Brian Alden
Neuqua Valley High School
Impact Statement
Alden became the first swimmer in Illinois state history to win three state titles in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events.
Biography
Considered one of the nation’s top sprint swimmers this year, Alden became the first swimmer to win three state titles in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events in the 73-year history of the two events in the Illinois state tournament. Only one other swimmer had previously won three titles in either event, and Alden’s feat ended a 57-year drought in the 100 and a 20-year drought in the 50.
As a junior Alden’s winning times were 20.14 seconds in the 50 – the second-best time in state history – and 44.86 in the 100, the state’s third-best mark. He also was a part of the state champion 200 and 400 relay teams, helping lead Neuqua Valley to its first state team title. He will attend Penn State University.
While at Penn State, Alden set a school record in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:35.49 during his portion of the 800 freestyle relay at the Big Ten Championships. Alden was an All American his senior year and was a two- time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
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