Sat, Feb. 9, the Niles North boys varsity swim team received first place in CSL North Conference Championship for the third year in a row.

Niles North, with a final score of 355 points, overwhelmingly defeated the other 6 schools competing for the title of conference champs. Those schools included Deerfield, Glenbrook North, Highland Park, Maine West, and Maine East.

Freshman Daniel Kim, Niles North’s sole varsity diver, competed against nine divers in the varsity conference diving championship. Kim finished in 6th place with a commendable final score of 272.20.

The varsity team, coached by Seth Orlove, sent 10 swimmers to IHSA Sectionals Sat, Feb. 16. The swimmers include sophomore Eddy Kang, juniors Mateo Ruiz and Ben Kuznets-Speck, and seniors Aaron Brown, Ian Crane, Javed Avdic, Karol Mlynarski, Earl Kim, Chris Riordan, and Max Wall.

“Usually the sectionals lineup is determined beforehand, so people can rest and taper for a specific meet,” Crane says. “Sectionals will then determine who advances to state.”

The team as a whole finished in fifth place at IHSA Sectionals. Six swimmers placed for state, including two Viking relays.

State qualifiers include the 200 free relay team: Mylnarski, Kim, Brown, and Avdic with a time of 1:26.81. Mylnarski also qualified in the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.92, as well as in the 100 freestyle swim with a time 45.93.

Crane, Ruiz, Kuznets-Speck and Kang are going to State as alternates.

Riordan and Wall qualified for the 100 yard breaststroke. Riordan, with a time of 59.53, finished in 4th place. Wall finished in 9th place with a final time of 1:00.52.

Avdic qualified for the 200 free with a time of 1:44.57 as well as the 100 butterfly with a time of 51.15 seconds. The 200 medley relay team, consisting of swimmers Mylnarski, Kim, Brown and Avdic, made it to state with a time of 1:37.06.

“We all worked so hard, and being able to swim at the State meet with 5 other seniors is amazing,” Brown says. “It’s sad that it is going to be our last time, but is also a happy moment, knowing that we’ve accomplished so much.”

The IHSA State Meet will be held this Fri, Feb. 22, at New Trier High School.

Come support your Vikings state qualifiers Thu, Feb. 21 in the commons for their state send off.

Go Vikings!