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By Randy Whalen

This has been a special season for the Joliet Township girls swimming team.

How special?

"We had never won an invite since I've been coaching here," Joliet coach Nick Koenig said. "This season we've won two. This is one of the best teams I've had. I'd like to qualify someone for state."

It's been a dozen years since that happened but it is certainly a possibility this season. The last time Joliet had a girl advance to state was in the fall of 2012. That's when Trisha Cavarubbia, a then senior, qualified in the 100-yard backstroke with a second-place sectional finish time of 58.19 seconds.

This is Koenig's sixth season as the girls' swimming coach at Joliet Township. Last year's team was good and this season looks to be the start of something special as there are only six seniors in the program, including the JV team.

"We had Senior Night (at Inwood Athletic Club) on Thursday, October 10th, and won against West Aurora," senior Abby Mosier said. "I've been on the varsity all four years and it's a different experience being a senior on Senior Night.

"This has been the best season. Not only the experience, the people. We get to spend it having fun times and team bonding. I think we'll do well at the sectional and I'm hoping to go to state."

Isabela Herrada, Jessica Mikuta, Mosier, Grace O’Brien, Emma Overall, and Serena Raimondi are the seniors.

The Mosier sisters are well-represented on the team as Erin is a junior and Keira is a freshman.

"This is the most invite titles we've had since I've been here," Erin Mosier said. "We have new girls and four freshmen on the varsity team too. We believe our depth is good.

"My favorite event is the 100-yard breaststroke. I've swam it since I started and I like swimming it in the medley relay too."

The first invite that Joliet won was the Warrior College Events Invite on Saturday, September 21 at Lincoln-Way West. 

The standings were Joliet Township winning with 417 points. Andrew  (355), Lincoln-Way West (333), Bradley-Bourbonnais (274),  

Lemont (223), and Homewood-Flossmoor (182) rounded out the field.

The Joliet winners were Overall in two events. She had a winning time of 10 minutes: 45.54 seconds in the 1,000-yard freestyle and also captured the 400-yard Individual Medley (4:47.32). Erin Mosier (2:07.61) won the 200-yard freestyle, junior Ava Gombosi (2:15.28) was first in the 200-yard backstroke, and in the final event, Joliet capped it in grand style by winning the 800-yard freestyle relay. 

There, Abby Mosier, sophomore Lila Abbott, Gombosi, and Overall had a time of 8:36.16 to win by nearly 17 seconds over Andrew (8:53.10).

Speaking of Andrew, it was at the  Andrew Invitational on Saturday, October 12 in Tinley Park where Joliet won its second invite. 

There Joliet Township  (239) edged the host Thunderbolts (229) by 10 points. Bradley-Bourbonnais (171), Riverside-Brookfield (170), Glenbard West (162), Stagg (145), Lincoln-Way West (133), Reavis (60), and Tinley Park (36) rounded out the 9-team field.

In a time of 1:02.61, Gombosi won the 100-yard backstroke by less than a quarter of a second. The 400-yard freestyle relay of Abby Mosier, Gombosi, Erin Mosier. and Overall also won by over four seconds with a time of 3:51 flat. 

Outside of diving, which Joliet doesn't have, everyone finished in the Top 4 in their events, including 10 Top 3 placements. 

On Saturday, October 19, Joliet traveled downstate to the Edwardsville Swim For Hope Invite and placed third in a strong field. Lockport Township was second and the host Tigers won it. Gombosi and Overall did well as both were in the finals of the 50-yard freestyle.

"We had the meet in Edwardsville and then its conference and sectional," freshman Eliza Potocki said. "As we wind down, we have to focus on the home stretch."

Potocki likes to swim the 100-yard backstroke the best because "it's so different than the others." But being a freshman on the varsity has been fantastic.

"The leadership on this team is great and phenomenal," Potocki said. "The positivity of the team is unlike any other I've been on."

Joliet will be looking to do more positive things as the big stretch is here. The Southwest Prairie Conference meet is slated for Saturday, October 26 at Oswego East. Then, on Saturday, November 9, Joliet Township is in a tough postseason assignment at the Lincoln-Way Central Sectional, which also includes Andrew, all three Lincoln-Way schools, and Lockport. 

"We are hoping to get some All-Conference individuals, which is the Top 3," Koenig said. "We would also love to get someone and one our our relay teams to state.

"We have a very balanced team. We want to compete against other teams and have them worry about going against Joliet."

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