Most athletes think they drink “enough,” but when performance dips or fatigue creeps in, hydration is usually the quiet culprit. A simple rule makes it easy: take your body weight, divide it by two, and that number is your baseline daily hydration in ounces. That’s for everyone—adults, teens, and youth athletes. So a 150-lb athlete should aim for at least 75 ounces of fluid each day before even accounting for training demands. Once you add sports into the mix, the requirement goes up fast. Athletes need an additional 16–24 ounces...

It was a big weekend of swimming for CWAC competing at 3 different meets as we near the halfway point of the season. Liv Cremer set a new overall team and 15-16 record in the 400 IM achieveing her first summer junior national time. Alexia Brockmann set a new team record in the 17-18 girls 200 back. Grant Robinson achieved his first NCSA time in the 100 fly and Brooklyn Johnson achieved her first NCSA cut in the 1650 free. High Point Winners at CPSC Meet Emery Lee - 6&Under...

What can we learn from swimmers who perform at a consistently high level? As it turns out, lots—here are just a few that you can apply to your own swimming: 1. Get up after you get beat down. Mike Tyson once quipped, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” While he was talking about the sting of a boxer’s glove, it’s equally applicable to the bite and disappointment that comes with coming up short on a goal. Will you be the swimmer that allows failure to...

Congrats to all of the CWAC swimmers that qualified for the IHSA State meet last weekend. Tulane commit Franchesca Sanchez posted the highest finish taking the runner up spot in the 100 butterfly. The following swimmers earned All-State honors for their top 16 performances: Mariposa Arroyo (Saint Ignatius) - 10th 200 Medley Relay Joy Cheng (Whitney Young) - 15th 200 Medley Relay, 4th 200 IM, 5th 500 Free Liv Cremer (Saint Ignatius) - 11th 200 IM, 10th 500 Free, 10th 400 Free Relay Kennedy Fitzgerald (Loyola) - 6th 200 Free...

Illinois Swimming has posted the regional and state time standards for the 2026 championship meets. The USA Swimming standards are posted as well. ILLINOIS SWIMMING STANDARDS AGE GROUP REGIONAL STANDARDS - REG ONLY AGE GROUP CHAMPIONSHIP STANDARDS - CHAMP ONLY WINTER SENIOR STANDARDS - REG & CHAMP SUMMER SENIOR STANDARDS - REG & CHAMP USA SWIMMING STANDARDS TOYOTA U.S. OPEN - DECEMBER 3-6, 2025 SPEEDO WINTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DECEMBER 10-13,2025 SPRING SPEEDO SECTIONALS - MARCH 12-15, 2026 SUMMER SPEEDO SECTIONALS - JULY 9-12, 2026 FUTURES CHAMPIONSHIPS - JULY 29-AUGUST...

Mental toughness. It’s something we always use to ascribe the top swimmers who surround us. They are the ones that are unflinching in the face of pressure in big moments. And they are the ones who are there at the end of practice, hammering down with full effort and full focus as other swimmers fall off the pace and intensity. It’s one of those traits that we imagine is innate and natural. And while some swimmers seem to come by it earlier and with ease, mental toughness is something we...

Congrats to CWAC's Alexia Brockmann on her commitment to swim at Harvard University. Alexia is a member of the Class of 2027 so will be joining that fall. Click here for the list of CWAC swimmers who have gone on to swim in college. Way to go Alexia and Go Crimson!!

The dates for the 2026 long course championship meets have been set. Locations are still TBD Regionals - July 17-19 10&Under State - July 25-26 - Libertyville High School NCSA - July 22-26 - Indianapolis, Indiana Senior State - July 23-26 Age Group State - July 30 - August 2 - Hobart High School Hosted meets include CWAC May Madness - May 15-17 CWAC Summer Sizzle - July 10-11

How Much Sleep Do Swimmers Need? Swimmers push themselves hard in the pool. They try to make healthy life decisions when it comes hydration and nutrition. But where many begin to cut corners is on their sleep. Not getting enough sleep goes beyond just doing the occasional head-bob-and-jerk in class or in public. Or feeling a little groggy and yawning repeatedly while coach writes up a workout on the whiteboard. At the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory Cheri Mah has been tracking and studying the sleeping habits of...

Congrats to CWAC swimmer Franchesca Sanchez for committing to swim at Tulane University for the fall of 2026. Franny is the 5th member of the Class of 2026 to commit to swim in college - click here. Congrats and go Green Wave!!