3 seconds off state qualifying) and 1:06 in the breaststroke, and that’s the heart of the IM. They have a way to go before they get there but yes, that IM record could go down.”

Those two swimmers are among those who could share the spotlight for the Kits this fall after the graduation of 28 seniors from last year’s squad. Gojakovic competed at the 2023 Illinois High School Association state finals on Evanston’s 400 freestyle relay team and will be joined in the 2024 lineup by two others who were on that relay team, senior Cameron Corbett and junior Annika Wartowski.

Corbett and diver Una Breen, at least on paper, appear to be the best bets as potential State qualifiers from the senior class. Corbett is a threat in the freestyle races from 50 to 200 meters, and came on strong in the butterfly last year in unexpected fashion. She did, however, miss the last week of preseason practice due to illness and likely won’t make an immediate splash as the Kits travel to Loyola Friday and participate at the Lake Forest Relays on Saturday.

“Cam really surprised us in the fly last year,” Auger acknowledged. “She got a lot better from the start of the season. She’s one of our top girls in a lot of events and she’s coming off a good summer. I’m excited to see how far she can go.”

Another senior, Siena Mason, could fill in the void left by graduated star Elise Pollack in the backstroke as she has already turned in times similar to Pollack. Mason will also be in the mix in the butterfly.

Nina Malhoutra’s main contributions could come in the 500 freestyle and IM, and Malia Schoolyoung is likely to make an impact in both the 200 and 500 freestyle. Another senior, Ashlyn Rogowski, scored breakthrough performances at last year’s junior varsity Central Suburban League South division meet in the 50 and 100 freestyle races. She recorded a significant 2-second drop in the 100 by the end of the year.

Seven juniors will play important roles at the varsity level, led by Wartowski. She also qualified for State last year in the 200 freestyle relay and had one of the best summers of any individual in the program, including her qualifying for the club sectional meet in the 50 freestyle where she held her own against collegiate swimmers.

“I think the ceiling is pretty high for all of these juniors,” Auger added. “We’re expecting a lot from Georgia Stoolmaker (200-500 freestyle), Merrill Short (freestyle, backstroke), Susannah Keller (200 free, 500 free, butterfly), Meital Hailpern (butterfly, breaststroke), Tacy Jamison (freestyle relays) and Lilia Johnson (IM, breaststroke).”

Sophomores hoping to break through and make a splash include Teddy Woodward (breaststroke, freestyle), Maggie Brennan (backstroke, butterfly) and Keira Beaudoin (1:14 as a JV breaststroker).

Freshmen to watch are sprinters Brooke Bowman and Talia Wexler, plus Clara Wartowski in the fly.

Auger, as usual, hopes to take as many swimmers as possible to the IHSA state finals.

“There are some kids who have to step up, but yes, we can do better than we did last year,” he said. “The next step for us now is to score some points there.”