4 program records and second-place finish for New Trier swim and drive — which runs into Hinsdale Central ‘buzzsaw’

The good news is New Trier did about all it could do on Saturday on the final day of the IHSA swim and dive championships.

The bad news is state favorite Hinsdale Central also did that.

With their historic performance Feb. 23-24, the Red Devils collected their 20th state championship and second straight, relegating the Trevians to a second straight runnerup finish at FMC Natatorium in Westmont.

“Most years we’d be in the hunt to win it. We just ran into a buzzsaw today,” New Trier coach Josh Runkle said. “We said everything had to be perfect and (Friday) was not and that was the hard thing. And for everything to be perfect we needed (Hinsdale Central) to screw up and they just didn’t. They were just too dominant.”

Hinsdale Central won five events, setting three state records along the way, and added another eight top-five finishes to rack up 337.5 team points to New Trier’s 210.5. Waubonsie Valley (154), St. Ignatius (150) and Stevenson (143) followed.

The Trevians were led by runnerup finishes in all three relays (200-yard medley, 200 and 400 freestyles), while senior Charlie Bufton recorded two third-place times (200 individual medley, 100 backstroke) and senior Aiden Musick went for third in the 100 butterfly and ninth in 200 free.

While it was short of a state championship, the weekend was a special one for the Trevians program. Bufton set two team records, going 1 minutes 46.39 seconds in the 200 IM and 48.78 in the 100 back. Musick topped his own program record with his 100 fly (47.49). And the Trevians relays were fast, posting a school record in the 200 free relay (1:22.37) and second-best times in the 400 relay (3:00.94) and 200 medley relay (1:30.23).

“All these great things happened and it’s kind of hard for them to appreciate right now because we did finish second,” Runkle said. “But when you look at where (the Red Devils) are, this is the best team they’ve ever had.

“When they get away from it, they can appreciate what they’ve done, because they’ve done a lot of great stuff. … We should celebrate this.”

Musick, who is bound for the University of Wisconsin, was already in an appreciative headspace.

Right after swimming the final leg of the Trevians’ runnerup 400 free relay, Musick was pragmatic in reflecting on his team’s performance. He noted that in another place or time the Trevians could have placed first, even with slower times, but that’s not what it’s all about.

“It’s good to have high-level competition. As much as I’d like to win the first-place trophy, really, it’s way better to get second and be crazy fast than get first and not be fast,” he said. “I wouldn’t like to compete in any other state, because there’s not this level of competition. We can hold our heads high knowing that no matter the place we got we were some of the fastest guys around and some of the fastest guys ever.”

The IHSA trophy is New Trier’s 14th this century. Eight of them have been championship trophies, the last coming in 2018.

Other Trevians in the finals were: Stuart Timmerman (7th, 100 breaststroke), George Angelov (10th, 100 free), Jared Goldstein (10th, 100 breaststroke; 14th, 200 IM), Clay Perry (14th, 100 free), Knox Noble (13th, diving) and Chaplin Willhelm (16th, 100 backstroke)

Willhelm, Timmerman, Goldstein and Augustus Noreuil teamed up for the second-place medley relay; Angelov, Perry, Noreuil and Musick in the runnerup 200 free relay; and Angelov, Perry, Bufton and Musick in the runnerup 400 free relay.

New Trier will graduate All-State talents such as Chaplin, Perry, Bufton, Musick and Angelov, leaving guys like Goldstein, Noble and Timmerman to usher in the next iteration of the talented Trevians.

And Musick for one can’t wait to see it.

“I’m excited for what our next group of guys will do,” he said. “… We’ll see what happens the next couple of years.”

Ramblers reset records too

Loyola Academy had a healthy contingent in the pool during the state championships.

The Ramblers placed 12th as a team, picking up 60 points with a handful of special swims.

Loyola’s 200 medley relay (Gus Koh, Devon Bone, Velizar Filipov, Carter Tiv) kicked things off Saturday by capturing fifth place (1:31.96). On Friday, the group set the program record at 1:31.51.

Koh, a junior, also placed 10th in the 100 back; and Filipov nabbed 10th in the 100 fly.

Bone’s prelim result of 57.71 in the 100 breaststroke set a new school record as well, and Tiv, Koh, Bone, Filipov joined forces again for the 400 free relay, placing ninth after qualifying in 16th.

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