The Bloomington North Boys High School Swim and Dive team capped off their season with a great performance at the state championships on February 25th. The team finished in the top ten with three top eight finishes in multiple categories, including the 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay. This helped the team get 84 total points and place ninth overall out of 50 schools.
Senior diver Max Miller greatly contributed to the Cougars’ success. He placed third in regionals and 14th in the state semi-finals. This qualified him for the finals for the first time in his career, where he placed 15th.
“My goal for State was to get to the finals; last year, I got 18 and didn’t make it, but this year I got 14,” Miller said. “Although I didn’t have my best performance in the finals, I tried my best, and I’m happy with the result.”
Miller said his coach, Stephanie Lochbihler, was instrumental in helping him reach his goals of state finals.
“She always reminds me how I could improve,” Miller said. “She’s really good at taking the pressure off and letting me know what exact dives I need.”
Lochbihler spoke very highly about Miller’s character as a teammate as well, and she said he thinks about more than just himself. This is shown through his leadership of the young swimmers on the team and his willingness to coach and be a role model for his old middle school team, she said.
Lochbihler also attributed Miller’s personal growth from last year to his strong work ethic and willingness to try new dives, notably ones with higher difficulty at a consistent rate.
“I always knew he was going to continue to grow as a diver,” Lochbihler said. “The goal was to get in at least the top 16, so we were really happy to achieve that.”
When he started diving his freshman year, the team was just him and one senior.
“This year, we had to make cuts for the first time,” Miller said. “It’s definitely getting more popular as time goes on.”
Miller is one of ten seniors who are graduating after the season. It is a senior class that has won sectional titles in all four years with top ten finishes in state.
