Latest news with #Indiana-bound
Chicago Tribune
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Hinsdale Central's Josh Bey sets records as he wins state titles. But ‘it was never about the destination.'
Hinsdale Central senior Josh Bey has never felt weighed down by expectations. The weight of all the awards he won is another story. Bey won 13 state medals, including 10 state titles, and led the Red Devils to three consecutive team titles. But the Indiana-bound Bey says the massive haul was neither his greatest motivation nor his greatest satisfaction. 'The awards were a great part of the career, but it was never about the destination,' Bey said. 'It was about the journey. 'The memories I made along the way with these boys, that was what really made my high school career. I'd love to go around saying I made all these accomplishments, but everything — all the training, all the time I've spent with these boys — has been amazing.' Bey capped his high school career with an historic performance at the state meet at FMC Natatorium in Westmont on Feb. 28 and March 1. His final meet was his finest, which is saying a lot considering he won four state titles and set state records in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley as a junior. But he won four more state titles and set more records. During the preliminaries on Feb. 28, the Red Devils broke the national record in the 200 medley relay, as Bey teamed with sophomore Luke Vatev, senior Henry Guo and junior Matthew Vatev to time 1 minute, 26.75 seconds. 'That could definitely be a highlight,' Luke Vatev said. 'It felt amazing. That was the goal coming in. Everyone swam so great, and seeing everyone else do phenomenal, go best times, it's just a great feeling all around for everybody.' That performance was only the beginning for the Red Devils, who began the finals on March 1 by winning the medley relay in 1:27.01. Bey then won his second consecutive state title in the 200 individual medley, lowering his state record to 1:43.96 in the event widely considered to determine the state's most versatile swimmer. Bey's third race was the 200 free relay, which he got started for the Red Devils. Matthew Vatev, junior Brandon Suliga and senior Frankie Adamo followed, and they won it in 1:21.33, just 0.07 of a second off the state record Hinsdale Central set in 2023. For his final performance, Bey timed 53.32 to become only the fourth boy to win three consecutive state titles in the 100 breaststroke. That was just 0.34 of a second shy of the state record he set last year. But Bey wasn't the only one setting records for the Red Devils, who have a deep pool of talent that includes several other stars like Guo and Matthew Vatev, who have committed to swim at Penn, and Luke Vatev. Luke Vatev won the 100 free in 43.57 and the 100 backstroke in 46.95. During the preliminaries, he swam a state-record 46.52 in the backstroke, becoming just the third swimmer in IHSA history to set a state record as a sophomore. He joined a select club that also includes St. Charles North's Thomas McMillan, who accomplished the feat in winning the 100 butterfly on Saturday, and former Lake Forest star Matt Grevers, a four-time Olympic gold medalist. 'It feels absolutely amazing,' Luke Vatev said. 'I'm just so fortunate I have everyone around me to support me, and it wouldn't have been possible without them. 'It's an amazing feeling, but that was kind of the expectation going into the meet. So achieving that is fantastic.' Bey has always had high expectations for himself. As a freshman, he finished second in the breaststroke at the state meet. 'The summer after my freshman year, I got a little too cocky, and I had a rough summer season, so that kind of drove me,' he said. 'It's kind of an uphill thing where I get high up and confident, and then it goes down. It goes back up, though.' Getting to the top required some sacrifice for Bey. When COVID-19 restrictions shut down swimming clubs, Bey had to look elsewhere for places to train. What followed was an example of his dedication. 'I had to leave the club that I had been with for the past five years,' he said. 'My dad started emailing clubs in different states like Wisconsin and Indiana, and the Highland Hurricanes in Highland, Indiana, was the only team that reached out back. 'So we went over for a practice. I fell in love with the team, and ever since I've been there.' Bey travels an hour each way to club practice. His commute to Hinsdale Central's practices is much shorter, of course, but his workouts are no less intense. 'There's a lot of fighting for spots, so it made it a very tense environment in the pool,' he said. 'We were all fighting for spots, and of course people are going to be angry with each other and hateful toward each other. But at the end of the day, we all love each other, and that's what is most important. 'We're all putting our hearts into this. It's all been our passion since a very young age, and it's just been our lifestyle, so it's brought us all together.' Bey has never been one to rest on his laurels. That's an example his teammates followed. 'He definitely led by example this year in practice, worked the hardest he's ever worked, made people work harder,' Hinsdale Central coach Bob Barber said. 'It's going to be really hard to replace his competitiveness. He has the ability to turn it on.' Bey's competitiveness is matched only by his enthusiasm. 'Joshua is a phenomenal swimmer,' Luke Vatev said. 'He just brings so much joy and so much happiness to the sport. 'Every practice he's smiling, having a fun time, and I feel like that spread throughout the team. So without him, it wouldn't look the way it is, and we're just so fortunate to have him. He's going to do great things at IU, and we're all excited for him.' Bey will leave behind a sterling legacy at a program whose tradition of excellence dates back generations and includes 21 team state titles. The Red Devils scored 338 points on March 1 to tie their state record set last year, with the 400 free relay team of Guo, senior Noah Pelinkovic, Luke Vatev and Adamo capping the meet by setting a state record of 2:59.38. Hinsdale Central's 148-point margin of victory over runner-up Marmion was the second highest of all time. 'I'd like to think that I made a huge difference on this team culture, bringing everyone together, getting everyone to hang out as a team, because that had been on the downfall for the past few years,' Bey said. 'I'm really excited to help the team culture.' Barber was excited too. 'We're really proud of Josh's accomplishments throughout his four-year career here, in particular setting so many state records and helping the team just climb to another level,' Barber said. 'It's going to be really hard to see these seniors go. 'I'm so excited and happy for them and all their accomplishments over the years. A trophy every year they've been a part of the program and to finish with three state championships and all of the state records this year, it's very special.'
