PALATINE, IL — The weather outside may have been a bit chilly over the weekend of May 30–31, but inside the Birchwood Pool, the New Trier Aquatics Sharks were bringing absolute heat! Competing at the 20th Annual PPD Speedo Shark Frenzy, hosted by the Palatine Park District Tiger Sharks, our swimmers proved once again why NTA is setting the gold standard for community aquatics.
From lightning-fast sprints to gritty, long-distance battles, our Sharks swam with heart, determination, and exceptional skill. The results speak for themselves: personal records fell left and right, and our swimmers truly embodied our mission of fostering lifelong excellence in and out of the pool.
We are incredibly proud to celebrate the progress shown by our swimmers!
The Perfect Meet Club: 100% Best Times!
Swimming a personal best in even one event is a massive achievement—but going a perfect 100% on best times across an entire weekend? That is the stuff of legends! Congratulations to these incredible Sharks who hit lifetime-best marks in every single individual event they completed (sorted alphabetically by last name):
Daphne Berkowitz,
Scarlett Cagadas,
Brooks Cain,
Charlotte Cook,
Elisa Dold,
Hanna Dold,
Ashton Donin,
August Gerber,
Maksim Goldberg,
James Harlin,
Maddie Heiden,
June Iversen,
David Karpel,
Anders Lane,
Ezra Lee,
Nora Lucas,
Yara Maher,
Vincent Manson,
Jimmy Murray,
Elia Narasimha,
Leo Radtke,
Calvin Reese,
Joseph Richter,
Magdalen Richter,
Eleanor Rose,
Elan Sharon,
Elizabeth Swanson,
Ellen Thompson,
Margaret Thompson,
Alexander Weber,
Daniel Weis,
Scarlett Wessel,
Graham Wickstrom,
Emily Worthington,
Isaac Wu, and
Quinn Yeoman.
Sizzling Swims & Mind-Boggling Time Drops
We had some absolutely jaw-dropping time drops this weekend that got the entire crowd on their feet. These athletes showed incredible pacing and pure determination, shaving huge percentages off their previous bests in some of the hardest events:
- Araad Maher (13) pulled off the swim of the meet, dropping a mind-boggling 52.69 seconds in the grueling 200 IM to finish in 2:58.82—a massive 22.8% drop! He also dropped 24 seconds (13.3%) in the 200 Free.
- Anders Lane (13) had a spectacular performance in the 200 Free, dropping 40.42 seconds (19.6%) to cruise to a finish of 2:45.93. He also shaved 11.25 seconds (10.0%) off his 100 Breast.
- Anna S Somin (12) put on a clinic in the 100 Breaststroke, slicing a massive 48.99 seconds (31.4%) to clock a stellar 1:46.79. She also dropped 15.83 seconds (29.9%) in her 50 Free!
- Isaac Wu (13) dropped an eye-popping 37.15 seconds (16.9%) in his 200 IM, finishing in 3:03.04, and sliced 26.62 seconds (27.1%) off his 100 Free (1:11.56).
- Madeline Moreau-Krone (14) dominated her butterfly swims, slashing 21.04 seconds (37.5%) in her 50 Fly (35.04) and 9.25 seconds (10.4%) in her 100 Fly (1:19.61).
- Elia Narasimha (10) dropped a massive 36.83 seconds (13.4%) in her 200 IM (3:57.67) and 12.26 seconds (20.3%) in her 50 Back (48.09).
- Lincoln Tang (12) posted a blistering, top-tier AA standard time of 1:23.93 in the 100 Breaststroke, showing elite technical mastery and narrowing the gap to AAA standard times!
- Brandon Ko (12) dominated the 12 & Under boys' category, capturing 1st place in the 200 Free (2:27.45), 100 Free (1:06.45), and the 50 Back (35.73), while logging spectacular standard-beating swims across the board.
Gutsy Firsts: Conquering the Hardest Events
Stepping up to the blocks for a challenging event for the very first time takes serious courage. We are so proud of these Sharks who conquered these demanding milestones with style:
- Nathan Faynshteyn (7) fearlessly completed his first official 50 Butterfly in a swift 1:14.07!
- Our 9–10 group saw a wave of swimmers complete the 50 Butterfly for the first time:
Maddie Heiden (59.92),
Caroline McCourt (1:09.42),
Calvin Reese (56.03),
Lucas Kim (57.03),
David Karpel (1:08.56), and
Ezra Lee (1:13.72).
- Joshua Fredericks (10) took on the daunting 200 IM for the first time and completed it beautifully in 4:06.64.
- Elan Sharon (11) cruised through his first 100 Freestyle in 1:37.07.
- Chelsea Marden (13) took on the grueling 200 Butterfly for the first time, carving through the water to finish in a phenomenal 3:18.37.
What's Next?
We are incredibly proud of all of our Sharks for showing how hard work, supportive teammates, and dedicated coaching pay off. You are truly #BetterEveryDay!
Next up, we are thrilled to host our highly anticipated and super fun
Intrasquad Meet this coming weekend at the New Trier High School Northfield Campus! This will be a celebratory and fast-paced finale for our Spring-Only swimmers as they wrap up their season on Saturday. Let's keep the momentum going, Sharks!
#FinsUp #GoSharks #BetterEveryDay #NTASharks
