Boys swimming and diving state meet
At: New Trier High School, Winnetka
Friday: State preliminaries, diving session begins at 9 a.m., swimming session begins at 3:30 p.m.
Saturday: State finals in swimming and diving, combined session begins at 1 p.m.
Team outlook: Neuqua Valley is out to repeat as state champ, and based on sectional results, you'd have to call the Wildcats the favorite based on relays strength, individual championship possibilities and quality depth. New Trier, runner-up last year to Neuqua Valley, was less impressive at sectional but has a long history of performing well in its home waters. Fenwick delivered eye-turning sectional performances - the question is whether the Friars can improve upon them enough to keep pace with Neuqua Valley. Look for Marmion, Loyola and possibly St. Charles North to have a say in the race for a top-three spot.
For the record: Several state records seem likely to fall. The 200 medley relay mark of 1:33.30 was nearly bettered in last weekend's sectional by Neuqua Valley; the 200 free record of 1:37.54 could be snapped by any of four or five individuals; the 500 free record of 4:25.54 is within range for at least three competitors; and the oldest state record on the books, the 100 breaststroke record of 55.56, has at least two swimmers threatening it. Diving, always harder to predict, had Hinsdale South's Jordan Dyson scoring scoring 543.35, more than 8 points better than Dave Boldebuck's 33-year-old record.
Big picture: The question in the swimming community is, "Just how much of an impact are the newest 'fast' suits having?" The answer isn't yet clear, but based on the sectional times delivered last weekend, there seems to be some correlation. It's also true that swimming tends to be a cyclical sport, with certain eras stronger than others. It seems likely that many factors are at work together to provide one of the most compelling high school state meets on record.
There's no shortage of individual standouts here. Neuqua Valley senior Kevin Overholt could win all four of his races (100 and 200 free, freestyle relays), and Wildcats sophomore Kevin Cordes could win the breaststroke in state record time. Peoria Richwoods sophomore Matt Elliott, an Olympic Trials qualifier, is back to defend his titles in both the 200 IM and the breaststroke, and seniors Jacob Jarzen (Jacksonville) and Graham Risley (Riverside-Brookfield) have locked up the top two seeds in the 100 backstroke and 100 fly. Is this the year a whole final heat of 200 freestylers gets under 1:40? A whole final heat of 500 freestylers under 4:30? A whole final heat of 100 freestylers under 46? Ultimately, this meet might be remembered most for the sheer depth of major college-ready swimmers.
Local focus: From a team standpoint, Fremd and Barrington lead the way both in terms of total qualifiers and point-scoring potential. Both teams have all three relays competing, both have point-scoring individuals in swimming (Justin Yu, Eric Clement and Brian Marko for Barrington; Varun Shivakumar, Sam Childs for Fremd) and diving (Evan Ruggiero and Brandon Trostrud for Fremd; Tim Karsten for Barrington). A top 10 finish for either team isn't out of the question. Barrington will also look for continued improvement from sophomores Greg Alexander and Dan Comyn, and Fremd from senior Brent Caras, sophomore Jeff Freund and junior Sean Gonzalez.
Schaumburg has high hopes for seniors Chris Corbett (200 IM and 100 back) and Aaron Johnson (100 breaststroke), as well as a 200 medley relay and 200 free relay in action. Conant junior Ryan Chiero (50 free, 100 free) and senior Jake Jeske (100 breaststroke) aim to make the most of their first state-meet appearances, as does Rolling Meadows senior A.J. Adams (50 free, 100 free). Conant diver Nick Rizza makes his second straight state appearance.
Prospect is sending a medley relay plus senior Charlie Mau (100 fly), senior Andrew Bowman (100 breaststroke) and junior Tyler Bengtsen (100 breaststroke). Buffalo Grove junior Brad Lotzer (100 free) gets his first state experience, as does Palatine senior diver Ian McNair, the MSL and Barrington sectional champ. Maine West senior Pat Cullen sheared huge chunks of time off his 100 fly to join the field in that race.
Glutton for punishment: Senior Kevin Mihic, competing as an individual for Glenbard East could have a very unusual state meet experience. He's entered in both the 200 free and 200 IM, back-to-back events. If the seeds were to hold through prelims, he'd qualify for the final heat of the 200 freestyle and then have to hop right back up for the consolation heat of the 200 IM, with virtually no break between his races.
- Aaron Gabriel