On Feb. 28 and March 1, North’s boys swim and dive team competed at the IHSA state competition, scoring twelfth overall. Sophomore Thomas McMillan broke the state record in the 100 yard butterfly and placed second in the 100 yard backstroke. Senior Brady Nightlinger and sophomores Landyn Kruse, Josh Lack and McMillan also placed fourth in the 200 medley relay.
McMillan’s score in the 100 yard butterfly broke a thirteen-year-old IHSA state record. Going into the season, he was confident that he could score well in the event.
“The season started, and I knew I could at least get close to [the state record],” said McMillan. “So I kind of just went for it.”
Swim and dive coach Robert Rooney was proud of the team’s performance and their improvement over the last few swim seasons.
“I think the team did exceptionally well. We have taken great strides the last two seasons,” said Rooney. “We have a very talented group of sophomore boys, and we had some other people involved in that, as well: a couple seniors and a couple juniors. But it was overall a very good showing for St. Charles North.”
Unlike many other sports, the state competition for boys swim and dive is not divided into classes, meaning every high school competes at the same level.
“The IHSA state meet is a competition amongst every high school in the state of Illinois,” said Rooney. “It’s just one class. You have to make a state qualifying time the weekend prior at the IHSA sectional meet, and then if you make the state qualifying time, you move on to the high school state meet.”
Attending the state meet is a distinguished opportunity for both the athletes and the coach.
“It’s always a blast,” said Rooney. “It’s always an honor to represent the school and our community.”
Making it to state required hard work and dedication, mainly through intense practices every week.
“[Practice is] usually a lot if we’re midseason,” said McMillan. “It’s usually two hours. We have to warm up in the beginning, and then we’ve got a main set, and then there’s [a] cool down at the end.”
Rooney gave the team lots of advice throughout the season, encouraging them to keep pushing to improve.
“You have to always believe in yourself [and] believe in the team,” said Rooney. “Most importantly, don’t accept where you’re at today, and keep getting better for tomorrow.”
