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6.0 years ago @ 7:48AM

Redbirds swim success started long ago for "brothers" - The Telegraph - 2/21/2018

BROTHERHOOD IN THE POOL: Redbirds’ swim success started long ago for ‘brothers’

 

 

By Pete Hayes - phayes@thetelegraph.com

 


From left, Alton High senior swimmer Cole Akal, sophomore Noah Clancy, senior Matthew Daniel, junior Caden Akal and their coach, Garth Akal. The Redbirds qualified for this weekend IHSA state meet in seven events, including five individual races and two relays.

 

Submitted photo

Anyone familiar with the Tri-City Area YMCA Tidalwaves swim team knows about the Akal brothers. Caden Akal and brother Cole Akal have been fixtures on the team since they were tykes. But what observers may not know is that the Akals have two more brothers on the team.

Noah Clancy and Matthew Daniel may not be blood brothers to Caden and Cole, but they’re brothers just the same. And the four have combined to make a bit of Alton High athletics history. They wreaked havoc on the field at last Saturday’s IHSA Sectional Swim Meet in Springfield and will head to the state meet this Friday and Saturday to compete in seven events, including a pair of relays.

The dominating performance resulted in the most Alton High swimmers to go to the state meet. And a sense of brotherhood definitely played a part. Just ask Cole Akal.

“Well, swimming with Caden is different, I guess,” Cole Akal said, “because I also live with him. But in the pool, I treat Matt and Noah like brothers too. We have been swimming together so long, we definitely have a chemistry.

“We each know what the other ones will do and we know we have to work together to set up the next one.”

It’s definitely working. The four won the 200-yard medley relay in state qualifying time Saturday and they repeated the feat in the 200 freestyle relay, also in state time.

In fact, all seven of Alton’s state-qualifying events were in state time. Sectional winners automatically qualify, but any non-winners must swim the pre-set state standards. And that’s no easy task. IHSA state times are difficult to achieve.

Daniel qualified with second-place finishes in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Clancy qualified with a win in the 100 backstroke. Caden Akal advanced with a win in the 50 freestyle and a second-place finish in the 100 free.

“We’ve been doing a lot of training for this,” Clancy said. “With (TCAY coach) Nancy Miller and with Garth Akal. “I’m over-the-top excited to go with me teammates this year to experience this with them.”

Garth Akal, Caden and Cole’s dad, is serving as the Alton coach. He was a national-level swimmer himself as a youth in his native South Africa. Since AHS doesn’t offer a traditional varsity swim team, the Redbirds aren’t able to compete for postseason team points. They swam at the sectional as individuals representing their school.

It’s interesting to note that if team points had been kept for Alton at Saturday’s sectional, the Redbirds would have finished third as a team, despite not having a full-fledged varsity team.

“We train with the (Tidalwaves) and in the mornings have had practice with (Garth Akal),” Clancy said. “This is something that has been a goal of ours for a long time.”

Indeed. Caden Akal and Daniel are seniors, Cole Akal is a junior and Clancy a sophomore. And while there is an age difference of two years from oldest to youngest, they started swimming relays for Summers Port Swim Club’s summer team as youngsters and that continued when they joined the Tidalwaves year-round US Swimming-sanctioned team.

“We’ve been together since I was about 9 years old,” Caden Akal said. “We are all best friends and we hang out together – we do everything together,.”

Including win. They have made waves at the regional and national levels at YMCA and US Swimming meets. And while the Y Nationals is a pressure-packed, exciting week, nothing compares to the IHSA State Meet.

Luckily, Clancy and Daniel have had experience at the state meet. Clancy advanced to the state meet as a freshman backstroker last season and Daniel made it to state as a freshman in the freestyle.

“(The state meet) is something else,” said Sarah Daniel, Matthew’s aunt, who has tracked every move he and his swim team brothers have made. “It’s heartwarming to see these boys grow up together, swim practice every morning and evening and the on-the-road meets.”

Clancy said having last season’s state meet experience should help.

“I felt pride knowing I was able to give them an idea of the state meet atmosphere,” Clancy said. “It’s pretty crazy there. A huge crowd, really loud.

“I think it affected the way I swam last year. Now I know what I’m going into.”

Clancy, as the No. 6 seed in the backstroke, is the highest-seeded redbird at state with a legitimate shot at bringing home a medal.

Sarah Daniel will part of a contingent of AHS swim parents and fans who caravan to Evanston Thursday in advance of the state meet.

“This Alton High School relay team has an awesome history together,” she said. “These will be very special races as they will be their last for Alton High.”


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