Nearly 1,000 swimmers dove into the pool at Naperville Central for the 57th edition of the Naperville City Swim meet hosted by the Naperville Swim Conference. The two-day event was split, with the 15-18 year old divisions jumping in on Friday, while the second day featured swimmers from ages 8-14 looking to make a splash.
“This is the most exciting swim meet in the world. I mean, these are guys you’ve swum with for however long, some of these guys I’ve swum with for four or five years. Growing up in this city, this is one of the biggest conferences in the States; it’s so much fun,” said Huntington Estates swimmer AJ Landorf.
“It’s where all of our hard work through the season kind of comes together. Everyone wants you to do well, and the energy just makes the meet a lot more fun,” Said Brookdale swimmer Lillian Witte.
The Friday portion of the meet featured plenty of familiar faces, including Naperville Central graduates AJ Landorf and Lauren Eschmeyer. Both got a chance to swim in their former pool one last time and put on strong performances, with Eschemeyer winning the 100-yard freestyle and 50-yard butterfly for Maplebrook II. Eschmeyer also helped her 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay to first-place finishes. Landorf participated in the 50-yard fly and 100-yard backstroke, not only placing first, but also setting new records for his swim club, Huntington Estates.
“It’s my favorite pool in the world. I grinded here for four years straight, maybe longer, just due to Mavericks and stuff. Favorite thing in the world, and to end it here means the world to me,” said Landorf.
“Just like having fun with my teammates racing against each other. A lot of people are from my school, like on other teams for the summer, so it’s really fun to race against them,” said Maplebrook II Swimmer Lauren Eschmeyer.
Veteran participants go from swimming to coaching
The opening night is just the start of the fun as the high school-aged swimmers from Friday geared up in their special costumes to coach the 14-and-under swimmers for the morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday.
“They always ask if I’m coming back next year, and they’re so excited to see us again. It makes my day because they are always just in such a good mood and so happy to be at swim practice. They say some weird things, but it’s always hilarious; they just make my day,” said Brookdale swimmer Makayla Paulding.
These coaches are former swimmers from their respective clubs, and the opportunity to coach the next generation of swimmers in Naperville brings a lot of pride and excitement.
“I’ve been growing up on the swim team since I was like seven years old, and Brookdale is such a community. The Naperville Swim Conference is such a community, so it’s so easy to come back every year because, you know, all the families and everyone are so supportive of one another,” said Izzy Sinzheimer.
“I love being able to get back to the community that’s given me so much, and it just feels amazing to coach and help bring up this next generation of swimmers,” said Brookdale Swimmer Molly Schalk.
The Saturday morning side saw Teddy Palmer from Cress Creek Country Club win the 25 and 50-yard freestyle for the boys 10 and under. On the girls’ side, Brookdale’s Olivia Choi won the 50 and 100-yard IM.
In the afternoon, Alaina Beran from Brookdale dazzled the crowd with a record-setting time in the 11-12 girls’ 50-yard backstroke.
Strong future for swimming in Naperville
Lincoln Andrlik from Saybrook earned a trifecta of wins in the 11-12 50 free, 100 IM, and 50-yard butterfly. That performance culminated in the Saybrook Sharks winning the city championship for the first time since 2017. Tall Grass, who had won six consecutive Naperville city swim meets, took second place. Brookdale finished in third with Breckenridge, and Naper Carriage Hill rounding out the top five. With another meet in the books, the future of swimming in Naperville remains a bright one.
“I think it’s just going to keep getting faster and faster. We have young kids every single day getting quicker, every single second getting quicker. It just means a lot to see everything grow,” said Landorf.
Have a story idea? We’d like to hear from you!
