Conference was this Saturday for the boys varsity swimming and diving team. Many swimmers peaked at the perfect time and set personal records at this home meet, and although some will will go on to sectionals on the following Saturday, Conference was the last meet for many varsity members. Overall, the Scouts placed 3rd, losing to Stevenson and Libertyville.

Around half of varsity tapered last week for the NSC Championship, while the other half will be doing the same this week in preparation for Sectionals. Many of those in the first category also shaved their hair and legs, as well as wore a swim cap and speed suit to lose a few seconds in their last meet of the year (and for many, the last meet of their high school career).

One particular swimmer who is gearing up for Sectionals is junior Carlos Minetti, a specialist in the 50 freestyle. Minetti was originally known as “Mr. 23” this season, but due to his recent times, most on the swim team now refer to him as “Mr. 22.” However, Carlos told me, “I swam a 21 second 50 last week, so at some point they’re going to need to change that.”  

The 50 free isn’t Carlos’s only event, though. “I’m looking to break 50 (seconds) this time in the 100 free,” he informed me. Although Minetti swam a 51.20 (for 100 free) and a 22.54 (for the 50 free) last week, he still hopes to achieve his goals next week at Sectionals.

Varsity breaststroker Oliver Akintade told me prior to the meet, “For the 100 Breastsroke, I’m looking for around a 1:03 or 1:04.” Sure enough, last Saturday Oliver swam an incredible 1:04.12. Fellow sophomore Luke Lanigan confirmed Akintade’s progress, saying, “Oliver looked really strong in that 100 breast. For his first year on varsity, he’s improved quite a bit.”

Other notables included Luke Lanigan taking 4th in both the 200 free (with a time of 1:51.20) and the 500 free (5:06.66), the LFHS 200-yard freestyle relay team consisting of Collin Robinson, Luke Lanigan, Oliver Akintade, and Carlos Minetti snatching 3rd away from Warren by just two seconds (finishing at 1:32.77), and senior Will Paschke placing 6th in the 100 backstroke (with a time of 59.31). However, for some these times aren’t good enough. “The results I got at Conference weren’t exactly what I was hoping for, but luckily I’ve got next week to really make things happen,” said Lanigan.

Also, the 400 yard “varsity relay” squad (Luke Lanigan, Collin Robinson, Will Paschke, and Carlos Minetti) took 3rd with a time of 3:25.99. Lastly, Charlie Mickey grabbed 6th in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:55.50. This was around ten seconds lower than his previous best time. Fellow captain Will Paschke, excited to attest to his friend’s tenacity, informed me, “I’m so proud of Charlie’s time. It is absolutely an accurate representation of how hard he works in practice.”

In addition to varsity swimmers dropping significant time, the top guys on JV were able to swim in Conference. JV captain Andrew Gherlein in particular swam extremely well in the 50 and 100 freestyle events and even beat a couple varsity swimmers. Andrew told me, “It felt great to perform so well in my last meet… and beat Will Paschke.” The JV Scouts took 3rd in Conference.

This Saturday at 1 o’clock, nine swimmers will be participating in the Sectional meet at home. This group might include freshman Torsten Borowski, who has been sitting out most of the season with a concussion (although Borowski has been practicing all week, it’s not known whether he’ll be swimming or not at Sectionals). Be sure to come on down to the pool and see the Scouts swim fast!