The 2013 schedule was released at the monthly Suburban Swim League meeting and it features four home meets for the Willowick Wildkats. Two of the home meets will be against the top two teams from Championships last year — Highland Heights and Mentor.

In addition to the four other Division I teams (Highland Heights, Mentor, Pinegate and South Euclid-Lyndhurst), the Wildkats will also swim against Willoughby and Chardon from Division II.

Last year, Willowick finished second in Division I in dual meets, losing only to Mentor.

The complete league schedule is as follows (please note, a decision on whether Eastlake has a team had not been made when the schedule was released):

June 22
Pinegate at Willowick
Highland Heights at Mentor
Euclid at Willoughby
Chardon at Wickliffe
SEL at Eastlake (or a bye)

June 29
Highland Heights at Willowick
Mentor at SEL
Euclid at Pinegate
Willoughby at Wickliffe
Eastlake (or a bye) at Chardon

July 6
Willowick at SEL
Pinegate at Mentor
Willoughby at Highland Heights
Eastlake (or a bye) at Wickliffe
Euclid at Chardon

July 13
Chardon at Willowick
Wickliffe at Highland Heights
SEL at Pinegate
Mentor at Euclid
Willougby at Eastlake (or a bye)

July 20
Willowick at Willoughby
SEL at Highland Heights
Wickliffe at Euclid
Mentor at Chardon
Pinegate at Eastlake (or a bye)

July 27
Mentor at Willowick
Wickliffe at SEL
Highland Heights at Pinegate
Eastlake (or a bye) at Euclid
Chardon at Willoughby

August 3 — Championships at Willowick
August 4 –Championships at Mentor

What started off with high hopes and excitement ended over the weekend with records, ducks, ribbons, medals and trophies.

The Willowick Wildkats, for the third year in a row, finished third at the two-day Suburban Swim League Championships meet. With 963 points, the Wildkats were behind champion Mentor (1,500 1/2 points) and Highland Heights (1,145 points), who Willowick beat just a week earlier in a dual meet.

The 963 points were also enough Willowick the Most Improved Team award, which is given to the team which has the greatest point differential from the prior year’s championship meet total.

Head coach Jack DiCello was also voted Coach of the Year by the league’s head coaches and team presidents.

The weekend started off great for Willowick, as Jenna Krolikowski won the very first event — 11-12 girls 200 freestyle — while setting the team record. And then it ended with one of the most dramatic races of the weekend, as the boys 13-15 free relay (Anthony Brown, Jackson Norton, Jeffrey Scavnicky and Jared Stergar) were in a dead heat with both Mentor and Highland Heights, but ended up third. In the process however, they set the team record, breaking the old mark which was set on the championships weekend back in 1978.

In between, there were 499 heats in 64 other events.

During those events, the Wildkats won 27 total medals and set 13 team records and one championship meet record.

Willowick was led again by the 11-12 age group. The girls, with nine medals (six golds) and six team records, outscored Mentor by one point to win the girls title. The depth of the boys led them to a third place finish. The age group won the combined title.

Krolikowski finished with four gold medals and one silver and three team records. She swam the butterfly leg of the medley relay, which set the championship meet record in 2 minutes, 19.38 seconds. Also on that relay were Skylar Smith (backstroke), Silvija Taraska (breaststroke), Lilija Taraska (freestyle). The four combined for gold again in the free relay.

Smith also won gold in the 50 backstroke. Silvija Taraska won gold in the 50 free and 50 breaststroke. And Lilija Taraska won gold in the 100 freestyle.

Also winning top-three individual medals for the Wildkats were: Sally Dempsey (8&U 25 fly, 25 free), Danny Morgan (8&U 50 free, 25 fly), Bailey Detering (8&U 25 free, 25 breast), Grace Suponcic (9-10 50 free, 50 fly), Sarah Haley (13-15 100 breast), Stergar (13-15 100 breast, 100 free, 200 IM). Medal winning relays were: 11-12 boys medley, 13-15 girls medley, 8&U girls medley, 8&U boys free, 9-10 girls free, 13-15 girls free.

In the coaches’ annual heat ribbon (ducks) competition, the 11-12s won the most (17) followed by the 8&Us (13), 13-15s (11) and 9-10s (nine).

It was another successful weekend for the Willowick Wildkats at the Suburban Swim League Championship. The team finished third overall, led by the 11-12 age group, who were league champions (the girls finished in first place, the boys finished third). The following are the overall results from the weekend, as well as a list of the top-3 finishers for the Wildkats:

Overall Team Standings

1. Mentor, 1500 1/2 points; 2. Highland Heights, 1145; 3. Wildkats, 963; 4. South Euclid-Lyndhurst, 752; 5. Willoughby, 520; 6. Pinegate, 495 1/2; 7. Richmond Heights/Eastlake, 396; 8. Euclid, 376; 9. Chardon, 289; 10. Wickliffe, 87.

Willowick Wildkats Medal Winners
(in order of event)

Gold
Jenna Krolikowski                    11-12 Girls                  200 Freestyle
Silvija Taraska                         11-12 Girls                  50 Freestyle
Skylar Smith                             11-12 Girls                 50 Backstroke
Silvija Taraska                          11-12 Girls                 50 Breaststroke
11-12 Girls Medley Relay
Lilija Taraska                            11-12 Girls                 100 Freestyle
Danny Morgan                          8&U Boys                   50 Freestyle
Jenna Krolikowski                     11-12 Girls                 50 Butterfly
Bailey Detering                          8&U Boys                  25 Breaststroke
Jared Stergar                            13-15 Boys                200 IM
11-12 Girls Free Relay

Silver
Grace Suponcic                        9-10 Girls                    50 Freestyle
Jenna Krolikowski                     11-12 Girls                  50 Freestyle
Jared Stergar                            13-15 Boys                 100 Breaststroke
13-15 Girls Medley Relay
Jared Stergar                            13-15 Boys                 100 Freestyle
Grace Suponcic                        9-10 Girls                    50 Butterfly
Sally Dempsey                          8&U Girls                    25 Butterfly
Danny Morgan                           8&U Boys                   25 Butterfly

Bronze
Sarah Haley                               13-15 Girls                 100 Breaststroke
11-12 Boys Medley Relay
8&U Girls Medley Relay
Bailey Detering                           8&U Boys                  25 Freestyle
8&U Boys Free Relay
9-10 Girls Free Relay
13-15 Girls Free Relay
13-15 Boys Free Relay