All-Catholic swimming: Lake Catholic's Ream, Gilmour's Koerwitz carry on lineage from program-staple sisters
Dec. 27—In the heart of Lake County, swimming is part of the family business in the Koerwitz and Ream households.
Long before Gilmour's PJ Koerwitz and Lake Catholic's Evan Ream made it to high school swimming, they each had program-staple and state-caliber older sisters who set an example they'd like to emulate in their own ways.
Dec. 27 during the All-Catholic Invitational at Gilmour, the duo turned in building blocks as they continue that process as sophomores.
Koerwitz captured 100-yard freestyle with a solid time of 50.26 seconds and was second in 50 free with a 22.71. Ream reigned in 500 free with a 5:02.05, as well as contributing a leg on the Cougars' victorious 400 free relay (3:26.60).
♂️ All-Catholic boys 100 free, won by Gilmour's PJ Koerwitz with a 50.26 pic.twitter.com/AVZQjGDoap
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
Both have been faster in their individual-event strong suits this winter. But two days after Christmas and well before tapering and the postseason, amid that tricky midseason lull, it will suffice just fine.
"Yeah, I'm pretty happy with those times so far," Koerwitz said. "Honestly, I'm pretty happy with them, but I know I personally want to strive for better for them.
"As long as I'm making progress, progress is progress. And as I'm progressing through, it's OK if the time is not good or it's not great because there's always something to be improved upon. So even if I want to PR, it's not just like, 'Oh, I just want to PR.' I want to PR, but what's the next best thing I can do to go a faster time?"
♂️ I promised ... so here are NH area top 3s from All-Catholic
Now ... officially ... good night ✌️ pic.twitter.com/MMGxexvOfU
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 28, 2023
Koerwitz's 50.26 in 100 free marks a 3.10-second drop from Division II SPIRE Sectional competition a year ago, and his 22.71 is a .59 cut from when he was 10th in the Viking Invitational finals Dec. 16.
The sophomore has shown notable year-over-year sprint free improvement.
"Weight training has played a big part," Koerwitz said. "Lifting weights consistently and being able to move more water, as well as kind of move through the water better. That helps a lot, more so the moving water part. Because as you move water, you learn to move faster through it. So the muscle and the endurance is really a key part."
Koerwitz's older sister Abby, a 2016 graduate, was a sophomore on the Lancers' 2014 Division II state champion 200 and 400 free relays and a three-time top-five district placer in individual events. Another sister Celeste, a 2019 grad, was fifth in 200 free as a freshman in the D-II Cleveland State District and a state career-best fifth on the Lancers' 400 free relay as a sophomore in 2017.
Abby swam in college at Binghamton, and Celeste concluded her college career last winter at Maryland-Baltimore County.
"I was honestly really ecstatic to come here and try to make my mark," Koerwitz said. "Seeing what they went back in high school — not following in the footsteps, but being able to take my own deviation from the road they took has really helped me kind of grow closer to them as a family and kind of helped my times as well.
"It's kind of like motivation, because I got used to fast swimming now. And I get to go fast and kind of be with them in that way."
Ream's 5:02.05 to prevail in 500 free marks a 1.93 drop from when he was sixth at the D-II SPIRE Sectional as a freshman. He did well to keep his third and fourth splits in the high-30s at 30.81 and 30.62 to set a tone.
"I was happy with my swim," Ream said. "We're in midseason training right now. I'm really tired. I'm looking to go under 4:50 at state. I want to make it to the finals. I liked my swim today. This is good motivation moving forward."
He also took part at Viking in a hot 'A' final, logging a 4:55.75 to take sixth. That is the seventh-fastest time in the event in The News-Herald coverage area this winter. In that heat, University's Paul Moody (4:42.58) and Quinn MacPhail (4:42.71) went 1-2 with the two fastest area 500 times so far this season.
"I think my training, as hard as it was last year, this year I've just worked over the offseason and got faster," Ream said. "And the times are showing.
"I think it's good to look at the times (the US swimmers) are going compared to mine to know where I should be at state, compared to where they are. I think I can look back to that and see where I want to be at at state."
Ream's older sister, Kaley, was an outstanding butterfly and 500 performer for Kirtland, who is now swimming as a sophomore at Buffalo. Kaley was fourth in D-II 100 fly at state as a senior in 2021 and a seven-time top-five district placer, including a 100 fly crown at CSU in her senior campaign.
"Yeah, that made me excited to get to high school swimming," Ream said of his sister's standout career. "I was very eager to get in there. And I thought I was going to be more of a butterflier, but I ended up being a distance swimmer. She did do the 500 as well."
Due to lane touchpad and Meet Mobile synchronicity issues, despite laudable efforts to correct both, performances for several events weren't available in real time.
Other News-Herald coverage area individual-event champions at All-Catholic were Gilmour's Laina Collis (200 individual medley and 100 free), Tinsley Zhang (200 free), Gianna Minotas (100 back) and Maddie Sammut (100 breaststroke), Lake Catholic's Darren Bittner (50 free) and Owen Pesek (100 fly) and Beaumont's Cilka Rowane (100 fly).
♂️ All-Catholic girls 200MR, won by Gilmour with a 1:55.26 pic.twitter.com/keVNYE31HY
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic girls 200 IM, won by Gilmour's Laina Collis with a 2:14.30 pic.twitter.com/Ge8InoJoY4
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic girls 200FR
Highest NH area placer: Beaumont, 2nd with a 1:47.75 pic.twitter.com/k9NVPz8u0M
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic girls 200 free, won by Gilmour's Tinsley Zhang with a 1:59.89 pic.twitter.com/Mhgt1Pl8g2
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic girls 100 free, won by Gilmour's Laina Collis with a 54.49 pic.twitter.com/uQIVzJBLq5
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic girls 100 fly
This was 1 of the races affected by that Lane 5 touchpad issue — obviously, Beaumont's Cilka Rowane won, but not sure what her time was
I'll circle back later & update here once I see complete results with the adjustments pic.twitter.com/5Nw0K1cZ37
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic girls 100 breast, won by Gilmour's Maddie Sammut with a 1:09.89 pic.twitter.com/DSZGObna1e
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic girls 100 back, won by Gilmour's Gianna Minotas with a 1:02.84 pic.twitter.com/QUXF9ECrHL
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic girls 50 free
Highest NH area placer: Lake Catholic's Zoe Pesek, 2nd with a 25.74 pic.twitter.com/5GYS7NXTGf
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic boys 200MR
Highest NH area placer: Lake Catholic, 2nd with a 1:45.39 pic.twitter.com/vMecR3dvkd
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic boys 200FR, won by Lake Catholic with a 1:33.41 pic.twitter.com/OsdWceeOE2
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic boys 200 free
Highest NH area placer: Gilmour's Andrew Varanese, 2nd with a 1:53.65 pic.twitter.com/DCfhpCtLA3
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic boys 100 fly, won by Lake Catholic's Owen Pesek with a 57.69 pic.twitter.com/TjlFLZ0svU
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
♂️ All-Catholic boys 50 free, won by Lake Catholic's Darren Bittner with a 22.53 pic.twitter.com/Lx1efLH9CQ
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) December 27, 2023
