‘We were flying’
Hinsdale Central breaks national record at the state meet
Henry Guo had his doubts.
The Hinsdale Central senior swimmer and his pals were discussing the possibility of breaking a national record in the 200-yard medley relay event at the Illinois High School Association state meet.
Carmel High School in Indiana owned the mark of 1 minute 26.88 seconds, which it set in 2022.
On February 28, the Red Devils were ready to hit the pool in the state preliminaries with the record in mind, even though Guo, a Penn commit, wasn’t convinced.
“I was a little apprehensive about going into this meet and breaking a national record,” he said. “It seemed like all the odds were stacked against us. Theoretically, it was possible, but everyone would have to have an ideal swim.”
Guess what? Much to Guo’s pleasure, everybody DID have an ideal swim.
From sophomore Luke Vatev in the backstroke to senior Josh Bey in the breaststroke to Guo in the butterfly to junior Matthew Vatev in the freestyle – they all swam out of their minds, and the Red Devils clocked
Natatorium in Westmont.
It took Guo all of 21.53 seconds for him to change his mind. That was Luke Vatev’s time in the backstroke to lead things off.
“When Luke slammed his time, I was like, ‘Wow, we could actually do this.’’’ Guo said.
“Breaking the national record was kind of a goal time, and with that 50 back, going 21-mid, I was happy,” Luke Vatev said. “Then I watched Josh swim his leg, and I just had that feeling…we were flying. It was awesome.”
Josh Bey helps his team win a state championship in the 200 medley relay a day after the team set a national record in the preliminaries.
Bey swam a :24.04 in the breaststroke event. He hit the pool with a vengeance.
“It’s going to sound a lot more aggressive than it actually was, but I just wanted to go out there and kill everyone,” the Indiana recruit said. “I just had this mindset that I was going to go in there and just destroy and set the standard for the meet, and we were going to show everyone what Hinsdale Central is all about.”
Next up was Guo in the butterfly, and he kept the momentum up with a 21.01.
Finally, Matthew Vatev, another Penn commit, had the task of bringing the record home, and his freestyle time of :20.17 clinched it.
“Once I saw my brother touch at :21.5, I just started jumping and going crazy,” Matthew said. “I was like, ‘holy crap,’ that was so fast. I really knew once he did his job, the entire thing was possible. When I saw Bey go, it was right where he needed to be. We were under the record at that point, and the chance was there. Henry went, and I was on the block and ready to go. My start was a little hesitant. But when I finished, I saw the board, and I wasn’t sure we got it because I didn’t know what the record was. I was looking up and processing it all. Then they came over and shook my hand, and I knew that we had it. My gosh. It was pure excitement.”
Guo also celebrated an accomplishment he wasn’t sure could be done.
“After seeing that 1:26 pop up on the board, the feeling was just indescribable,” he said. “It was a mixture of just shock and excitement. I just couldn’t believe my eyes.”
The quartet hoped to break its own record in the championship on March 1 but fell short with a still-impressive 1:27.01. It was more than good enough for a state championship.
The Red Devils won their third straight state championship and 21st overall with 338 points, miles ahead of runner-up Marmion Academy’s 190. It was coach Bob Barber’s fourth title and the eighth time under his watch that the Devils brought home a trophy.
Luke Vatev won the 100 back (:46.95) and 100 free (:43.57), and Bey won the 100 breast (:53.32) and 200 individual medley (1:43.96).
The 200 free relay team of Bey, Matthew Vatev, Brandon Suliga, and Frankie Adamo won with a 1:21.33, and the 400 free relay team of Guo, Noah Pelinkovic, Luke Vatev, and Adamo took care of business with a 2:59.38.
The Hinsdale Central 200 medley relay team receives congratulations on its way to the stand.
Members of the Hinsdale Central 200 medley relay team share a light moment on the winner stand after winning a state title a day after setting a national record.
