Fenwick relays rule sectional

• Reprints

Updated: March 24, 2012 8:52AM

The Fenwick swimming and diving team will be well represented at this weekend’s state meet in Evanston after a strong showing at Saturday’s sectional.

The host Friars took the overall top spot with 408 points, ahead of Oak Park-River Forest (336), Lyons Township (324), Riverside-Brookfield (297), Currie (216), Reavis (154), Morton (138) and Leyden (104).

But one place the Friars really stood above the rest of the field — as they have all season long — was in the relays, where they captured first place in all three events. Juniors Tommy McGuire and Justin White also came out on top in individual swims for Fenwick.

The 200-yard medley relay team kicked off the sectional with a win as it touched first in 1 minute, 36.43 seconds, just ahead of crosstown rival OPRF, which was second in 1:37.06. Fenwick (1:5.56) topped R-B (1:7.35) in the 200 freestyle and coasted in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:10.14 ahead of OPRF (3:14.41) and R-B (3:14.99).

In many of the individual competitions, Fenwick had the upper hand over the rival Huskies and other swimmers.

White took first in the 200 free in 1:42.44, just ahead of OPRF’s Nikita Bordarenko (1:43.32), while Fenwick junior Matthew Bresnahan (1:44.77) took third. Friars senior Dan Kelly (21.29) edged R-B’s Sean DeMuro (21.53) in the 50 free, while Fenwick’s McGuire (59.51) won another close one against LT junior Joe Shannon (59.58) in the 100 breaststroke.

Fenwick freshman diver Max Showalter received an at-large bid to the state tournament with a second-place finish as he accumulated 408 points to place behind sectional champion Ben Lewis (495.60) of OPRF.

Other individual state qualifiers for Fenwick were senior Bryce Peters (1:58.47) in the 200 individual medley, who placed second behind Currie’s Ramiro Almarez (1:57.22), senior Rich Mueller (52.44), second at the sectional behind OPRF’s Kyle Patnode (51.58), and senior Viken Huening (47.52), a who placed third in the 100 free.