Metea Valley hosts the 2026 boys swimming sectional with multiple area teams like Marmion Academy, Oswego East, Naperville Central, Naperville North, Waubonsie Valley, and DVC champion Neuqua Valley competing for a chance to qualify for the state meet next weekend. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Marmion starts strong in the early races
Starting things off with the 200-yard freestyle. Early in the race, it’s neck-and-neck until Marmion Academy’s Braden Nagel gets out in front with Oswego East’s Ethan Schrader and Neuqua’s Arun Kaura on his heels. The Cadet maintains control over his slight lead entering the final stretch, where Nagel and Schrader are side by side as the Cadet is the first to reach the wall. Nagel finishes in first in 1:39.71, with Schrader finishing in second in 1:39.82. Wildcat Arun Kaura finishes in third in 1:40.79. Grant James from Naperville Central, Colin Louden from Metea Valley, and Jack Fastabend from Neuqua also qualify by finishing under the state qualifying time.
Marmion, Plainfield North, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, and Waubonsie Valley all qualify their 200 medley relay teams to state, with the Cadets finishing first.
Next up is the 200-yard IM, where Cadet Brayden Capen in lane four is off to a strong start. As the race goes on, Capen is able to extend his lead and doesn’t look back as he secures a first-place finish in 1:47.89. Marmion Academy’s Dan Ginaitis finishes in second in 1:50.34, just ahead of Wildcats Blake Torpey and Jack Langan. Aidan Ward from Plainfield North and Zidan Lam from Waubonsie Valley round out the top six, all of them qualifying for state.
It’s another tight race in the 50-yard freestyle. In lane four, Oswego East’s Owen Lippoldt is just ahead of the competition entering the final stretch. In a photo-finish, Lippoldt is the first to reach the wall in 20.49, with Plainfield North’s Hermes Sadcopen finishing in second in 20.92. Naperville North’s Hudson Labinsky finishes at 21.06. Tyler Liska from Oswego East and George Zenow from Naperville Central are also moving on to state.
In the 100-freestyle Owen Lippoldt and Josh Liska finish first and second for Oswego, with Maksim Fedorovskiy from Naperville North taking third, Aly Hassanian from Neuqua in fourth, Colin Louden from Metea in fifth, and Josh Turner from Plainfield North in sixth, with each swimmer moving on to state.
Eight swimmers qualify in the 500-yard free. Brayden Capen from Marmion is the winner at 4:36.35, just ahead of teammate Patrick O’Connor and Neuqua Valley senior Arun Kaura. Ethan Schrader from Oswego East is fourth, Jack Fastabend takes fifth, Grant James from Central is sixth, Sri Amaravadi from Waubonsie Valley is seventh, while TJ Veach from Oswego is the final qualifier.
Neuqua adds big points in the 100 fly
Jumping ahead to the third heat of the 100-yard butterfly, as Waubonsie Valley’s Ryan Oyedijo has the early advantage. The Warrior goes on to extend his lead as he secures the first-place finish in 50.95 seconds, as teammate Emmanuel Perea finishes in second. Oyedijo is fast enough to sneak under the state qualifying time.
Moving on to the next heat of the 100-yard butterfly, as Wildcat teammates Peter Carroll and Blake Torpey are out in front. The Wildcats go on to extend their lead as the two race for the wall. Senior Peter Caroll gets the first-place finish in 50.17 seconds as teammate Blake Torpey finishes in second in 50.32 seconds. Freshman Hermes Sadcopen from Plainfield North is the final qualifier in the event.
Local teams thrive in the relays
The first heat 200-yard freestyle relay kicks off with Warrior Dawid Kowalewicz soaring out in front as Metea’s Sean Siwicki keeps pace. Waubonsie’s and Metea’s relay teams extend their lead as they look to send more swimmers to the state meet. The race goes down to the wire between Warrior Zidan Lam and Mustang Colin Louden. In a tight race, the Warrior secures the first-place finish for Waubonsie. Kowalewicz, Perea, Arseni Branavitski, and Lam finish in 1:27.32 seconds as Metea’s Siwicki, Nicolas Delgado, Alex Bounds, and Louden finish in second at 1:27.41 seconds. Both relay teams are heading to state along with first-place finishers Oswego East, Marmion, Naperville North, Neuqua, Naperville Central, and Plainfield North.
The Wildcats finish strong to win the sectional title
The final individual race of the day is the 100-yard breaststroke. Cadet Tanner Spillane and Wildcat teammates Jack Langan and Braden Meurer are off to a strong start in lanes three, four, and five. It’s another tight race down the stretch as the Wildcats are neck and neck. Jack Langan is the first to reach the wall in 57.02 seconds, as Meurer finishes in second in 57.09 seconds. Spillane finishes in third in 57.77 seconds. Zidan Lam from Waubonsie also makes it to state, along with Chris Johnson from Plainfield North and Ben Hanson from Naperville North.
In the 100-yard backstroke, Jackson Wagoner and Ryan Watson from Neuqua qualify for state in fifth and sixth place. Patrick O’Connor from Marmion wins the race ahead of Aidan Ward and Josh Turner from Plainfield North. Hunter Humbert from Marmion and Zack Peterson from Oswego East also qualify.
Into the final event of the meet, the 400-yard freestyle relay. Marmion’s Braden Nagel is off to another strong start as Oswego East’s Zack Petersen is slightly behind. Later on, the Cadets extend their lead as East’s anchor-leg Ethan Schrader looks to get the come-from-behind win. However, Cadet anchor-leg Patrick O’Connor holds on for the split-second victory. The Cadet team of Nagel, Capen, Ginaitis, and O’Connor finish in 3:03.63. East’s Petersen, Lippoldt, Tyler Liska, and Ethan Schrader finish in 3:04.62 as the Wildcat team of Kaura, Caroll, Aly Hassanien, and Blake Torpey finish in 3:09.
Neuqua Valley flips the script from last year with a team win at the Metea IHSA sectional meet with 237.50 points. Marmion Academy finishes in second place with 211 points, while Oswego East finishes in third with 209 points. The FMC Natatorium awaits next week.
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