We’re at West Chicago High School for a boys swimming dual meet. The West Chicago/Batavia Co-Op celebrates Senior Night against Benet Academy as the boys swimming regular season winds down. It’s the final scheduled dual meet for the Redwings as they prepare for their conference championship next weekend. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Benet Academy gets off to a flying start, but West Chicago keeps it close
We start this one off with the 200-yard medley, where the Benet Academy team gets off to a great start from Alex Gastolek, Ben Dewart, Connor Dewart, and Greg Warren. The Redwings dominate the medley to take first with a final time of 1:42.16. The Wings also take second place for good measure.
West Chicago responds with a strong performance in the 200-yard freestyle. Shane Johnson and Brady Jordan lead the way here for the Co-Op to edge out a trio of Redwings and take the 200-yard freestyle with times of 1:48.05 and 1:50.43, respectively. Connor Dewart edges out Will Jandrain for third place.
The Wildcats carry this momentum into the 200-yard IM race as Jonas Hine just narrowly beats out Redwing Justinas Budas to take another win for West Chicago. Connor and Ben’s younger brother, Sam Dewart is a few seconds behind in third for Benet.
The Redwings strike back, putting on a show in the 50-yard freestyle varsity as teammates Jim Campbell and Aiden Erickson take first and second with a time of 22.67 and 23.03, respectively, to keep Benet in the lead in the team standings.
West Chicago leads, but the Redwings cruise down the stretch
Next up is the 100-yard butterfly, and it’s a close one between West Chicago’s Jace Christensen and Benet’s Aiden Erickson. These two keep pushing to the very end as Christensen narrowly beats Erickson to take this one with a time of 54.52, winning by less than a half second. Alex Gastolek from Benet gets to the wall in third place.
Wildcats continue with another strong performance in the 200-yard freestyle relay. As the race continues, West Chicago maintains its lead, with Kaden Volkman, Nathan Walkington, Will Smoley, and Shane Johnson carrying the team to a first-place finish with a time of 1:33.79. Sam Larson, Ben Dewart, Jim Campbell, and Aiden Erickson take second, just two seconds behind.
Next up is the 100-yard breaststroke, and it’s another close one here between Redwing Jim Campbell and Wildcat Will Becker. These two would be neck and neck for a bit, but Campbell pulls away from Becker with a time of 1:02.53. Jace Christensen finishes third.
Benet Academy takes the final race and wins the meet against West Chicago
In the final race of the evening, the 400-yard freestyle relay sees both teams looking to finish strong. West Chicago takes the early lead, led by Cohen Garcia, Jace Christensen, Will Smoley, and Will Becker. However, Benet responds with stellar performances from Connor Dewart, Greg Warren, and Justinas Budas. Will Jandrain closes this race out strong for Benet as the Redwings win the relay and the meet with a final score of 90-85.
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