It was a jam-packed weekend of racing for New Trier Aquatics, with the Sharks split between hosting a spirited dual meet against Michigan Shores at New Trier High School and competing at the high-level Patriot Pride Invitational at Stevenson High School.
True to the NTA mission of fostering excellence in and out of the pool, the Sharks embodied the #BetterEveryDay spirit, racking up hundreds of best times, achieving new motivational standards, and tackling grueling distance events for the first time.
Patriot Pride Highlights
At the Patriot Pride Invitational (Jan 16-18), the Sharks were in peak form. Congratulations to
Riley McNeal for requalifying for Winter Juniors in the 200 Breaststroke with a time of 2:15.68!
12-year-old
Cecily Clifton
also
delivered one of the most impressive performances of the weekend. Clifton dropped a massive 23 seconds in her 500 Freestyle to touch in 5:43.26, earning a 2nd place finish. She didn't stop there, sprinting to victory in both the 50 Butterfly and 100 Butterfly with lifetime bests.
The distance lane also saw some massive milestones. Nine-year-old
Elisa Dold fearlessly took on the 500 Freestyle for the first time, finishing in 8:10.54. In the 10&Under age group,
Nora Caskey and
Reagan Frankle attacked the 200 Freestyle, and
Amelia Silverberg successfully tackled the 200 IM.
Dual Meet Dominance
Back at home on Saturday (Jan 17), the Sharks hosted Michigan Shores for a dual meet that featured fast sprinting and great technique.
Nora Chukiat,
Nathan Faynshteyn, and
Caroline McCourt all successfully raced the 100 IM for the first time, a rite of passage for our developing swimmers. Additionally,
Tesha Nyamgerel completed the 100 Freestyle for the first time.
The "Perfect Weekend" Club
The following swimmers achieved Best Times in 100% of their individual events:
Eloise Anderson, Caroline Barhight, Ashton Donin, Nathan Faynshteyn, Joshua Fredericks, Eleanor Gaetano, Fabricio Gonzalez Pulido, Riley Groden, Wes Hellmuth, June Iversen, Grace Longo, Emma Malalis, Adam Mallett, Tesha Nyamgerel, Anna Nyhan, Mabel O'Donnell, Lorelei Pope, Leo Radtke, Emily Rozentsveig, Jordana Segel, Elan Sharon, Sophie Sime, Lincoln Tang, Ryan Tolentino, Reagan Waldeck.
Dropping Time in Bunches
Several other swimmers had multiple best times over the weekend:
Nora Caskey, Cecily Clifton, Caden Cook, Eleanor Gaetano, Fabricio Gonzalez Pulido, Ian Hennig, Brandon Ko, Lubo Liu-Tchorbadjiyski, Shai Livne, Matthew Logan, Emma Malalis, Adam Mallett, Addison McNeal, Eric Moldovan, Elia Narasimha, Daniel Nikonchuk, Mabel O'Donnell, Mari Rice, Eleanor Rose, Jordana Segel, Lincoln Tang, Ryan Tolentino, Isla Tomlinson, Yanni Yi.
Congratulations to all our Sharks for setting the gold standard this weekend!
We’ll be back in the water immediately, hosting our annual
Build the Base Invitational this upcoming weekend in honor of long-time NTA and NTHS swim coach, Rick Peterson.
Ready, Sink Under, and Go!
#FinsUp #GoSharks
