Girls Swimming and Diving Takes Second at IHSA Sectional and Sends Three Relays to State
11/10/2026
Congratulations to the Loyola Academy girls swimming and diving team on a second-place finish at the IHSA Sectional! The Ramblers won four events, including all three relays, and qualified three relays and seven individual events for the IHSA State Championship.
The team also celebrated head coach Mike Hengelmann ‘00, who was named Sectional Coach of the Year.
Sectional results:
200 Medley Relay: 1st place, 1:44.85, with Maeve Atwood ‘28, Kate Kelly ‘27, Kinsley Fitzgerald ‘27 and Kennedy Fitzgerald ‘29
200 Individual Medley: 3rd place, 2:07.05, Maeve Atwood ‘28; 5th place, 2:07.68, Elle Mesch ‘30
50 Freestyle: 1st place, 23.61, Lia Roggi ‘28
100 Butterfly: 1st place, 56.54, Kinsley Fitzgerald ‘27; 3rd place, 56.73, Lia Roggi ‘28
100 Freestyle: 3rd place, 52.93, Jane Vaughan ‘29
200 Freestyle Relay: 1st place, 1:36.13, with Kennedy Fitzgerald ‘29, Kinsley Fitzgerald ‘27, Kate Kelly ‘27 and Lia Roggi ‘28
100 Backstroke: 4th place, 57.05, Maeve Atwood ‘28; 5th place, 57.33, Kennedy Fitzgerald ‘29
100 Breaststroke: 4th place, 1:04.91, Kate Kelly ‘27
400 Freestyle Relay: 1st place, 3:28.78, with Jane Vaughan ‘29, Kinsley Fitzgerald ‘27, Kennedy Fitzgerald ‘29 and Lia Roggi ‘28
Congratulations to the full sectional team: Jacque Abbasi ‘29, Maeve Atwood ‘28, Kennedy Fitzgerald ‘29, Kinsley Fitzgerald ‘27, Kate Kelly ‘27, Elle Mesch ‘30, Samantha O’Hara ‘28, Lia Roggi ‘28, Victoria Simon ‘27, Ellie Tolentino ‘27, Ryan Tolentino ‘30 and Jane Vaughan ‘29.
A sweep of the relays says a great deal about this team. In a relay, each swimmer races for the teammates waiting on the block. All season, the Ramblers have lived out Loyola’s Grad at Grad ideals of being physically and socially-emotionally fit and loving. They earned it through early mornings and demanding sets, and they swam with real care for one another. Under the leadership of Coach Hengelmann, a Rambler himself, the team has shown what it means to be women for and with others, in the pool and beyond it.
Best of luck to the Ramblers at the IHSA State Championship on Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14, at FMC Natatorium in Westmont. Go Ramblers!