Boys Swimming: Nick Killeen, Max Grodecki lead the way for New Trier

Updated: January 7, 2012 6:22PM

Defending champion New Trier further established itself as the favorite to capture the state championship next month by winning seven events and claiming the team title at Evanston’s invitational on Saturday.

The Trevians finished with 3,229 power points and set two meet records at the 18-team meet, considered by some to be a mini-preview of the state meet. Five teams from last year’s top 10 were there Saturday.

New Trier’s Nick Killeen and Max Grodecki each won two individual events, and Grodecki helped two relays to wins, including the record-breaking 200-yard medley relay.

Jack Mangan also set a meet mark by swimming the 100-yard backstroke in 51.64 to beat out Loyola’s Andrew Jovanovic, one of two individual state champs swimming Saturday.

“That was a great race for me,” Mangan said. “My goal was to break 52 seconds, and I did that.”

Killeen won the 200 free (1:43.76) and the 500 free (4:39.59). Grodecki, the defending state champ in the 100 free, was first in both the 50 free (21.64) and 100 free (47.45). He teamed with Reed Malone, Grant Smith and Mangan to win the medley relay in 1:36.05.

Naperville North punctuated the meet with a record-setting win in the 400 free relay. Kevin Butz, Andrew Eiken, Tom Hubbard and Nick Bessler beat out New Trier with a time of 3:11.70.

The Huskies took second to the Trevians with 2,934 points. Lake Forest (2,819), Stevenson (2,788) and Loyola (2,777) rounded out the top five.

The host Wildkits were sixth with 2,662 points.

Jovanovic, who won two state titles last season as a sophomore, was first in the 200 IM with his 1:55.49 that bettered Bessler by more than one second. Bessler won the 100 butterfly in 52.40.

“This meet puts us in a race-time environment,” Jovanovic said. “That’s important to see at this time of the year. We are all tired, but this meet is about who can step up and push himself past the limits.”

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