As Central Suburban League North conference champions, it wasn’t unusual that the Niles North varsity boys swimming team started the 2011-2012 season with high expectations. This year the team has exceeded those expectations and then some. The Vikings (6-1) have been riding a five-meet winning streak and also took 1st place at the Highland Park “Don Davis” Invite. The team’s only defeat was against New Trier High School, the reigning state champions. However, head coach Seth Orlove, and some of his swimmers didn’t see the loss as a setback.
“Swimming against New Trier was an honor and great opportunity,” Orlove said. He saw the match up as an opportunity for the team to experience competing against other elite teams in the state. Junior Earl Kim didn’t let the idea of swimming against a powerhouse school faze him. “At first, our team was pretty intimidated [to swim against New Trier] because we were going to compete against the returning state champions. But as the meet came closer, we saw it more as an opportunity to learn and grow,” Kim said.
When the meet finally rolled around, New Trier swam to a comfortable win, but it was junior Karol Mlynarski that led the way for the Vikings in their effort to put a dent in the score, winning the 200-yard freestyle (1:44.24) and the 100-yard freestyle (47.38).
Following the meet against New Trier, Orlove began to transition his team for the winter break practices, a crucial time for the swimmers to gain ground in improving their times for the end of the season. With two-a-day practices during the week, the varsity squad also took a two-day training trip to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and practiced in the Division I pool that also hosts the Olympic time trials. “The training trip went well and made our team more successful,” Orlove said. “I want the swimmers to remember the good times they’ve had swimming, and this trip brought our team together.”
Kim reiterated that the reason for making the trip to IUPUI was to swim and come closer as a team. “During [the trip], the varsity members got to know each other a lot better and we all definitely became more of a family through the experience,” Kim said.
The varsity squad have continued their success since their trip, winning meets against Highland Park High School and Maine East High School. Most recently, the Vikings cruised to a victory over rival Glenbrook North, winning the meet 126-58. Junior Javed Avdic and senior Richard Gomez led the highlight reel for the Vikings. Avdic won the 50 freestyle (22.40) and the 100-yard butterfly (52.77) with Gomez finishing second in the fly (53.88) and first in the 500-yard freestyle with the time of 4:51.62.
The Vikings also swam to a comfortable win against Maine West High School on Feb. 3, the Vikings Senior Night and the Vikings’ last meet ever in the current pool. Notable swims came from Mlynarski, who won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:57.70, which was a second faster than the previous 200 I.M. record set by former North swimmer Will Ikeda in 2007. Plans are in place this summer for Niles North to construct a new competitive swimming pool near the football field [see article elsewhere].
As the regular season moves on to the “Championship” season, Orlove is ready for his team to take the next steps to cap an even better season than last year. “My ultimate goal for the team is to score points at the state meet, but I also think that we will make another run at the conference title and repeat as conference champions,” Orlove said.
Junior swimmer Aaron Brown foresees his team winning the CSL North and making the all-conference list as well. “I think that it’s quite possible [to win conference],” Brown said. “Another goal [of the team] is to have multiple all-conference athletes.” Whether the Vikings accomplish all of their goals remains to be seen, but the team does know that they will give their competitors a run for their money. The Vikings’ championship season kicked off with the CSL North conference meet on Saturday Feb. 11 at Deerfield High School, with Sectionals and State to follow.
Championship Season Update
The Vikings continued their winning surge Feb. 11 at Deerfield High School, winning the CSL North Varsity Conference Championship meet with a total of 352 points. The Vikings repeated as conference champs, only this time with an even bigger splash. The team won seven of the 12 events, and broke numerous conference and pool records. The meet started out with a close finish in the 200-yard medley relay, with Highland Park barely touching out Niles North. After the second place finish, however, the Vikings won the 200-yard freestyle and would not look back. In the 200 free, Mlynarski easily swam to victory recording a 1:42.24 finish, breaking his previous conference and pool record, while easily qualifying for the state meet. Additionally, Mlynarski swam to a first place finish in the 100-yard freestyle with a 46.92 effort. His 100 free time also broke the conference and pool record, while beating the state cut time by almost two seconds.
As the meet went on, Avdic took first in the 100-yard butterfly (53.16) with Gomez swimming right behind him for second place with 54.23. Gomez also won the 500-yard freestyle (4:52.56) by a landslide; the second place finisher swam in eight seconds later, which in terms of swimming, is a wide margin. The Vikings finished the meet winning the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:29.13), the 100-yard breaststroke by junior Max Wall (1:02.32), and the 400-yard relay (3:15.20). The 200- and 400-yard relays broke both pool and conference records. The 400 relay swam under the state cut time, and although it does not qualify that relay for state yet, it shows promise that the group can swim even faster at the sectional meet.
After the conference meet, Orlove said that “while winning the CSL North is a great achievement, I feel like we have unfinished business to attend to [in the sectional and State meet]. Our new goal is to send more of our team to the state meet than last year, which is very possible.” The swimmers have put in the work thus far to repeat as conference champs, and hope to take their work ethic and focus on the sectional and State meet.
The Vikings look to continue their success in the championship season starting with the IHSA Sectional meet at New Trier on Feb. 18, with State the following week.
