She launches herself off the diving blocks and heads straight for the water. Her body glides through the water with her arms moving rapidly and her legs kicking with great force. Traveling the pool end to end she pushes through the pain hoping to improve her time.
Kelly Sego’s natural talent and dedication towards swimming has gotten her to where she is today, according to coaches, family, and teammates.
At just six years old Sego began to swim competitively. She was following in the footsteps of her older brother, Ryan Sego, a junior at BHS. The more time she put towards swimming, the more she fell in love with the sport, she said. From then on she stuck with the sport and was constantly at the pool, just as she still is today.
“Kelly always tries to the best of her abilities,” said Addy Novak, her teammate on the Batavia- West Chicago Co-Op High School Varsity Swim Team. “She was very successful during the season because of how hard she works every day and how committed she is to the sport”Pushing through the last few strokes, Sego extends her arm and touches the pool wall. Her head immediately emerges from the water checking the time board to see the results of her swim.
Pushing through the last few strokes, Sego extends her arm and touches the pool wall. Her head immediately emerges from the water checking the time board to see the results of her swim.Sego’s hard work has driven her to break multiple standing records. At just 12 years olds, her relay team broke a national record. She described this as one of her greatest swimming achievements. This isn’t the only record Sego has broken. Just this past high school season her medley relay team broke a record that had been in place since the 1991 IHSA Sectional meet. She also placed eighth place in the 100 breast and seventh in the 200 individual medley at the Metea Valley sectional meet, one of the toughest in the state.
Sego’s hard work has driven her to break multiple standing records. At just 12 years olds, her relay team broke a national record. She described this as one of her greatest swimming achievements. This isn’t the only record Sego has broken. Just this past high school season her medley relay team broke a record that had been in place since the 1991 IHSA Sectional meet. She also placed eighth place in the 100 breast and seventh in the 200 individual medley at the Metea Valley sectional meet, one of the toughest in the state.Being on the West-Chicago High School Co-Op Varsity Swim Team and having state qualifying times at sectionals landed Sego a chance to compete at the IHSA State meet this past season. There she competed in the medley relay, 200-yard individual medley, and the 100-yard breaststroke.
Being on the West-Chicago High School Co-Op Varsity Swim Team and having state qualifying times at sectionals landed Sego a chance to compete at the IHSA State meet this past season. There she competed in the medley relay, 200-yard individual medley, and the 100-yard breaststroke.“I was close to my best times and I got some great experience!” said Sego when asked about the event.
“I was close to my best times and I got some great experience!” said Sego when asked about the event.
Her accomplishments this season led to Sego’s nomination for the Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Month.These
These accomplishments, however, did not come easy. Almost every day you can find Sego at the swimming pool practicing or on weekends competing in a meet.
“Swimming is one of those sports that requires a lot of time in the water at practices and meets,” said Kristen Sego, Kelly’s mother. “She travels all the time. However, she loves it and never complains about the three-hour practices that are 6 days a week and or the weekend long meets.”
Sego can also credit all her achievements to her flexibility as a swimmer.
“Kelly is a hard worked who does very well in taking technique corrections and applying them to her strokes during a practice,” said Nick Parry, Varsity Coach of the Batavia-West Chicago Co-Op Swimming Team. “We have worked on a variety of things, and Kelly always has an open mind to changes in her techniques, which not all swimmers have, and she is willing to implement those changes.”