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Highland Park’s Tobe Obochi, Mundelein’s Adry Kasemets among Illinois swimmers earning NISCA All-America honors

To no one’s surprise in the world of high school swimming, California is ranked No. 1 in the country.

But Illinois is among the top five in the nation and has been flip-flopping with Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio, according to incoming National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association President Tim Sirois.

That fact is reinforced by one of Sirois’ swimmers at Highland Park, Tobe Obochi. The Highland Park graduate is ranked on the NISCA’s list at No. 19 in the country in the 50-yard freestyle, while also ranking 49th in the 100 free.

“It’s really cool to be up there in the country,” said Obochi, who finished fourth in the 50 free at the state meet in February. “All the ranked (local) swimmers really shows how good Illinois swimming is. They push me to keep improving.”

Obochi’s anchor leg helped Highland Park qualify its 200 free relay team as NISCA All-American, the first time for the school since 1963. All four relay team members are spring graduated seniors, including Alex Gordon, Bora Hopali and Ryan Tran.

“Tobe has a very good feel for the water, grabbing it and moving it well with a super high-tempo kick,” Sirois said. “He didn’t leave any stone unturned about improving, which matches his personality.”

Obochi, who turned 17 in May, will attend MIT in the fall. He is on the Engineers’ swimming team, but fall intercollegiate sports at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school have been canceled. The Division III season would have begun in early November and run through mid-March.

In the meantime, Obochi said he’s been waiting for local indoor pools to open.

“It’s all about staying in the best shape as best as possible with everything going on,” Obochi said. “I’ve been practicing at an outdoor pool, but it’s only 25 meters, which isn’t perfect. I’m just hoping I’ll still get to swim (at MIT) at some point my freshman year.”

Another excellent high school swimmer from Illinois is Mundelein’s Adry Kasemets. She is ranked No. 20 in the 100 breaststroke and is another NISCA All-American.

Kasemets, who finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke at the state meet last fall, is entering her senior year at Mundelein and said her national ranking came as a complete surprise.

“I was shocked,” Kasemets said. “I wasn’t even close the year before.”

Kasemets credited her older brother Ayrton — a 2014 Mundelein graduate and state qualifier in the breaststroke who was recently named Stevenson’s varsity coach — and Mundelein swimming coach Rahul Sethna.

“Being an All-American is an incredible testament to her desire and ability. Adry is a pure racer with no fear,” Sethna said. “Her technique, especially her kick, which minimizes her drag in the water, stands out.”

Kasemets said her big jump came last summer when she was seeded 58th in the 100-yard breaststroke going into a USA Swimming Futures Championship in Des Moines, Iowa. Adry ended up touching out the competition for first place.

Kasemets committed to Louisville, which finished fourth in the Division I national championships.

“The sky is the limit with her potential,” Sethna said.

Other All-Americans from area schools include Barrington’s Griffin O’Leary, Daniel Langlois, Shawn Ujiiye, Jack Hoppe, Jenna Kerr, Emily Bucaro, Lilian Reader, Alyssa Schwengel, Lauren Holman, Anna King and Maggie Graves; Deerfield’s Zayne Danielewicz; Hersey’s Mollie Lumsden, Margaret Papanicholas, Brooke Martin and Ella Salm; Lake Forest’s Mary Grace King; Stevenson’s Anthony Carollo, Jack Zhang, Joshua Song, Jake Kim, Elizabeth Cao, Jessica Nyborg, Milen Busma and Alex Eastmond; and Vernon Hills’ Casey Craffey.

Mark Perlman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.