To hear Maddie Monroe tell it, finishing third in the 100-yard freestyle finals at the recent Illinois High School Association girls swimming and diving state championships at New Trier High School in Winnetka was nothing short of a miracle.
"I really didn't expect myself to do that well," said the Alton senior. "I didn't see myself in third place. I never imagined I'd finish in third place. Yeah I was shocked.
"Getting in the top six is harder for IHSA state finals than for YMCA nationals. It was just crazy. I was so happy. I looked over and I just couldn't believe it."
Monroe, who signed with Arkansas last month, recorded the best finish of her career and earned all-state honors. She stopped the timer in 51.52 seconds. Olivia Smoliga of Glenbrook South won the event in a state record time of 48.92. Samatha James of New Trier (49.94) was second.
"All I saw were Olivia's feet," said Monroe, who was competing in the outside lane. "I was not in the running (to finish in the top three). ... I really didn't think I was there. When I turned (for home) I didn't think I was good."
One thing Monroe had going for her: Big finishes are her specialty.
"I'm a closer," she said. "I can close the race like no other. My front half is not always as good as my back half."
At the state meet, it was the back half of her race that made coaches and swimmers from the rest of the state notice that there were swimmers southern Illinois who were capable of competing at the top level.
Monroe and Lori Lynn of Belleville East -- she finished 10th in the 100 butterfly and 11th in the 200 individual medley -- were the only two representatives from the Metro East. The rest of the competitors in the 12-event field came from the Chicago area.
"The Chicago girls practice nine months out of the year for this," Monroe said. "We only practice three or four months. Southern Illinois doesn't get much exposure at the meet. It's a big accomplishment. There hasn't been very many from southern Illinois in the finals. But as the years have gone by, we're slowly making progression."
Only three southern Illinois swimmers have captured state titles -- Traci Bollinger of Dupo (100 backstroke 1993 and '94), Jeana Fuccillo of Althoff (100 breastroke 2000 and '01, 200 individual medley in 2000, '01 and '02) and Elizabeth Bell of Anna-Jonesboro (50 freestyle in 2009).
The fact that Monroe, who was ninth in the 100 freestyle in 2010, made it to the finals with the championship group was a miracle after she "didn't have a very good swim" in her preliminary race. Her time of 52.13 edged Nikol Lagodzinska of St. Ignatius College Prep (52.27).
Monroe attributed her rocky showing in the prelims to nerves.
"It is an intense meet," she said. "There are people outside scalping tickets for this meet. There are people asking for tickets. It's like a football game. You're in a little eight-lane pool. There's no cool-down pool. There's a billion people on the deck. You can't walk down the pool deck. It's like a football game. It's definitely nerve-racking."
After realizing she made it to the finals and would swim with the fast heat (there are two heats), Monroe was able to relax.
"I was less nervous for the finals," she said. "Once you get to the finals, you've got nothing to lose. I had a lot of pressure because I wanted to finish my senior year off well. I just told myself to go out and have a great race."
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