There’s a different energy around the Vernon Hills boys swim and dive team this season, both in and out of the pool.
After failing to qualify a swimmer for the 2013-14 state meet, Cougars coach Adam Lueken decided to shake up the program’s training regiment. He brought in new coaches Brooke Gabris, who works with divers, and Justin Tanyavuitti, who has implemented a dry-land strength program.
“[Tanyavuitti] has a personal-training background,” Lueken said. “He’s great for our sprinters and breaststrokers.”
Lueken also overhauled the way the Cougars train in the water. In his four previous seasons as coach, Lueken asked his swimmers to pound out high yardage counts over countless hours. Although Vernon Hills remains one of the better programs in the North Suburban Prairie, it has yet to ascend to the level of Lake Division foes like Libertyville, Lake Forest, Stevenson and Warren.
So Lueken decided to pivot.
“This year, we are starting at race pace,” he said. “You are going [fast] off the blocks and off the turns. If you can swim 22 [seconds] for the 50 [freestyle], then you are swimming an 11 [split] right away.”
Lueken uses a system called ultra-short-race-pace training. He said he got the idea through offseason research and consultations with Vlad Pyshnenko, senior head coach of CATS Aquatic, a club team based in Libertyville.
On Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, the Cougars work out using the USRPT system.
“It’s an hour in the morning,” Lueken said. “It’s super intense. We have the music pumping. The boys love it.”
Rob Williams, a senior who competes in the 200-yard individual medley and 100 butterfly, said by training fast, he and his Cougars teammates swim fast in competitive races.
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“It helps you get a feel for how fast you should be going when you are racing,” Williams said. “If you get accustomed to race pace, when you race, you will be faster. It definitely beats pounding out 10 100s [100-yard laps]. You have more mental energy to focus on other aspects of your stroke.”
Thus far, results have validated the training. Vernon Hills won its first invitational, the Maine East Demon Relays on Dec 6. Senior Conrad Kocoj, who swam a 50 free time of 22 seconds at Maine East, is among the swimmers who are ahead of last season’s pace.
Kocoj is a potential anchor of the Cougars’ 200 and 400 free relay teams. He, along with senior Nathan McAdams, sophomore Jeffrey Zhang and impact freshman Calvin Yoon, form what Lueken hopes will be a sectional- and state-level 400 medley relay team.
“We want to make it to state and to the finals,” Lueken said. “That is our No. 1 goal this season.”
Although all three Cougars relay teams broke school records a season ago, none qualified for the state meet. By training faster, Vernon Hills hopes to break through this winter.
“We want to get individuals qualified for state,” Williams said. “I think we have a pretty good chance.”