Welcome to the FMC Natatorium, the site of the 2024 IHSA Boys State Swimming and Diving Meet. Five of our area teams have swimmers competing in the state finals including back-to-back defending sectional swimming champions Waubonsie Valley. All have swimmers saved their best for last on the big stage. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Hinsdale Central jumps off the blocks strong
As always, the meet starts with the 200-yard medley relay. This first heat features DVC champion Naperville North’s Jonathan Wang, Mason Hoffman, Ethan Herscher, and Alvin Ng. The group takes first place in the heat with a time of 1:31.99 seconds and that is a new school record. The Huskies break another program best in the 200-yard freestyle relay later in the meet. Jonathan Wang goes on to finish 6th in the 100-yard breaststroke.
In the second heat, we see Waubonsie Valley’s pack of Tyler Bardak, Nathan Huynh, Keian Lam and Alex Schartz. Although it’s Hinsdale Central who comes in as defending state champs as the group of Josh Bey, Matt, Vatev and Brody Marcet win it and set a new state record with a time of 1:29.13 seconds. The Warriors come in third.
The Red Devils show why they are a powerhouse in the pool in the 200 Individual Medley. While Waubonsie Valley senior Keian Lam triess to keep up. It’s Josh Bey and Jeffrey Hou both from Hinsdale Central going with the one-two finish and it’s Bey tapping the wall first. That time of 1:44.89 is another new state record. Charlie Bufton from New Trier takes third. Lam comes in fifth in the 200 IM and third place in the 100 breaststroke to bring big points for the Warriors.
Now we jump into the first heat of the 50-yard freestyle featuring Benet Academy senior Jacob Yuknis, Waubonsie’s Alex Schartz and Naperville North’s Jonathan Wang. The three stay close in the race but Lane Tech’s Alek Arsic finishes ahead of Schwartz and Wang to win the heat. Dominic Mazurek from Maine South takes the top spot overall in the second heat.
Naperville Central’s Max Goettsch dives in for the 100-yard freestyle and is in a tight pack immediately. However, Brady Johnson from West Chicago is able to pull away from the other swimmers and finds the wall first in the event. Goettsch is able to finish in fourth place. The Redhawk also sets a new school record in the 200 freestyle, finishing in 5th place with a time of 1:38.26.
Alex Parkinson wins state again in the 500 yard freestyle
To the longest race of the day the 500-yard freestyle. This race features defending state champ Alex Parkinson for Neuqua Valley. Throughout the race, it was the Wildcat and Oswego East’s Chase Maier battling it out. In the end, Parkinson has enough fuel and is a back-to-back State champion in the 500-yard freestyle. What a way for Parkinson to end his high school career before swimming at South Dakota.
In the 100-yard backstroke, Johnson is at again with his strong performance. However, he has to battle Schaumburg’s Szymon Mieczkowski and Johnson is able to escape by the skin of his teeth with a time of 46.82 seconds. Tyler Bardak for Waubonsie comes in fifth after breaking the school record in the prelims the day before.
Warriors finish strong and take home third place
The final race is the 400-yard freestyle relay, and Waubonsie Valley has a shot to finish third as they trail closely behind St. Ignatius entering the final race. There is no relay group for the Wolf Pack, so the door is wide open for the Warrior quad of Bardak, Luke Martens, Shaun Bahl, and Sam Lohman. The Warriors finish in seventh, and that helps Waubonsie Valley swimming capture the third place state trophy for the second time in the past five years. Hinsdale Central wins the 400 free ahead of the New Trier group of George Angelov, Clay Perry, Charlie Bufton, and Aiden Musick who take second.
Overall, it’s Hinsdale Central going back to back as state champions, and New Trier finishes as runner-up. Naperville North with a top ten finish as the Huskies take 9th place. Naperville Central finishes in 11th place.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
