By Elaine Gu
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006, The OG, sports

CHARLESTON — The Uni High girls swim team took second place at Eastern Illinois University Saturday against Charleston and O'Fallon.

O'Fallon won the meet with 122 points, followed by Uni (110) and Charleston (51).

“This is the closest we've come to O'Fallon in quite a while,” commented head coach Howard Schein.

Senior Anne Dixon took first place in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1 minute, 19.57 seconds.

Senior Liz Reese, who earned 14 points, was the leading individual scorer. Next up were Dixon (12 points), junior Katie Ryan (10 points), and seniors Nicole Gong and Krista Olson (nine points each).

Twelve seasonal best times were recorded at this meet. More impressively, four out of the five swimmers in the 100 breaststroke swam seasonal bests: freshmen Erika Belmont (1:22:18) and Diana Liu (1:32.39), sophomore Natsuki Nakamura (1:38.96), and Olson (1:23:07).

In the 100 freestyle, freshmen Elizabeth Allen (1:13.06) and Maria Gao (1:19.39), junior Aliisa Rantanen (1:05.56), and Reese (1:01.57) also delivered seasonal best performances.

Other swimmers who swam seasonal bests were freshman Hadley Hauser and senior Tanya Kostochka in the 100 backstroke (1:42 and 1:55.18, respectively), Allen in the 200 freestyle (2:50.34), and Gong in the 200 individual medley (2:39.51).

The 400 freestyle relay of Allen, freshman Deborah Ladd, Olson, and Reese also got a seasonal best time of 4:25:53.

On Tuesday the Stingrays will face what Schein calls the two “local powerhouses,” Danville and Centennial.

“We're out to swim good races,” said Schein. “Who knows how we'll do?”

2006 VARSITY RESULTS (2-0 in dual meets)

Sept. 2: at Stanford Olympia (vs. Stanford Olympia), W 128-38
Top Uni individual swimmers:

— Liz Reese, 50 free, 1st (:28.56)
— Katie Ryan, 100 free, 1st (1:02.62); 200 free, 1st (2:18.16)
— Deborah Ladd, 500 free, 1st (7:15.34)
— Anne Dixon, 100 breast, 1st (1:19.67)
— Nicole Gong, 100 fly, 1st (1:10.59); 200 IM, 1st (2:43.97)
Top Uni relay swimmers:
— Anne Dixon, Nicole Gong, Liz Reese, Katie Ryan, 200 free, 1st (1:57.64)
— Anne Dixon, Krista Olson, Nicole Gong, Liz Reese, 200 medley, 1st (2:13.19)
— Eunice How, Krista Olson, Katie Ryan, Aliisa Rantanen, 400 free, 1st (4:45.36)

Sept. 9: at the University of Chicago (vs. Chicago University High), W 87-81
Top Uni individual swimmers:

— Liz Reese, 50 free, 1st (:27.93)
— Katie Ryan, 200 free, 1st (2:15.84)
— Liz Reese, 500 free, 1st (6:16.12)
— Anne Dixon, 100 breast, 1st (1:17.62)
Top Uni relay swimmers:
— Katie Ryan, Anne Dixon, Nicole Gong, Liz Reese, 200 free, 1st (1:56.11)
— Anne Dixon, Krista Olson, Nicole Gong, Liz Reese, 200 medley, 1st (2:11.89)

Sept. 16: at Champaign Centennial (Charger Invitational, 15 teams), 14th place (11 pts)
Top Uni individual swimmer:
— Anne Dixon, 100 breast, 1 pt (1:17.92)
Top Uni relay swimmers:
— Elizabeth Allen, Maritza Mestre, Aliisa Rantanen, Erika Belmont, 200 free, 2 pts (2:02.38)
— Katie Ryan, Anne Dixon, Nicole Gong, Liz Reese, 200 medley, 8 pts (2:07.06)

Sept. 23: at Eastern Illinois University (Charleston tri-meet), 2nd place (110 pts)
Top Uni individual swimmers:
— Liz Reese, 14 pts overall
— Anne Dixon, 100 breast, 1st (1:19.57), 12 pts
— Katie Ryan, 10 pts

— Nicole Gong, 9 pts
— Krista Olson, 9 pts