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EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville junior swimmer Porter LeVasseur certainly had a good day in Monday's Boys Swim for HOPE meet at Chuck Fruit Aquatic Center.
LeVasseur won the 100 backstroke in 54.89 seconds and led off the winning 4x100 medley relay team with McLain Oertle, Noah May and Logan Mills in a time of 3:52.43 while finishing third in the 200 backstroke in 2:10.38.
“It was a really good day,” LeVasseur said. “I was pretty close on my 100 backstroke times; I was able to swim it twice today and in the 200 back, I took it our pretty fast and kind of died out at the end, but it's different doing college events instead of high school (events).”
LeVasseur first began swimming not long after his family relocated to the Edwardsville area from Virginia when he was nine. “Ever since then, I've loved the sport – I love swimming,” LeVasseur said. “My best event right now would be the 100 freestyle and the 100 back; I know I haven't had many chances to swim the 100 free lately, but I've done it in practice and I've put up some really good times.
“I think once we get into that environment of (IHSA) sectionals and the big meets, I feel like I can put up a really good time.”
Being a part of EHS' teams has been the most enjoyable part of swimming, LeVasseur feels. “The most I enjoy about swimming is the team camaraderie,” LeVasseur said. “Just the whole team being so close together all the time; even after swim practice, everyone's like, 'are we going to go out to eat tonight?' or 'where are we hanging out tonight?'
“We like to be around each other.”
As for after he graduates from EHS in the spring of 2019, LeVasseur hopes to continue to swim at the collegiate level. “I would like to continue swimming at a college where I can be successful,” LeVasseur said. As for the remainder of this season, he hopes to “win sectionals (scheduled for Feb. 17 in Springfield) for the entire team; that's a team goal.
“My goal is to make state in two individual events, maybe trying to make a relay or two up there, make the A, B or C finals up at state (the weekend of Feb. 23-24 in Evanston).”
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Feeney, 56, is a native of Granite City and graduated from Granite City South in 1978. He was a part-time writer for the old Granite City Journal from 1979-84 before attending Eastern Illinois University in Charleston,
from which he earned his BA in journalism in 1988. He has worked for newspapers in Sikeston, Mo., Rocky Mount, N.C., Seneca, S.C. and in Charleston-Mattoon. He also worked for the old St. Clair County Suburban
Journals.
