The New Trier Aquatics (NTA) Sharks brought their training and team spirit to the
2026 RISE Summer Splash over the weekend, delivering a spectacular performance at Libertyville High School. From our youngest eight-and-under rising stars to our seasoned high school competitors, NTA swimmers proved that dedication in the pool leads to excellence out of it.
Our mascot was well-represented as the Sharks flew through the water, rewriting the personal record books and supporting one another in a stellar team effort.
The Perfect Swim Club: 100% Best Times!
Nothing makes our coaching staff prouder than seeing swimmers execute their races with perfect technique and determination. The following swimmers achieved a perfect
100% personal best record across all of their completed events:
Brooks Cain, Isaiah Choi, Joshua Fredericks, Derek Hsieh, Anthony Kowalski, Tesha Nyamgerel, Ozan Samikoglu
The Four-Star Performers (4+ Personal Bests)
Sustaining elite performance across a multi-day meet is physically and mentally grueling. We want to extend a massive shoutout to the swimmers who achieved
four or more personal best times over the course of the weekend. Their grit and consistency define our goal of getting
#BetterEveryDay!
Caden Cook, Jacob Gorengaut, Arielle Gorengaut, Penny Hilton, Kayla Karpats, Brandon Ko, Adam Mallett, Andrei Molea, Nikolas Nikonchuk, Leo Radtke, Elan Sharon, John Slade, Andrew Steinfels, Lincoln Tang, Alexander Weber, Scarlett Wessel, Hunter Wessel
Milestone Makers: Stepping Up to the Challenge!
Part of our vision is helping athletes find positive pathways to lifelong excellence, which often means having the courage to try something difficult for the very first time. We celebrated several monumental milestone swims this weekend as athletes successfully completed challenging events with no prior seed times (NT):
- Riley Frankle (12) took on the grueling
400 LC Meter IM for the first time, finishing with a brilliant time of
6:12.15 to claim 2nd place!
- Natalie Marginean (7) swam her first-ever
50 LC Meter Fly, showing tremendous grit and touching the wall in
1:07.15!
- Charlotte Cook (8) conquered the incredibly tough
100 LC Meter Fly as an eight-under, successfully clocking in at
2:42.79!
- Tesha Nyamgerel (10) tackled the endurance-testing
200 LC Meter Freestyle for the first time, recording a superb time of
3:19.07!
- Harrison Wisniewski (12) completed his first
100 LC Meter Fly, touching the wall in a strong
1:51.22!
- Andrei Molea (12) braved the versatile
200 LC Meter IM for the first time, clocking a successful
4:06.47!
- Leo Radtke (12),
Elan Sharon (11), and
John Slade (12) all stepped up to successfully complete the
200 LC Meter Freestyle for the first time, setting fantastic benchmark times of
3:32.23,
3:44.63, and
4:07.58 respectively!
Spectacular Swims & Jaw-Dropping Drops!
With over 500 individual entries, New Trier Aquatics had some absolutely mind-blowing swims. Several Sharks recorded massive time drops of
6% or more in grueling distances, demonstrating outstanding physical endurance:
The "Time-Warp" Drops (Over 30 Seconds Slashed!)
- Penny Hilton (13) produced the swim of the meet in the
200 LC Meter IM! Dropping an unbelievable
44.15 seconds, she smashed her seed time of 4:12.87 to finish in a lightning-fast
3:28.72! She also shaved over 16 seconds off her
200 LC Meter Freestyle (2:55.92).
- Yana Weber (11) matched the magic in the
200 LC Meter IM, slicing a massive
37.54 seconds off her seed to touch in a spectacular
3:33.84!
- Vivien Nowak (9) showed off her versatility in the
200 LC Meter IM, dropping a massive
36.89 seconds from her seed to clock in at
3:36.06!
- Jacob Gorengaut (13) swam out of his mind in the grueling
200 LC Meter Breaststroke, crushing his seed time by
36.01 seconds to touch in
3:53.82!
- Elizabeth Swanson (10) put on an absolute clinic in time reduction! She dropped
30.08 seconds in her
50 LC Meter Breaststroke (1:19.93) and
19.12 seconds in her
100 LC Meter Backstroke (2:48.88), both marking spectacular personal bests!
Powerhouse Performances & Huge Slices
- John Slade (12) put the hammer down in the
100 LC Meter Backstroke, slashing
27.65 seconds off his seed to clock in at
2:02.80!
- Andrew Steinfels (17) had an outstanding meet, headlined by a massive
23.15 second drop in his
200 LC Meter IM (2:36.80), a
7.21 second drop in his
100 LC Meter Breaststroke (1:26.12), and a
2.27 second drop in his
100 LC Meter Freestyle (1:01.04).
- Joshua Fredericks (10) showed amazing endurance in the
200 LC Meter Freestyle, slashing
20.42 seconds off his seed time to finish in a strong
3:19.28!
- Lincoln Tang (12) put on a golden display of speed and technique, taking
1st place in the
100 LC Meter Backstroke (1:13.72),
1st place in the
50 LC Meter Backstroke (34.95), and
1st place in the
200 LC Meter IM with a brilliant
2:39.93 (a 7-second drop, hitting USA Swimming "AA" standards!). He also took 3rd in the
50 LC Meter Freestyle (29.73).
- Brandon Ko (12) dominated the 11-12 Boys division with highly competitive, near-AAA times. Brandon swam to
1st place in the
100 LC Meter Freestyle (1:03.76),
1st place in the
100 LC Meter Fly (1:12.01),
1st place in the
50 LC Meter Breaststroke (37.95), and
1st place in the
100 LC Meter Breaststroke (1:23.74). He also chopped
18.68 seconds off his
200 LC Meter IM (2:43.17) to capture 2nd place!
What’s Next for the Sharks?
We want to congratulate all of our athletes who competed, cheered, and represented New Trier Aquatics with pride. You make us proud to set the gold standard in community aquatic programming!
Holiday Reminder: The Sharks will be enjoying a well-deserved break this coming weekend to celebrate the
4th of July with family and friends.
However, we’ll be right back to racing the following weekend! Get ready for a double-header on
July 19–12 with:
- The North Suburban Splash hosted by PAC at Stevenson High School.
- Summer Sectionals hosted at the state-of-the-art FMC Natatorium in Westmont.
Keep resting, keep hydrated, and let's keep getting better every single day!
#FinsUp #BetterEveryDay #GoSharks
