New Trier Aquatics kicked off the new year with fast racing and high energy at the 2026 Speedo Invitational last weekend. Hosted by the Academy Bullets at Marmion Academy, the Sharks faced off against some of the top programs from the western suburbs and proved they were up to the challenge.
True to the NTA mission of pursuing excellence in the pool, our swimmers racked up personal bests, with several athletes achieving a "perfect meet" or tackling daunting distance events for the very first time.
The 100% Club
Achieving a best time in every single event entered is a rare feat, especially at a multi-day invitational. We are incredibly proud of the following Sharks who went
#BetterEveryDay by achieving 100% best times:
- Fabricio Gonzalez Pulido: A stunning performance, Fabricio went 10-for-10, achieving best times in every single event he swam, from the 200 Free to the 100 Breast.
- Benjamin Wagner: Benjamin was perfect on the weekend, going 4-for-4 with best times in the 100 Free, 50 Breast, 100 Back, and 100 IM.
- Katelyn Andrus: Katelyn was perfect in her distance events, hitting a best time in the 1650 Free and swimming the 1000 Free for the first time.
Shark Attack
In addition to our perfect performers, the following swimmers had an exceptional meet, dropping massive time in several events:
Bianca Areas (9),
Reagan Frankle (7),
Araad Maher (6),
Ian Hennig (6),
Evelyn Schumacher (6),
Janette Kostamo-Peistrup (5),
Brooks Cain (5),
Ron Livne (4),
Lincoln Tang (4),
Emily Brandel (4).
Testing Limits: First-Time Swims
One of the hardest parts of our sport is stepping onto the block for a grueling event for the very first time. We want to recognize the following Sharks for their bravery and grit:
- Reagan Frankle (9) took on the 200 Free for the first time, finishing in 3:12.30.
- Leo Chen (13) conquered the grueling 200 Fly, posting a 3:06.86.
- Aiden Molinski (13) raced the 400 IM for the first time, touching the wall in 5:28.37.
Exceptional Swims & Big Drops
Several Sharks saw their hard work in practice pay off with massive time drops:
- Emily Brandel (12) absolutely crushed her 500 Free, dropping nearly a minute and a half to touch the wall in 7:35.15.
- Katelyn Andrus (15) dropped a massive 48 seconds in her 1650 Free, breaking the 19:10 barrier with a 19:09.72.
- Reagan Frankle (9) had a monster drop in her 100 Back, slashing over 40 seconds off her seed time to go 1:41.85.
- Claire Keyworth (16) put together a great swim in the 1650 Free, dropping almost two minutes from her seed time to finish in 19:37.49.
What's Next?
The Sharks aren't slowing down! We have a busy weekend ahead:
- We head to Stevenson High School for the
Patriot Pride Prelim/Final meet (Fri-Sun).
- We host
Michigan Shores for a dual meet at our home pool this Saturday morning for our Bronze 1/2 and Silver 1 groups.
Good luck to all our swimmers!
#FinsUp #GoSharks
