What an amazing weekend!!
Our New Trier Aquatics Sharks took to the water at the iconic IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis last weekend for the 2026 NCSA Summer Swimming Championships, and they did not disappoint.
NTA placed an incredible 7th overall with 798 points! Our boys' squad secured 7th place with 490 points, while our girls battled fiercely to take 13th place overall with 308 points.
The highlight of night one sent shockwaves through the entire natatorium.
Lubo Liu-Tchorbadjiyski shattered the 13-14 National Age Group (NAG) record in the 100 LCM Freestyle with a blazing time of :51.03! He took down the previous record held by phenom
Thomas Heilman, and in the process,
Lubo achieved his very first National cut.
But
Lubo wasn't done there. He went on an absolute tear, breaking NTA team records in the 50 Free (:23.73), 200 Free (1:59.01), 50 Back (:26.38), 100 Back (:58.48), 50 Fly (:25.59), and 100 Fly (:55.93). To cap it off, he joined forces with
Jordan Ko,
Nick Drcha, and
Charlie Sears to break our Open Boys 200 Free Relay team record with a time of 1:33.90!
The record-breaking swims continued on the girls' side as well.
Sylvia Deliduka powered through the water to break both our 15-18 and Open Team records in the 100 Free, clocking a fantastic :57.25.
Tamara Kret also etched her name in the history books, breaking our 15-18 Team record in the grueling 400 IM with a time of 5:03.64.
Fostering a safe and supportive environment creates positive pathways to lifelong excellence in and out of the pool, and that support showed in the sheer number of milestone time standards our athletes achieved this weekend:
- Charlie Sears grabbed his first Summer Junior National cut in the 100 Breast (1:04.91).
- Tyler Zheng secured his first Summer Junior National cut in the 50 Breast (:29.43).
- Nick Drcha captured his first Summer Junior National cut in the 200 Free (1:53.96).
- Margaret Lietzau achieved her first Winter Junior National cuts in both the 100 Free (:57.99) and the 400 Free (4:26.35).
- Michael Saviski grabbed his first-ever NCSA cut in the 100 Free with a stellar time of :53.84.
The momentum isn't stopping in Indianapolis! Next week,
Jordan Ko,
Lubo Liu-Tchorbadjiyski,
Tyler Zheng, and
Riley McNeal are packing their bags and heading to Irvine, California, to compete against the best in the country at the Summer Junior National Championships hosted by USA-Swimming. Let's wish them the best of luck!
We are so proud of every single swimmer who stepped up on the blocks this weekend. You continue to represent our team with unmatched Shark pride!
#BetterEveryDay #FinsUp #GoSharks
