With nucleus in tact, two-time champ Rosary on verge of dynasty

Once upon a time, Rosary was the "nearly team" in Illinois girls swimming. The Beads literally filled a trophy case with second- and third-place trophies.

But no matter how full that trophy case just outside the gym in western Aurora, the biggest prize always seemed to elude the Beads. First there were good teams, then there were very good teams, and eventually there were very good teams that featured Mary DeScenza, one of the best swimmers in state history.

And none of it translated into a state championship.

That changed a year ago when the Beads won their first state title, a feat that was duplicated over the weekend. In the course of 12 months and two trips into the swimming pool with the state's top girls swimming prize, the Beads are now seen as the dominant power -- and people are using the "D-word" -- dynasty.

"I was talking to the Stevenson coaches how many trophies they had won after they finished third last weekend, and they said 'one,'" Rosary coach Bill Schalz said. "I told them to enjoy it because I told them I couldn't believe how many near-misses I had. I was beginning to think I was never going to win one."

Despite being the heavy favorite -- or perhaps because his team was the prohibitive pick to win, Schalz said he was more nervous heading into this year's state meet than he was a year ago.

"Last year, we came in 30-some odd points down and we had a great Friday and gained 58 points on our seeds against a Barrington team that swam well," Schalz said. "I just didn't want to be the team that lost a 30-point lead this year."

Last year, Rosary came to the state meet with an extremely talented team, with much of that talent as sophomores and freshmen with some solid senior leadership.

The mixture worked and the Beads stormed to the state title.

"We had four girls in last year's senior class who were qualified for the state meet," Schalz said.

This year, that core returned practically intact. The frightening thing is that, of 154 state points scored last weekend, 153 points return next year.

Look at the athletes who will be seniors next year -- Kally Fayhee, Kara Savegnago and Elisabeth Tavierne -- a trio any team would want to build around. Olivia Scott returns for her junior year and she has the potential to be one of those elite swimmers people talk about for years after she graduates. GiSun Park will be a sophomore with state meet qualification experience.

"We only had Sara (Coghlin) in the senior class in the state meet, and she finished as a high school All-American, so that's not bad," Schalz said.

Through the season, despite maintaining a strong training schedule, the Beads remained one of the fastest teams in the water. When it came time to step up in the fastest sectional in the state, at Neuqua Valley, Rosary claimed the title. The Beads were again the top team on both days of the state meet, holding New Trier, Stevenson and the rest of the state at full arm's length.

"I thought we raced very well this year," Schalz said.

The Beads may not be done yet. Add to the solid returning mix a number of swimmers who had stellar 2007 campaigns but did not make the state team. These athletes will be chomping at the aquatic bit to try to prove they can propel the Beads to future glories.

"This year, we felt that if we swam well, we could win it," Schalz said. "Next year, we know we are going to be the favorite to win it. We've got 12 months to deal with that, and we'll see how we do."

Rosary is reaching the point St. Charles achieved when it won 6 straight state titles under Jennifer Heyer-Olsen in the late-90s. The faces changed on those Saints teams, but the talent continued to flow and gel in the greatest championship domination in girls swimming in state history.

"We need to be looking two years down the road and think about how we can keep this ball rolling," Schalz said. "We're really looking at our freshmen and sophomores to see how we can get them to score at the state meet."

Make no mistake, there is talent that hasn't been seen in the state meet.

"We've got four strong classes," Schalz said. "Look at Nadia Simek, who's under fly cut and very close to the back cut. We had two freshmen, Kendall Ford and Francesca Devine who are also very strong. They can fill a couple of holes we feel we have on our team."

And as happens with successful teams, when parents with talented swimmers move into the western suburbs, they look at Rosary as a more than viable option for their daughter's high school educational and athletic career.

But don't say the "R-word" -- recruiting -- because it doesn't exist, though Schalz said he's aware that there is such a perception.

"Obviously all our girls would be going somewhere else," the Marmion grad Schalz said. "I work for a Catholic high school and I believe in that kind of education. I can't do anything about what people say, but we're in this to educate the girls and it's between the girls and their parents if they want to come to Rosary."

Success, as everyone knows begets success -- and with a pair of state title trophies to go with a case filled with near-misses, Rosary will continue to be a destination for talented female swimmers for years to come.