Our New Trier Aquatics Sharks brought the heat to the Pleasant Prairie RecPlex in Wisconsin last weekend for the 2026 Illinois Swimming Age Group Championships! Racing against the best in the state, the team threw down massive personal bests, crushed first-time milestones, and shattered records left and right.
Powered by stellar individual performances and unbelievable relay chemistry, the NTA Boys captured 2nd place overall (1,288.50 points!), propelling the combined team to a fantastic 6th place finish in the state.
Here are some of the biggest highlights from an unforgettable weekend:
🌟 High Point Superstars
A special shoutout to our Sharks who dominated the individual standings and placed in the top 5 for High Point awards!
Joe Kennedy racked up an incredible 138 points to take 4th place overall for the 11-12 Boys, and
Sam Cast powered his way to 4th place for the 13-14 Boys with 149 points!
🏆 Record-Breaking Swims
Our record boards are getting a major rewrite after this meet! Huge shout-outs to our record-breakers:
- Lubo Liu-Tchorbadjiyski: Lubo was absolutely electric, breaking the NTA team record in the 50 Fly (22.24) and 100 Fly (50.19)! To top it off, his blazing 50 Back swim broke the
State Record!
- Sam Cast: Sam dominated the distance and IM events, breaking the NTA team records in the 200 Free (1:42.04), 500 Free (4:35.01), and 400 IM (4:08.94)!
- Tommy Johnson: Tommy was virtually unstoppable in the breaststroke events, setting brand new team records in both the 100 Breast (1:06.23) and 200 Breast (2:25.78)!
- 13-14 Boys 200 Free Relay: The squad of Lubo Liu-Tchorbadjiyski, Sam Cast, Daniel Sheynis, and Matt Logan teamed up to shatter not only the team record but the
State Record with a blistering 1:27.98!
- 13-14 Boys 400 Medley Relay: Lubo Liu-Tchorbadjiyski, Avi Bodner, Matt Logan, and Sam Cast kept the momentum rolling, setting a new team record (3:35.33).
- 11-12 Boys 200 Medley Relay: The quartet of Joe Kennedy, Tommy Johnson, Hunter Wessel, and Lincoln Tang secured their own spot in NTA history, breaking the team record with a spectacular 1:51.62!
🏅 Top 10 Individual Medalists
Our Sharks proved they belong on the podium! Here’s a rundown of our top 10 medalists in individual events:
- Sam Cast: 200 Free (1st), 500 Free (1st), 50 Free (2nd), 100 Free (2nd), 1000 Free (2nd), 400 IM (3rd), 1650 Free (5th)
- Lubo Liu-Tchorbadjiyski: 50 Back (1st), 50 Fly (1st), 100 Fly (1st), 100 Breast (10th)
- Tommy Johnson: 50 Breast (1st), 100 Breast (1st), 200 Breast (1st)
- Joe Kennedy: 50 Fly (2nd), 50 Free (3rd), 100 Free (3rd), 50 Breast (3rd), 100 Breast (3rd), 100 IM (4th), 200 Free (5th)
- Cecily Clifton: 100 Fly (2nd), 50 Fly (4th), 100 Free (5th), 100 IM (8th)
- Jordana Segel: 400 IM (5th), 200 Fly (6th), 200 IM (8th)
- Eric Moldovan: 400 IM (5th), 200 Back (8th), 200 IM (8th)
- Lincoln Tang: 50 Breast (5th)
- Daniel Nikonchuk: 200 Back (6th), 100 Back (7th), 200 Free (10th)
- Matt Logan: 100 Fly (7th)
- Daniel Sheynis: 100 Fly (9th)
- Ron Livne: 200 Fly (10th)
✈️ Next Up: Orlando!
The championship season isn't over yet! The Sharks are packing their bags and heading to Orlando, Florida, for the NCSA Junior Championships (March 17-21) and the NCSA Age Group Championships (March 25-28).
Let's keep the momentum going! #BetterEveryDay #FinsUp #GoSharks
