Sam Iida is looking to add his name to a short list of Glenbrook South boys swimmers to have won more than one individual state title.
After capturing the state championship in the 500-yard freestyle last season as a sophomore, Iida is the second seed in the both the 500 free and 200 individual medley for the state meet, which takes place Friday, Feb. 26, and Saturday, Feb. 27, at Evanston.
“This is his time to break out,” Glenbrook South coach Keith MacDonald said. “He’s swimming like no one can beat him.”
No one did in an individual event on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Glenbrook South Sectional. Iida finished first in the 200 IM (1 minute, 52.54 seconds) and first in the 500 free (4:35.30).
Iida said he’s swimming with more confidence than ever, something he attributed to being a three-year varsity veteran.
“It’s been building up over the years,” he said. “It’s how I’ve been raised, how I’ve been coached, the people I’ve swam with.”
Jon Salomon, a 2015 Glenbrook South graduate and freshman swimmer at Wisconsin, mentored Iida. A four-time state qualifier at Glenbrook South, Salomon won the state title in the 50 free as a senior.
“Jon was a good person for Sam to look up to,” MacDonald said. “He was a good leader and a good student of the sport. Sam was able to watch someone who was very successful.”
Iida also got to swim with Olivia Smoliga at the Glenview Titan Aquatic Club. Smoliga, now a junior swimmer at Georgia, was a six-time individual state champion at Glenbrook South and swam at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2012. As a freshman with the Bulldogs, she captured an NCAA championship in the 50 free.
“Jon and Olivia are two people who I’ve been lucky enough to train with and watch swim over the years,” Iida said. “When I see I can compete next to them, it helps my mind-set.”
One more state title puts Iida in the same company as Glenbrook South graduates Colin Cordes and Dominik Cubelic, both of whom won two individual state championships, and went on to swim in college and in the U.S. Olympic Trials.
“It’s cool that people are starting to see me as Sam Iida and not that kid from Glenbrook South or GTAC,” Iida said. “People are starting to pay attention to my success. That gives me confidence. If you’re confident, you will succeed.”
Matt Harness co-hosts a golf podcast called Teeing Off. Find it on Twitter (@Teeing__Off) or at www.facebook.com/teeingoffpodcast and on iTunes.
Twitter: @harnesspreps
More Top Picks Battery Maintainer