West Chicago Co-Op hosts Benet Boys Swimming! The West Chicago/Batavia CO-OP celebrates senior night as the regular season is winding down. It’s the last scheduled dual for the Redwings and they will compete in the conference championship on February 8! This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
West Chicago places in front of Benet boys swimming to begin the night
We start off with the 200-yard medley relay, both sides are off to a strong start with the Wildcats very own Sam Ortiz, Jacob Alejandro, Nathan Lindstrom, and Tommy Eng taking the lead and Benet’s Harlan Apple, Ben Dewart, Connor Dewart, and Sam Larson trailing behind. The race ends with West Chicago taking the first win of the night with a time of 1:41.82 and Benet taking second place in this race.
Moving on to the 200-yard freestyle varsity, Benet wastes no time to show that they won’t be going into the night quietly. Redwing Aiden Hulett takes the lead in this race and ends up finishing first place with a time of 1:53.46. Sean Oliver of the co-op takes second, while Henry Koppenhoefer secures third for the Wings.
As we dive into the 200-yard IM race. The Wildcats don’t let the pressure get to them as all swimmers from both sides are off to a strong start. However, West Chicago’s very own Will Becker pulls through and comes in first place with a time of 2:04.64. Wildcat Teammate Alejandro gets second, and Redwing Alex Gastolek picks up third
Redwings sweep the podium in the 50-yard freestyle
Benet looks to fight back in the 50-yard freestyle with Sam Larson securing another win for them with a time of 23.33. It’s a Redwing podium sweep, with Keegan Glynn and Connor Dewart getting second and third respectively.
Now to the longest race of the night, the 500-yard freestyle, where the Wildcats really show the full extent of their endurance. As the race rages on West Chicago maintains a comfortable lead over Benet. They take the lead and keep it with their very own Shane Johnson finishing first place with a time of 4:58.86.
Jumping into the 100-yard breaststroke, Benet shows off the speed with Ben Dewart overtaking West Chicago and finishing in first! He records a time of 1:04:58, with two Wildcats finishing behind in second and third.
Tonight ends with the 400-yard relay, as both sides get hyped to close out the dual. West Chicago shows its strength by pulling through in these longer races. Their relay team of Sam Ortiz, Nathan Lindstrom, Tommy Eng, and Sean Oliver take a substantial lead over the Redwings, finishing the race in first place with a time of 3:23.27. It helps guide West Chicago co-op to a close 94-82 win over Benet Academy.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!