By Sean Fuchs
After the first day of the IHSA boys swimming and diving championships, Neuqua Valley has set itself up for a run to its first team state championship.
A Heat Index analysis of day one in Evanston shows that the Wildcats could very well bring home the big trophy.
Brian Alden will be the top seed in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-freestyle. Kevin Overholt is the second seed in the 200 free and the third seed in the 100 free. In diving, Chris Murray qualified for the finals with the fourth-highest score.
Neuqua also had the fastest time in the 400 free relay, was second in the 200 free relay and fifth in the medley relay. Add to that Ryan Farmer and Hans Peters making the consolation finals in the butterfly and 200 free, respectively, and you have a lot of scoring chances.
WARNING: liberal arts major graduate attempting math.
If the Wildcats finish in the same places on Saturday that they did on Friday, they will have 142 points. Now there's going to be some give and take in the finals, and so Neuqua's score could be a touch higher or lower, but the Wildcats are still in a good place when you consider the following.
Two-time defending state champion New Trier would have 129 points if its matches its prelim performance in the finals, last year's runner up Glenbrook South would have 119 points, St. Charles North would have 106, Naperville North would be at 100 and Central at 71.
The Heat Index isn't willing to do all the math needed to cover all the angles, but Neuqua has laid the groundwork for its first title. Wildcats coach Chad Allen tried to reach the Heat Index on Friday night, leaving a voicemail around 10 p.m. that said he would probably be asleep in 15 minutes.
Call me crazy, but I bet he was up a little longer than that.
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