Eye on Libertyville High School Sports

Simply, it’s best to keep this sophomore in the water.

Here are some examples from the life of Libertyville High School swimmer Alex Snarski.

“I tried lacrosse and karate,” Snarski said. “My mom forced me to do that. In baseball, I didn’t get a single hit. I’m just not good on land.”

Not good on land? Who is not good on land? Don’t worry there is a place where Snarski can escape and succeed in sports. He just happens to be very good in the water.

“My main goal to place in the top 12,” Snarski said.

That means he has his sights on the state swim meet in February in Evanston.

Snarski’s specialties in the water include the backstroke and the butterfly.

“My back is faster than my fly,” he said.

Swimming is an individual sport, but in high school the team is important as well. Snarski has some team goals as well.

“I’d like to see all three of our relays go to state,” he said.

The sophomore knows his winter break will be busy. He’ll be working close to six hours in the pool.

As good as he is, Snarski is well-aware there are some strong athletes with whom to compete. In a recent practice, the program invited a Navy Seal to show off his skills in among other things, pushups.

“He destroyed us,” he said. “It was rough.”

The Wildcats finished sixth in a 10-team field during the Lake County meet on Dec. 17. Snarski picked up 23 points for his team by finishing third in the butterfly (53.60) and fourth in the backstroke (54.34).

The Wildcats also had a third-place showing from freshman Matt Harrington in the 100 freestyle (49.25).

Girls basketball: It’s the final season of girls sports for Nicole Kruckman, and she’s probably grown tired of hearing it, but her great moment in sports at Libertyville came when she was a freshman softball player. That’s when she cracked a fence-clearing grand slam homer in a playoff game at home.

Now on to her basketball story: Certainly, head coach Kathie Swanson is a fan of this inside player.

“Nicole has been a key part of our team over the last three years,” she said. “She is a hard worker who always brings a businesslike attitude to practices and games. She clearly understands her role on the team and takes a lot of pride in her defense.”

Maybe watching her older sister, Carol, play hoops at Libertyville has paid off for Kruckman.

“She has a high basketball I.Q. and does her best to bring a tough, defensive-minded attitude every time she steps out onto the court,” Swanson said. “She was a major part of our team’s successful defense in the past and continues to be a staple of what we do today.”

Boys basketball: So far, so good for this hoops team. On Tuesday, the Wildcats opened the Wheeling Tournament with a 64-57 win over the host. Ellis Matthews had a big game with 27 points. He had help from Griffin Pils (16 points) and Anthony Mack (13 points).

On Wednesday night, the Wildcats stopped Fremd, 56-53. Pils led a balanced attack with 16 points. Mack (13 points), Matthews (12 points) and Jack Deichl (6 points) all helped out.

Wrestling: The wrestlers took on a tough field in the Rockford Harlem Tournament last weekend. Libertyville finished in 18th place. 

“Almost every school placing ahead of us was ranked somewhere in the top 25 of the state, so we were actually OK with 18th,” said wrestling coach Dale Eggert.

Austin Pettinato (145) won an overtime match to place fifth. Pat Fitzgerald (120) finished sixth. Chris McDermand (285) won five matches, including four by pin. He finished seventh and avenged an earlier loss.

Also winning a pair of matches were Steve Polakowski (113), Kyle May (126), Charlie Meyer (132), and Connor O’Donnell (182).

Gymnastics: Sharing athlete of the week honors with Snarski last week was gymnast Mariah Lee. With a 36.035 at the Palatine Invitational in December, she compiled her highest score ever at Libertyville. She also won the uneven bars (9.4).