Attitude's right for St. Charles North

Better than the third-place finish at the Neuqua Valley Invitational, St. Charles North's girls swim team displayed some of the characteristics that all successful teams tend to show.

And that came in the area alongside the pool, where the North Stars cheered and encouraged one another throughout their solid in-water performance.

"The enthusiasm was awesome," St. Charles North coach Rob Rooney said. "You can build off that. If you haven't got that, you can't build. That's a big obstacle, and we've gotten past it already."

The North Stars mixed around their events, swimming some "off" events on Saturday. They still put together some high-caliber swims.

"I wanted to see where things were at chemistry-wise and how they all functioned with each other," Rooney said.

Jessica Clay gave the North Stars an event victory when she won the 100 breaststroke.

"Jessica is one of those kids who was awesome when she was 12 and is now coming back around," Rooney said. "Every step we take that's positive like that is a good one."

Clay had a solid overall day individually. She finished seventh in the 200 individual medley.

"We're trying to find second races for her and that was a focus for a lot of our kids today," Rooney said. "(Clay) responded nicely to that."

Angie Chokran was second in that individual medley while Jennifer Clay claimed third place in the 200 freestyle.

One of St. Charles North's emerging athletes was Jessica England, who was third in the 500 freestyle.

"I don't think anything of what she's capable of yet," Rooney said. "She's going to be a diamond in the rough. She's hard working and always has a smile on her face. She needs some technique and we're going to be in great shape with her."

The North Stars had solid diving results from Friday night. Marcy Blowers finished second and Danielle Goebbert was fifth.

West Aurora finished seventh on Saturday, but had some high-end performances.

Jackie Iglesias won the 100 backstroke for West Aurora's only swimming title.

"She's only a sophomore," West Aurora coach Joe Neukirch said. "She swam against some premier swimmers and that's a good thing to see."

Kim Engen finished third for the Blackhawks in the 100 breaststroke wile Kelsey Tupane and Kim Engen placed 6-7 in the 200 individual medley.

"The character on this team is so important," Neukirch said. "They've come to practice with great attitudes and have worked hard every day."

West Aurora also won Friday's diving competition when Liz Chollet scored 361.75 to defeat Blowers and the rest of the field.