Boys Swimming: Young Evanston squad hopes to make a splash in the conference meet

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Evanston's Ryan Knohl swims the 200 Yard Freestyle against Maine South on Jan. 13, 2012, in Park Ridge. | Rob Hart~Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 11, 2012 8:12AM

Evanston hasn’t won a conference championship since 2005, and the Wildkits don’t expect to win one this winter.

Defending state champion New Trier is favored to win its seventh consecutive league title when CSL South teams gather at Evanston on Saturday.

But judging by Evanston’s collection of freshmen, including varsity contributor Ryan Knohl, it might not be long before the Wildkits are contenders again.

“This is probably the best class since (the current) group of seniors, maybe a little better,” said Evanston coach Kevin Auger.

Auger expects Christian Stankovic, Maciej Olszewski, Jack Girard and Knohl to compete on Saturday. The foursome established a CSL record for freshmen with in the 200-yard medley relay, posting a time of 1:43.40.

But Auger will be focusing on the team’s seniors, such as Aaron Mohrenweiser.

“He’s done really well for us, and this is going to be a big meet for him,” said Auger, who also plans to use Mohrenweiser in sectionals.

Other Evanston seniors to watch include Wes Marberry, Hunter Wilson, John McBratney, Mackenzie Miller and Ben Sommer. All five were instrumental in the Wildkits’ 96-90 win over Glenbrook South in the final league dual meet of the season on Friday.

“The conference is our big team championship,” Auger said. “We are trying to do the best we can as a team and place as high as we can. For the majority of our swimmers, this is a big (meet).”