Boys swimming: Vernon Hills finishes 2nd at sectional on ‘perfect day’
The internal challenges with the Vernon Hills boys swimming program have led to numerous external benefits that were displayed in Saturday afternoon's Libertyville sectional meet.
The Cougars had three individual champions and a qualifier in all but one swimming event to next weekend's state meet at FMC Natatorium in Westmont. They also produced their best sectional team finish in history as they were the runner-up to perennial state powerhouse New Trier 318-212.
"It feels like a tight-knit family of brothers," said Vernon Hills senior Eli Spivak, who won the 500-yard freestyle (4:38.72) and qualified in the 200 free and two relays.
"It was just a perfect day," said Vernon Hills coach Jim Pardun. "It couldn't have gone any better. Our guys are big-meet swimmers and they've been big-meet swimmers the whole season."
That includes the Cougars winning the program's first conference title in the Central Suburban North. And the family aspect Spivak mentioned is evident in how they embraced the arrival of freshman Yury Plaksin, who won the 100 free (46.66) with teammate Edward Zhao (46.78) qualifying in third.
In the 200 free, Plaksin (1:41.43) qualified in third and Spivak made it to state for the first time in fifth (1:41.72).
"It's a great feeling and it definitely helps having a teammate like Yuri in the field," said Spivak, who will swim at Lynn University in Florida. "Him and I have been going at it the entire year.
"To have an imaginary goal line ahead of me is very motivational. Usually freshmen aren't supposed to be that fast but the rest of the guys, including the seniors, were like, 'Hey, we have to step up."
Vernon Hills junior Dan Berke got an early boost en route to winning the 50 free in a personal-best of 20.85 that broke the pool record of 21.42 he set at this year's Lake County Meet. Berke was part of the 200 medley relay that Pardun said "has been killing it all year" and finished second in 1:33.58 with Zhao, Andrew Laborevitch and Will Rendall.
"I was thinking of my time goal of breaking 21 and honestly it came with Rendall swimming 20.9 (anchor) in the relay," Berke said. "We've been very equal for the 50 all season. Because he went 20.9 something clicked in my head. That got me going, the entire relay, seeing all my friends go crazy-fast times."
The Cougars other individual qualifiers were Rendall in the 50 free (21.48, sixth) and 100 breastroke (58.36, fourth), Zhao in the 100 backstroke (51.47, third) and Berke in the 100 fly (51.04, fifth). Spivak went right from the 500 to a leg on the qualifying 200 free relay (1:27.11, fifth) with Plaskin, Rendall and Edgar Chan.
And they finished with a flourish as Plaksin, Spivak, Berke and Zhao went 3:04.8 in the 400 free relay to finish second to New Trier's 3:04.44.
"The sky is the limit for these guys and I told them they've still got more left in the tank," Pardun said.
"I'm happy we're not bringing just one relay," Berke said. "It was a really, really fun experience. I'm happy they get to experience what I did last year and hopefully beat last year out of the water."
Warren senior Billy Lawing was feeling better as he qualified in the 50 free (21.17, third). In last week's North Suburban Conference meet Lawing was battling illness as he won in 21.72.
"I'm so happy for that kid because he just works," said Warren coach Kim Lobitz after Lawing broke the school record of 21.33. "He's been going for that all year. It was a great swim and there's more in him, too."
There was in the 200 free relay as he teamed with Nate and Reed Thiemeyer and Evan DiVito for a 1:27.3 to make the state cut by one-10th of a second.
"I'm happy about that," Lawing said. "(It's for) the team."
A bad back caused problems for Wheeling junior Van Paul's comeback to high school swimming so he could be with his friends after competing at the club level last winter. He became the program's first state qualifier since 2018 with a 50.88 in the 100 fly that was good for fourth and broke the school record of 51.03 by Nate Reiff in 2016. He also qualified in the 100 breast (58.56, fourth).
Paul swam the 100 fly only once this season a few weeks ago. His seed time of 53.94 was nearly two full seconds off state qualifying and put him in the second-to-last heat.
"My first reaction was, 'Oh, I made state,'" Paul said. "Then coach (Tod Schwager) told me I got the school record. I was pretty excited about that."
Schwager wanted Paul to swim the 200 IM because he was only a second off state-qualifying in that event.
"I insisted that I should swim the 100 fly because I was feeling it," Paul said.
"He's great underwater and his fundamentals are on point," Schwager said. "It was a matter of would he have the endurance to hold it. It was great to see."
Schwager also thinks junior diver Ostap Mykhalevych's 445.95 (fourth) will get him one of the 32 at-large qualifying spots. Libertyville sophomore Hayden Cook (third, 463.2) and Mundelein freshman Jack Hansen (seventh, 428.65) are well above last year's at-large cutoff of 399.2.
New Trier, which took second in state last year, won all three relays. Defending 100 fly state champ Aiden Musick, who will swim at Wisconsin, won that event in 49.08 and the 200 free (1:38.48).