Anderson, Freund set the pace for Fremd

The new faces of Fremd swimming are holding up just fine.

After the Vikings lost a bumper crop of top-flight seniors who'd excelled at the state meet level for several years, this year's team was in need of an identity, a way to connect Fremd's distinguished past with a present that was suddenly depending upon a whole lot more inexperienced freshmen and sophomores than usual.

Juniors Dustin Anderson and Jeff Freund provided the answer, mostly through their performances in the pool, but also because of their recognition that this team needed them to be leaders.

Not that Fremd is a team without leadership from the senior class this year. Seniors Sean Gonzalez and Aaron Stahnke shared the team captaincy this year with Anderson, and senior divers Brandon Trostrud and Mike Kowalenko also helped in that regard.

But in the pool, the most visible example came from Anderson and Freund. As state meet qualifiers last year, they'd been to the highest level of competition the state could offer, and they started their junior seasons with emphatically strong performances right away.

"I think they're both talented, but I think what's most impressive about them is how seriously they take this," said Fremd coach Nicole LaBeau. "These are guys who have really dedicated themselves to the sport. They're the ones who set the example, that by training outside of high school season - and I mean, training hard - you'll be that much better in high school season."

Anderson excels in the sprint freestyles. His individual finish last year was a bit of a disappointment, but after another year of growth (he's sprouted to 6-foot-5), Anderson's ready to finish with a flourish. He's right on the edge of making it to state in his individual swims (the 50- and 100-yard freestyles), and will have a key role on Fremd's 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

"I felt good in the water today," he said on Tuesday. "The best I've felt all year."

Whatever happens at the Stevenson sectional on Saturday, LaBeau and the Vikings will have benefited from Anderson's willingness to help provide direction for this team.

"That ability to communicate with his teammates and to help steer things just comes really naturally to him," LaBeau said.

Both Freund and Anderson hope to eventually compete at the collegiate level. Their classroom habits ought to only help in that regard, as both are standout students with advanced placement courses under their belts.

Outside of high school, both Anderson and Freund have long competed with the Palatine Park District program. Their shared experience over many years has helped Freund gain an appreciation for just how far he has come in the sport.

"It seems like I've been swimming with Dustin forever," said Freund. "As we were growing up, he was the guy that always winning big races, even at the junior national level. I mean, he was like my idol in a lot of ways."

With a more emotional temperament than Anderson, according to LaBeau, Freund provides his team a slightly different kind of leader, one who tends to wear his heart on his sleeve.

And one who, through virtue of season-long strong performances in the 100 fly and 500 free, has now become the kind of swimmers that many others look up to.

It's an odd feeling for someone who just last year felt that it was easy to be a follower on a team with that featured state meet veterans such as Childs and Shivakumar.

"In the past, I think it was just easy to kind of hide behind those guys - in Varun's case, literally," said Freund. "It's just a different setting for me now, so I need to be aware of that and make sure I handle myself in a certain way."

Freund's best event is the 200 fly, but that isn't a high school event. So Freund is focusing on making the best of his individual races, the 500 free and 100 fly, and contributing on two relays. If he qualifies for state as he hopes, then his goal becomes to finish in the top 12 in his individual races and score points.

Where a great many Fremd swimmers have gone before him.

"I feel really fortunate to have guys like this," LaBeau said. "The work they've put in hasn't only benefited themselves, it's helped our entire team."