Swimmers Ready To Challenge School Records

Evanston’s school records in the 50-yard freestyle, 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley could all fall by the end of the 2025 girls season.

And that’s what it takes to succeed at the Illinois High School Association state finals, where every lane is a fast lane.

Senior Annika Wartowski, junior Vanya Gojakovic and sophomore Nina Gatchell are poised to challenge those various records for the Wildkits, who open their season this weekend with meets at Loyola Academy and Lake Forest.

All three were state qualifiers a year ago and are coming off successful club seasons this summer. The next step? Making it to Saturday --- the last day of the season --- when the IHSA state finals are conducted.

And if those records come off the board, it won’t just be a coincidence. That trio played key roles a year ago when Evanston finished 28th in the team standings at State. Gojakovic did reach the state finals in the IM as a sophomore, placing 12th, after winning the sectional title in that event in a time of 2:05.50 that was just off the school record of 2:04.96 set by Clio Hancock back in 2:017.

Gatchell will at some point take down Ana Woods’ ETHS breaststroke record of 1:04.59 in 2014, having clocked a season best 1:05.88 a year ago, and either Wartowski or Gojakovic could test the 50 freestyle mark set by state champion Heidi Toft way back in 1990 at 23.78.

Ask head coach Kevin Auger and he’ll tell you it’s just a matter of time, if you’ll pardon the pun, before that record board needs to be re-written.

“But even if you’re setting records, it’s a giant leap to make it to State, and another giant leap to make it back to Saturday,” said the Evanston coach. “Those three girls are already under the state cuts (based on summer performances in long course competition). And if you break records here, the odds are you’ll be back to swim on Saturday (at State).

“I think Vanya can be the best we’ve ever had in two or three different races. My aim is to find the best two races for her to succeed in as an individual. She’s always competed in the backstroke and breastroke in USA Swimming (club), but we’re still looking at all the options for her.”

Gojakovic’s improvement in the freestyle stroke was dramatic at the end of last season and pushed her into the state finals in the IM. Possible combinations for her are the IM/backstroke, the 50 free/backstroke or even possibly the IM/50 freestyle, although those two races are held back-to-back and would be difficult to pull off in a championship type meet like a sectional or State.

“That’s a long shot as far as the 50 and IM. But Vanya isn’t your two lengths and she’s done type of swimmer,” Auger pointed out. “99 percent of girls aren’t going to try anything like that, but they don’t have her type of versatility.

“Vanya swam a 23.6 in the spring (50 free) but Annika actually beat her best time in the summer (27.0 at 50 meters, comparable to a low 23 clocking in yards). That was a very impressive swim (in a meet in Minnesota).

“Nina Gatchell had a great summer, too. She won the 200 breaststroke at the Senior State meet and she’s really going to help us on the medley relay this year. We’d like to get all three relays to State again, but we need to find another flier (after the graduation of Cameron Corbett). Cameron had a great senior year last year and losing her hurts. My hope is that Nina can make a bigger difference for us (by going faster in the breaststroke). She’s fast in the 100 breast and 200 breast, but she still hasn’t that 50 breast (for a relay leg).”

Seniors Tacy Jamison and Merrill Short should provide a solid core for the freestyle relays, both the 200 and 400, and Jamison could make an impact in either the backstroke or butterfly, too. Short and junior Susannah Mulhern are top contenders in the distance freestyle races, the 200 and 500, and senior Meital Halpern should be a factor in the IM, butterfly or breaststroke.

Juniors to watch include Keira Beaudoin in the breaststroke, Maggie Brennan in the backstroke, and Susannah Keller in the 200 and 500. Top sophomores hoping to make a splash are Brooke Bowman in the fly and Clara Wartowski in the distance freestyle races, and freshman Maddie Baxter will lend support in the backstroke.