Franco Reyes didn’t begin Hinsdale Cental’s swimming season with visions of a state title.
Even after placing fifth in the 100-yard butterfly at last year’s state meet, the Hinsdale Central sophomore had modest expectations.
“I actually didn’t think about a state title at all,” Reyes said. “I thought getting in the top three would possible, but a stretch. Definitely not a state title.”
He definitely was wrong.
Reyes put on a memorable performance Saturday in the 100 butterfly in the IHSA finals at New Trier, dominating his competition en route to a state title in 47.72 seconds. That was more than a second-and-a-half faster than his nearest competitor, DeKalb’s Daniel Hein (49.29).
Only Mundelein speedster Condor Black has a better time in IHSA history, when he clocked a national-record 46.71 during the 2013 state finals.
“I guess the excitement and the pressure really helped me,” Reyes said. “I put everything I had in that race and I was so surprised when I looked at the board and saw ‘47.72’. I don’t think I swam a perfect race. There’s always something you can do better and I think my turns were off.”
Reyes picked up four medals at state. He was seventh in the 200 individual medley (1:52.75), took second in the 200 medley relay (1:33.27) with Craig Smith, Billy Leader and Brian Powell and finished second in the 200 free relay (1:23.43) with Adam Prison, Brian Portland and Powell.
Those medals helped Hinsdale Central capture its first team title since 1989.
Reyes, 16, will continue training, but unlike many swimmers at the state meet, it won’t be for the Junior Nationals in Orlando, Fla., later this month.
Instead, he’ll take off three to four weeks then start focusing on swimming for Panama in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Reyes, who was born in Peru, has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Panama because his father was born in Panama. Franco Reyes started swimming for Panama when he was 12 years old and competed last summer in the Youth Olympic Games hosted by Nanjing, China. He took 20th in the 50-meter butterfly in 25.17.
In order to swim in the Olympics, Reyes will need to improve his time in the 100-meter fly. He said he needs to finish in the neighborhood of 53-54 seconds, while his best is 56-flat.
He showed at the state meet that he has potential to slash his time when the pressure is on.
“I think I’ll be very close to those times for Rio, and if I don’t make them in time there’s always the next one (Tokyo in 2020),” Franco said. “It’s amazing that I have all these opportunities. I’m very excited to take this next step.”
Barber wants to see Reyes reach that high level.
“If you have a chance to swim in the Olympics, that’s awesome,” Red Devils coach Bob Barber said. “I hope we’re helping him get closer to that.
“He’s a talented young man that feeds off the energy (at state). To swim 47.72 is spectacular and it’s a pleasant surprise, but we knew he had it in him. We just didn’t know it was going to come out.”
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Franco Reyes grew up being coached by his father, Raul Reyes, at Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Burr Ridge. Franco now trains with the Hickory Willow Swim Association.
When Raul saw how other swimmers were performing Friday, he told his son that he needed to change his strategy.
“I knew he was going to do well, but I didn’t know he’d have that time,” Raul Reyes said. “I was looking for maybe third place with a time in the high 48s.
“After perils I told him that 49 wasn’t going to cut it, and he said, ‘I know. I’m going to go all out and let them chase me.’ “
Rob Valentino is a freelance writer for Pioneer Press