Illinois Girls High School Champs: Descenza Stars, New Trier Takes Team Title

EVANSTON, Illinois. MARY Descenza, swam the second fastest 100 yard butterfly by a high school girl in history, and set two state records at the Illinois State High School Girls Swimming and Diving Championships in Evanston yesterday. But it was perennial champion New Trier that took the team title.

Descenza, 16, a junior at Aurora Rosary H.S., swam 53.13 for the 100 yard butterfly, eclipsing the state record of 53.73 she swam in prelims. The Chicago Tribune and ChiacgoSports.com incorrectly credited Descenza with a national high school record, stating that she hd broken Misty Hyman's mark of 53.41 set in 1996. However, Hyman's record, set November 9, 1996, is 52.41.

Descenza's time, however, is a national independent school record, taking almost a second off the record set last year by Natalie Coughlin.

Descenza also set a state mark in winning the 200 yard freestyle in 1:48.66. The time was four-tenths of a second faster than Lindsay farella's state record set four years ago. Descenza contributed a leg to Aurora Rosary's winning 200 medley relay team and second-place 400 freestyle relay team.

Jeana Fuccillo, belleville Althoff, also won two individul events. She took the 200 yard individual medley in a veery fast 2:02.27 and the 100 breast in 1:05.13.

New Trier amassed 221 points to take the team title, followed by Aurora Rosary (138) and St. Charles East (130).

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