Chicago Tribune
28-01-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville North's Austin Roush commits to Division III national champion North Central College
Offensive lineman Austin Roush first entertained the idea of playing college football during his sophomore year, when Naperville North coach Sean Drendel told him that he had the necessary size and talent. It turns out coaches from other schools agreed with Drendel, as Roush later learned from North Central College offensive coordinator Eric Stuedemann. 'He was telling me that coaches from other high schools were sending him my film after sophomore year,' Roush said. 'He told them, 'I can't make contact with him until he's a senior.' 'When he told me that, it was surreal. There are people out there saying that 'this guy could be good.' It just made me feel a lot better about myself.' The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Roush, who committed to NCAA Division III national champion NCC last week as former Naperville Central defensive lineman Maverick Ohle announced he was transferring there from Ohio, has long had the size to play at the next level. 'Up until sophomore year, I was always the biggest, tallest, heaviest kid,' Roush said. 'For me, the hitting part, just burying people in the ground, gives me an adrenaline rush to keep going on the next play even harder. 'As time went on, that urge to bury someone just kept growing.' Roush became the linchpin of an offensive line that did an outstanding job protecting Indiana-bound senior quarterback Jacob Bell, who was sacked just 18 times on more than 450 drop-backs. The Huskies (7-3) averaged 36.1 points and amassed nearly 4,000 yards of offense. 'Austin is a great player who was born with a lot of talent, but his work ethic is amazing,' Naperville North senior cornerback Zach Mally said. 'When he's on his own, he's always doing something to make himself better. 'I saw in practice he didn't really wait for a coach to show him what he did wrong. He corrects himself a lot, which I think is why he's able to excel over some of these other offensive linemen. He definitely led our offensive line this year, which made a big impact on our team.' Roush, who also had an offer from Division III runner-up Mount Union, has played all five positions on the offensive line. The Huskies used him at tackle and guard this past season. 'His big piece is his versatility,' Drendel said. 'As the year went on, we figured that he's a better interior guy, and that's why we moved him back to left guard. 'He's a very effective run blocker, and he's a very talented pass blocker. He's well-rounded.' That extends to the classroom, where Roush said he has a 3.4 GPA. He's also a student of the game. 'Austin is a very intelligent young man,' Drendel said. 'He likes the intelligence piece that is a little bit hidden behind the toughness, and I think he just does a really good job with it.' Roush said he gets his smarts mainly from his father Aric, who played guard at Sycamore. 'His knowledge, it easily catches on for me,' Roush said. 'In the summer before the season, I take in all the information. I have a notebook where I write down all the plays, and I can easily remember (the responsibilities) of all five positions.' But Roush thinks his best position is guard. 'At center, I could do it, but it definitely wasn't my best position because the mentality of trying to snap the ball and get your block is pretty hard for everyone, and then at tackle I just wasn't fast enough by my standards,' he said. 'By coach Drendel's standards, I was definitely fast enough to play tackle, but for me personally, I just didn't feel fast enough. 'Guard is just in between those two. This past season, me at guard definitely helped the team perform a lot better.' Roush feels good about what he accomplished with the Huskies. 'It was nothing short of special,' he said. 'I can definitely say I've grown not only as a player but definitely as a man.'
