Suburban swimmers will take Olympic dreams to Indianapolis

The COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the training regimen of many athletes.

Not Brayden Capen.

Capen, a Lisle resident who is a freshman at Marmion Academy in Aurora and an aspiring Olympic swimmer, used some innovative thinking to train during the COVID shutdown.

"I've been involved with swimming all my life, mostly because both of my parents are coaches on the team," said Capen, who swims for the Academy Bullets club team. "I started competing at the age of 5. I think what drove me to start swimming was just to be better and to continue what my parents did.

"At first, I wasn't very good at it. I hit a point during COVID when no one really trained during that time, but I still trained in an inflatable (blown up) pool in our garage attached to a bungee cord. I became much faster/stronger and gained a lot of confidence. After that I never looked back at where I was but only looked forward to where I can be."

Where Capen will be come June of 2024 is Indianapolis, competing at the U.S. Olympic trials. He qualified for the trials in the men's 200 backstroke with a time of 2:00.34 at the NCSA Summer Championships in Indianapolis this past July.

Capen will be joined in Indianapolis by two of his Academy Bullets teammates - Elizabeth Nawrocki, a junior at Rosary High School who qualified in the women's 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:09.27, and Mendota senior Bridget McGann, an Earlville resident who is headed to the University of Wisconsin in Madison this fall. She also qualified in the breaststroke with a time of 1:09.81.

For the 14-year old Capen, who earned a gold medal in the summer championships, getting physically stronger helped his ascension to the top of the podium as well.

"During the pandemic, I also began strength training at Achieve Sports Performance & Personal Training in Aurora," said Capen, who also has a love for football and played on a conference championship flag football team in middle school.

"I have gotten significantly stronger since beginning there with Ryne Gioviano and his staff. It has really complimented my swimming and the success I have had in the pool."

Nawrocki, who is in the middle of the IHSA season as well as traveling to college visits, also hit the pool at a young age.

"At 5 years old, I started with the Academy Bullets in a competitive swim team," she said. "At the time I was also trying soccer, and tennis briefly but really gravitated to being in the water.

"I have enjoyed meeting new people and having the opportunity to travel with my teammates around the country. I enjoy competing on the national level."

The daughter of Adam and Diana Nawrocki, Elizabeth finished in fourth place in the 100-yard breaststroke at last year's IHSA state meet. With the top three places in 2022 going to girls who have since graduated, Nawrocki, who also won gold at the summer championships, would be considered a top contender for the state title in the event later this fall. She was also 10th in the 200 yard individual medley, and swam on Rosary's 200 medley relay team that finished fifth.

"I am looking forward to competing in sectional and state," said Nawrocki, whose freshman sister Annabelle is on the Rosary varsity team this year.

"If everything goes as planned, I am hoping to place at state and earn the most points possible to support my team. For trials, I want to swim to the best of my ability, but ultimately have a great experience on the national stage."

Capen will swim his first high-school season this winter for the Cadets, and he's set what appear to be realistic goals.

"My goals for the high school season are pretty self-explanatory," he said. "I just want to help the team do the best they can. I think that we have some opportunities over the next few years to be a very fast school but we have to take advantage of them. I would also like to make an impact at the state meet as a freshman, whatever that may be."

Then it'll be on to Indianapolis in June.

"A goal that I have for June is to not be affected by the new environment at a big meet like the Olympic trials," said Capen, the son of Todd and Kelly Capen who has a younger brother, Jax.

"It's a new experience for me and I have to get used to it as I hope to have many more Trials meets in the future."

And, if they keep swimming the way they have been, Paris in 2024 is not out of the question for Capen or Nawrocki.