After a hard season, two members of the Boys Swim and Dive team qualified for state this past weekend at the Sectional Championship at Byron High School.
Dean Hartman took first place in the 100-yard backstroke with a nail-biting finish, touching the wall at 54.53. With this exciting performance, Hartman secured a lifetime best and punched his ticket to his first IHSA State Finals with a goal to get an even faster time.
“I’m really excited about going to state because I did not think I was going to win,” said Hartman. “Sectionals for the team and I in general were amazing with 100% life-time PR’s.”
Tristan Peterson took first in diving with an incredible 617.50, which is now his personal best, a pool record, and a new Sectional pool record that was set in 1991. This will be Peterson’s fourth and final state appearance in his high school career, and his goal is to go out with a bang.
“I feel good going into state but also nervous, definitely,” said Peterson.
Each year Peterson has dived at state, he improved in placement and is hoping for the State Champion title.
Both of these seniors have been Pretzel Swim and Dive members for all four years of high school and are grateful for all the memories and growth they’ve had along the way. They advise future team members to put in the work and trust the training.
The IHSA State Finals will take place on Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28 at FMC in Westmont.
