By FRED KRONER
Mahomet-Seymour’s girls’ swimming and diving team left no doubt about who would win the sectional championship on Saturday (Nov. 8) at Centennial High School.
The meet’s outcome came down to the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay.
The two contenders for team honors were the host Chargers, who have earned 19 sectional titles in girls’ swimming, and Mahomet-Seymour, which was seeking its first postseason crown.
Centennial held a three-point lead over the Bulldogs entering the meet-ending relay.
“We needed to win the relay to win the meet,” M-S coach Erich O’Donnell said.
M-S not only overcame the deficit by winning the race, but the Bulldogs’ foursome also broke the pool record which had stood for 24 years.
The M-S school-record time of 3 minutes, 33.93 seconds was 2.15 seconds better than Centennial’s 2001 team had recorded in the 400 freestyle relay.
Talynn O’Donnell started the relay and was followed by Caroline Mills, Karsyn Johnson and Raegan O’Donnell.
For the coach, it meant more than the first-ever sectional plaque.
“That 400 relay is special to me,” Erich O’Donnell said. “The last time (the record was broken) in 2001, I was coaching at Centennial.
“With both daughters on the team now, it was really special.”
Ironically, O’Donnell was the Chargers’ assistant in 2001, working with head coach Don Waybright.
Those roles have been reversed. Waybright is now the M-S assistant, training the Bulldog divers.
One of M-S’ six sectional championships came in diving, where junior Aubrey Meints was triumphant, with a school-record, 11-dive tally of 421.30 points.
“Don is, without a doubt, one of the best diving coaches in the state (and is enshrined in the coaches’ association Hall of Fame),” Erich O’Donnell said.
“He has the ability to take kids with a gymnastics background and turn them into good divers.”
That profile fits both current Bulldog divers. M-S captured first and third at the sectional in diving, with Bella Almaroad finishing third with her best score, 382.10.
A junior, Meints had no diving background until preseason practice started in August.
“Waybright was able to develop her,” Erich O’Donnell said.
Almaroad took up her diving career as a freshman, and, O’Donnell said, “has improved every year.”
The team points from diving were significant in the sectional title.
“If we scored out the meet, Centennial swimmers outscored us, so to go 1-3 in diving was huge,” Erich O’Donnell said.
Every athlete that M-S took to the sectional scored points for the team.
“That shows in a close situation, you need a team effort,” Erich O’Donnell said. “Everyone brings something different to the table. They were able to pull it together.”
In all, M-S will have entries in a school-record seven events when the one-class state tournament starts on Friday. The previous record for Bulldog state-qualifiers in a season was six events in 2024.
The Bulldogs’ six sectional winners on Saturday all shattered school records.
Other record-setters, besides diver Meints and the 400-yard freestyle relay, were:
–Senior Talynn O’Donnell, 2:06.42 in the 200-yard individual medley;
–Senior Talynn O’Donnell, 51.40 in the 100-yard freestyle;
–Sophomore Raegan O’Donnell, 5:05.76 in the 500-yard freestyle;
–The 200-yard freestyle relay of Talynn O’Donnell, senior Lainey Howard, junior Caroline Mills and Raegan O’Donnell, 1:36.51.
The other M-S state-qualifier is Raegan O’Donnell, the runner-up in the 200-yard freestyle, 1:53.82.
Winners of each event secured their state berths as well as others who bettered pre-determined times.
The 400 freestyle relay included the swimmers Erich O’Donnell had originally penciled in for the 2024 meet.
“This was supposed to be the relay for last year, but three days before (the sectional meet), Karsyn had appendicitis,” Erich O’Donnell said. “We moved things around and put Lainey in there.”
The 400 relay still qualified for state a year ago.
If the team had been at full strength in 2024, O’Donnell believed the current sectional title wouldn’t have been the school’s first.
“It was still a successful year,” he said. “We broke every team record but one, but last year, we probably would have won (the sectional).”
This year, Talynn O’Donnell, who has committed to swimming in college at the University of Buffalo, continued to showcase her versatility. In her high school career, she has advanced to state in six of the eight individual non-diving events. Besides the individual medley and the 100 freestyle, she has also qualified in the 50 freestyle, the 100 butterfly, the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle.
Besides the five girls who will compete in at least one event at state, teammates who scored points and were instrumental in the sectional crown included junior Bella Almaroad, freshman Norelle Eilts, sophomore Mia Saba and junior Claire Waggoner.
M-S totaled 267 points. Sectional runner-up Centennial ended with 262 points and Champaign Central was third with 215 points.
“This is what we’ve trained for since Day 1,” Erich O’Donnell said. “The sectional was the goal, and we did what we needed to do in practice to achieve the goal.”
The Bulldogs had competed against both Champaign schools at two different meets during the regular season and finished ahead of them both twice.
“We matched up pretty evenly with Centennial,” Erich O’Donnell said. “They have a lot of depth and we have fast swimmers.”
Swimming at M-S is a commitment and Erich O’Donnell acknowledged that some students have dropped the sport because they can’t handle the schedule.
“We board the bus at 6:15 (for the Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center) and practice until about 9 five nights a week and sometimes on Saturdays,” Erich O’Donnell said. “That’s probably the largest time commitment for any athlete at Mahomet-Seymour.”
The Urbana facility is closed until Labor Day. This year’s first practice for the Bulldogs was Aug. 11.
“We’ve trained outdoors at Lincolnshire for three years until Labor Day,” Erich O’Donnell said. “Without that, we wouldn’t have been able to practice (until after Labor Day).
“We hope to continue to do that.”
Swimming is unique among all IHSA sports, except flag football, which was introduced for the first time in 2024.
Since the first IHSA swimming and diving meet in 1976, the sport has always had just one class. Other sports have a minimum of two classes for the state series.
As the 50th state meet for girls swimmers and divers approaches this weekend, O’Donnell recognizes it will be difficult for the IHSA to expand to a second class.
“The main reason is a lack of facilities,” O’Donnell said. “That’s a challenge for high school and club swimming.
“Most pools are booked until 9 or 10 every night. The time commitment is a big hit for growing the sport. Without a pool, it hinders the ability to create a program.”
The M-S program has produced state-qualifiers four consecutive years, with Talynn O’Donnell the school’s first individual four-year qualifier.
It’s a feat that Mills, a junior, could match next year as well as Raegan O’Donnell, a sophomore, in 2027.
Meanwhile, Erich O’Donnell is looking for the team to make the next step.
“If we can continue our wave of success, hopefully we can make it back on Saturday (for the finals and consolation finals),” he said. “We have a shot at potentially swimming on Saturday in individual events. Our relays will be right on the edge.”
The state meet is held in Westmont at the FMC Natatorium.
