The varsity boys swim team dominated Waukegan, bringing them to a 2-0 record, on Thursday, Dec. 14, in a dual meet with junior varsity and varsity.

The Wildcats went into the meet confident of their success and swam off, racing athletes in events they usually do not compete in to give them the opportunity to try new events in a less competitive environment.

The Waukegan team is far smaller than the LHS boys swim team, and they only raced one swimmer in the majority of the events against the three seeded LHS boys for every event.

After a rousing cheer led by the seniors, the Wildcats started off strong with a 1-2-3 finish in the 4×200 medley relay, all competitors finishing before the one Waukegan relay that competed.

This was followed by equally outstanding performances in the 200 freestyle, the 200 IM, and the 50 freestyle before a 10-minute break began in order to allow swimmers the chance to warm up again before continuing the meet to ensure that they would be loose and ready for their upcoming races.

During the break, Libertyville’s varsity coach Amanda Pechauer explained that the boys had been swimming off in their meets up until their county competition that Saturday, Dec. 16.

After the break, the boys continued to increase their lead with constant wins in their races. As the meet came to an end, the boys cheering increased, especially during the 4×400 relay, the final event of the night.

Pechauer specifically pointed out that Laurence Wang, a freshman, had an incredible swim, racing a 1:00:48 the first time that he ever swam the 100 backstroke for the team.

Throughout the meet, the Wildcats were respectful to their opponents, remaining in the water until the other Waukegan swimmers finished, shaking hands with each swimmer at the conclusion of the meet, and grouping together to call out “Good meet Waukegan!”

Libertyville’s assistant Varsity Coach Greg Herman remarked that the meet was “an early season opportunity to establish a starting point for the rest of the year.” Although it was a large victory for the Wildcats, this early in the season, their endurance is still being built up and technique is being worked on.