Fenwick senior Michael Neumann’s final high school swim season began on a sour note – a more than two-week bout with mononucleosis. A potentially devastating turn of events, but to Neumann’s credit, he battled throughout the season to put himself in a position to return to the state meet at FMC Natatorium in Westmont.
On Saturday, he came all the way back, racing in the consolation finals of three events.
“I couldn’t swim, and then I came back so much slower,” Neumann said of his early-season woes. “I was in a really good spot coming into [the season], I was super-excited and I was looking forward to this meet and [mono] kind of shattered my hopes for it. All I could do is get up every single day and grind to see what I could possibly do.”
That he did, and it culminated in success, Saturday. In the 200-yard medley relay, he and fellow seniors Jack Posluszny and Thomas Caicedo, along with sophomore Hugo Gibson, raced to an 11th place overall finish with a time of 1:33.84. Later, Neumann took 16th overall in the 200 individual medley in 1:54.07 and 15th in the 100 butterfly in 51.15 seconds.
His final season was quite an odyssey, forgive him if seemed a little downcast that his high school career was over. Still, the memories resonate.
“Honestly, probably just the brotherhood,” he said. “Each year, freshman, sophomore, junior, we kept getting new kids coming in, so honestly, the kids in my grade are like brothers to me and I’m so grateful for that.”
One of them is Posluszny, who was the only other Fenwick individual racer Saturday. He took 10th overall in the 100 breaststroke in 56.92 seconds. What will he remember most?
“Just the great times I’ve had with my team,” Posluszny said. “It’s been a great four years being able to swim for Fenwick.”
You have to finish in the top 16 in Friday’s preliminaries to advance to Saturday, and Gibson got oh-so-close in the 100 backstroke, finishing 17th in 51.18 seconds.
Still, coach Justin Jornd said the future of the Fenwick boys swim program is in good hands.
“Hugo has done great things for us,” Jornd said. “As a sophomore, he’s stepping up for us. Swimming backstroke, Hugo really took it away for us all season long. We couldn’t be more grateful for him.”
OPRF swims well in prelims
Oak Park and River Forest junior Connor Harmon has two older brothers who swam at state as high-schoolers. Both had advice for little bro as he prepared for the 200 freestyle relay in Friday’s preliminaries with fellow juniors Alfonso Cides and Cameron Kuenster, and senior Francesco Canzona.
“My oldest brother just sent a text before the meet, definitely make sure you warm up in the main pool, the competition pool, to work on the wall, because the bulkhead can be a little tricky,” he said. “I didn’t think it was that tricky. My other brother was texting me, ‘Are you excited?’ All that.”
OPRF’s 200 freestyle relay ultimately posted 1:28.06, enough for 28th place overall. But that’s not the point, really.
What was it like in the pool for Harmon? Did it meet his expectations?
“It’s always an odd feeling because the whole week before, you’re looking forward to that moment,” he said, “and then five minutes before the moment, it feels a little overwhelming. I just trusted all the work I’ve done in practice all year.”
Cides made his first trip to state as an individual and raced a 1:44.18 in the 200 freestyle on Friday for 24th place. Later, in the 100 freestyle, he posted 47.43 seconds for 31st overall. As an individual performer, the pressure was different than when he was a sophomore relay member, but not in the way you might expect.
“I think it might have been a little less, actually,” Cides said. “I had to be ready from the beginning, since the 200 free is the second event. Last year I was waiting around.”
Canzona, the senior, said what he’ll remember most was the state experience, not the times.
“This meet is up there,” he said. “Seeing all those faces up there, cheering for me, and especially after having watched other people I looked up to qualify for this meet, I think that’s such a huge moment.”