Lake Central's Liz Markiewicz (middle) and Alaina Willis (right ) celebrate with teamates after winning the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Lake Central's Jessica Lopez celebrates after winning her heat in the girls 100 yard freestyle during the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. Lopez time was 56.33. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Crown Point's Aly Tetzloff swims in the girls 100 yard butterfly during the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. Tetzloff won her heat with a time of 55.98 | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Lake Central's Liz Markiewicz (middle) celebrates with teamates after winning the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Crown Point's Racheal Bukowski touches the wall to finish first inher heat for the girls 100 yard freestyle during the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. Bukowski's time was 52.83. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Highland's Mikayla L. Goetz swims in the girls 500 yard freestyle during the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Valparaiso's Sydney E. Perry (second from right) dives in the pool to start of heat 4 of the girls 500 yard freestyle during the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Valparaiso's Sydney E. Perry (second from right) dives in the pool to start of heat 4 of the girls 500 yard freestyle during the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Valparaiso's swim team members cheer on a teamate as she competes during the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Highland's Jackie M. Smailis dives into the water as she competes in the girls 400 yard freestyle relay during the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Lake Central's Liz Markiewicz (second from left)) celebrates with teamates after winning the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Michigan City's Kaitlin Thomas swims in the girls 200 yard IM during the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. Thomas finished first in her heat. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Munster's Heather M. Hemingway swims in the girls 200 yard IM during the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. Hemingway went on to win her heat with a time of 2:23:29. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
Crown Point's Racheal Bukowski (left) shakes hands with Munster's Mary Beth E. Blocher after swimming in the girls 200 yard IM during the Highalnd girls swimming invite held at Highland High School on Saturday January 5, 2013. Bukowski won the heat. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media
For three of the top girls swimming programs in the region, something remained evident after Saturday’s Highland Invite. Breathing room will be dense when sectionals come around. “It’s very competitive,” Lake Central coach Todd Smolinski said following his team’s narrow 388-378 win over the defending …