No Pool, No Problem: LHS Swimmers Headed to State – Again

Two-day swim meets are a test few truly understand. They demand everything from an athlete—physically and mentally. Muscles are sore before day two even begins. Focus is tested. Fatigue settles in. In Region 4, one of the most competitive swim regions in the state, many swimmers struggle to hold times on the second day, let alone improve them.

The Leopards did more than survive.

They pushed past the fatigue, dug deeper, and swam faster when it mattered most.

What started as a rebuilding year quietly turned into one of the most impressive chapters in local swim history.

With no hometown pool, limited practice time, and long bus rides just to get in the water, expectations for this season were simple: gain experience, build depth, and look toward the future. Instead, the La Grange High School Leopards rewrote the script.

Against the odds, the girls’ 200 medley relay punched a ticket to the state meet—an achievement few thought possible at the start of the season.

While most programs train daily in their own facilities, La Grange swimmers spend hours each week traveling just to practice. Limited water time means every lap counts, every drill matters, and every opportunity must be maximized. It’s a reality that could easily discourage a young team.

Instead, it forged one. This season was supposed to be about development, as the Leopards entered a rebuilding year after graduating eight key swimmers from last season’s lineup. New faces stepped into big roles, relays were pieced together, and con-fidence was built one race at a time. Somewhere between long bus rides and late-night homework, the Leopards found their identity.

When championship season arrived, that grit showed up in the water—especially on day two.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my swimmers,” said Coach Gretchen Ledwik. “I asked them to push hard to make the finals, and then once in the finals to push even harder. They have absolutely nothing to be disappointed in because they did exactly what they needed to do. Even the ones who didn’t make it to the state meet still did an exceptional job, pushing harder than they thought they could.”

Ledwik added that the relay’s success was anything but predictable.

“If you had asked me at the beginning of the year if this would be a relay that would qualify for state, my answer would have been no way,” she said. “I moved swimmers around on this relay from October to January trying to figure out how to make it the fastest possible. Things just fell together, and the girls peaked at exactly the right time.”

History in the Making

The relay didn’t just qualify— they raced with purpose, composure, and belief. With that finish, La Grange swimming advanced to the state finals for just the third time in school history, and for the second year in a row the girls’ program will be represented on the state stage.

For a team without a pool, without daily access to the water, and without the advantages many programs take for granted, the moment was nothing short of remarkable.

Results

Girls 200 Medley Relay – 7th place, 2:09.60 New School Record Lyria Hartley, Adysen Janacek, Elena Supak, Eleanor Carey

Boys 200 Medley Relay – 12th place, 2:02.43 Rogan Mihatsch, Gavin Cook, Braxton Landis, Van Huette

Girls 50 Freestyle – 10th place, 27.86 Eleanor Carey (broke her own school record twice during the meet)

Girls 100 Butterfly – 13th place, 1:23.47 Elena Supak Girls 100 Freestyle

• 9th place, 1:03.32 – Adysen Janacek

• 14th place, 1:08.58 – Makenna Emmel Boys 100 Freestyle – 14th place, 58.44 Van Huette Girls 200 Freestyle Relay – 7th place, 1:55.03 Adysen Janacek, Lyria Hartley, Lillian Carey, Eleanor Carey

Boys 200 Freestyle Relay – 10th place, 1:47.93 Van Huette, Rogan Mihatsch, Braxton Landis, Gavin Cook Girls 100 Backstroke – 11th place, 1:17.18 Lyria Hartley Girls 100 Breaststroke – 13th place, 1:31.90 Elena Supak Girls 400 Freestyle Relay – 7th place, 4:25.75 Eleanor Carey, Makenna Emmel, Lillian Carey, Adysen Janacek

Boys 400 Freestyle Relay – 7th place, 4:04.62 Van Huette, Rogan Mihatsch, Braxton Landis, Gavin Cook

An Out-of-This-World Finish

This accomplishment is bigger than one relay or one meet.

It’s proof that heart can outweigh resources. That belief can outlast exhaustion. And that sometimes the longest journeys—measured in bus miles, second-day soreness, rearranged lineups, and relentless faith—don’t end with survival.

They end with liftoff. What began as a rebuilding year didn’t just surprise expectations.

It defied gravity.