New Trier overcomes plenty to claim third-place state trophy

New Trier swimmers and divers put on a must-watch performance at the state finals. So much so that head coach Josh Runkle actually could not stand to watch.

Runkle said he was overcome with nerves and emotion at certain points in the meet and regularly walked the length of the pool deck, keeping his eyes on the scoreboard instead of the pool.

He said his actions were the result of a challenging year for the Trevians, who fought off injury, illness and more to end with a third-place state trophy at the IHSA championships on Saturday, March 1, in Westmont.

“It’s been a roller-coaster year for us,” said Runkle, whose father passed away earlier this year to add to the season’s challenges. “It’s been really tough for all of us mentally, emotionally and physically too. For us to walk out of there with third, I’m really happy and really proud of those kids. They are just tough and really stepped up when they needed to. It was amazing to watch.”

The Trevians’ need existed until the meet’s final touchpoint. Two points behind Lane Tech for third place, New Trier needed to top Lane in the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, to bring home a trophy.

The Trevians Charlie Sears, Drennan Devaraj, Caden Carberry and Jared Goldstein left no doubt, finishing 10th to the Champions’ 15th and giving their team third place with 156 points.

Hinsdale Central completed a three-peat in dominant fashion, posting 338 points to Marmion’s 190. New Trier finished runnerup to Central’s previous two championships.

Loyola Academy placed fifth behind third place finishes in the 200 medley and 400 free relays, as well as junior Velizar Filipov’s fourth in the 100 backstroke and fifth in the 100 butterfly, senior Gus Koh’s sixth in the 100 back and sixth in the 100 fly, and junior Devin Bone’s eighth in the 100 breaststroke and 13th in the 100 free.

The Trevians received their biggest boost from senior Stuart Timmerman, who earned a state championship in the 50 free and runnerup finish in the 100 breaststroke. He also helped New Trier to second in the 200 medley relay and third in the 200 free relay.

Timmerman swam the 50 free in 20.39 seconds to claim his state title, something he has been chasing for a long time.

“It was just sheer joy,” he said of the win. “That’s four years of me dreaming of winning a state title. It’s all I really thought about. Seeing it on the (scoreboard) was the most insane thing.

“There’s something about winning a state title here. It’s always meant a lot, not only for myself but doing it for the team. It’s a special thing in Illinois.”

Committed to the University of Southern California, Timmerman was hit with a bout of pneumonia late in the season. The senior was still on antibiotics during the sectional meet. While he felt great during the state finals, the illness impacted his training up until the final week of the season.

But on the final day of the season, he put all that out of his mind and went for it. His performance was crucial to the Trevians’ third-place finish, which he said felt like a long shot 12 months ago.

“That was maybe more important than state title, getting that trophy,” he said. “Last year, our state team two-thirds seniors. We had only three returners, and I was one of them. We had to pretty much build a whole new team and everyone stepped up.”

Also scoring for the Trevians were: Knox Noble (6th) and Charlie Conniff (12th) in diving, Goldstein in the 200 individual medley (11th) and 100 butterfly (10th), Teddy O’Donnell in the 200 IM (16th), and Devaraj in the 50 free (10th).

Nearly all the Trevians’ entries improved their place between Friday and Saturday, leading to the team’s leap into third place.

Runkle has seen plenty of glory, including five state trophies and a championships in 2018. He said this year’s final day may have been his favorite.

“That was one of the best Saturdays I’ve been around in my 11 years,” he said. “How those kids all rose to the occasion. It was really fun to watch, fun to watch our seniors go be out in front and fun to watch our sophomores, juniors and freshmen follow. … The drive home, I couldn’t believe it; I was so ecstatic. My heart was full.” 

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