NORTHBROOK, Ill. — It’s been a number of years since Glenbrook North had a girls swimmer medal at the IHSA state meet.

So when seniors Kamila Nowak and Nya Robinson made it to the second day of the meet, they were guaranteed to go home with a medal. Robinson finished 10th in the 100-yard freestyle, while Nowak took 10th in the 500-yard freestyle.

Both Nowak and Robinson were making their second trip to the state meet after qualifying as sophomores and their sectional times last year would have also qualified them for the state meet had the IHSA decided not to host one due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It was something I was looking forward to because I was just really confident myself that I would make it back for the second day,” Robinson said. “I was really happy with myself because even though I didn’t get an opportunity last year, I kind of made up for it this year.”

With Nowak and Robinson back as senior leaders, coach Jarod Schroeder felt like the squad had a good chance of having a special season.

So he went to the two swimmers for a talk before the season started.

“I spoke with Kamila and Nya at the beginning of the season and reiterated that this year, our goal was to make it back to finals and score at State and not be content with just getting there,” he said. “When they were sophomores, making the meet was a big deal, and I think they were just happy to have finally qualified. The next step in their development was to not only get to the meet, but make an impact at the meet.

“We switched their expectations from a) hoping to make State to b) expecting to make State and get a chance to swim in finals.  Both Kamila and Nya missed making finals in their first events of the meet, but stepped up and responded with great swims in their second events.”

Both Robinson and Nowak also have another thing in common: both will swim collegiately at the NCAA Division I level starting next fall.

On November 10th, Nowak signed with Indiana State University, while Robinson inked with Penn State University at Glenbrook North’s Signing Day ceremony.

When choosing a college, different things play different roles for every student. Some go to a school because of the weather, some because it’s close to home, some because there might be an abundance of playing time or they just like the vibe.

For Robinson, it was a little different though.

“I enjoyed meeting the team, really liked everyone on the team,” she said. “I felt like it’s somewhere I know that I can push myself and I know the coaches and teammates there will make me better.

“It’s kind of like I’m going back home because I used to live there and I was born there. I’m really excited to just be a part of the school there too. Not just swimming, academics always comes first.”

Robinson leaves Glenbrook North after a stellar four-year varsity career, one that saw her improve every year.

Whether it be her strength, her endurance, her leadership abilities, everything improved and that’s been a big part in why she’s been able to get to where she’s at today.

“Something I did to help myself was probably more mental,” she said. “I feel like swimming’s a lot of mental in the sport, but also work, dryland training, stuff like that. And then also, making it to every single practice to get better and not just practice just to practice, practice with like a reason.”

Schroeder has also seen Robinson improve over her time on the squad and it’s something he was proud to see.

“Nya has been consistent with her improvement over the three years that I have coached her,” he said. “The year prior to me, she just missed the state cut. Her sophomore year she qualified for State in one event, her junior year was the COVID year so she didn’t have an opportunity to compete and this year she qualified in two events.

“From a dual meet perspective, she has always been someone we could count on to win her events. In the three years that I have coached her, I only remember a handful of times in which she was out-touched in either the 50 or 100 Free in dual meets. Her consistency has been critical for our success over the past three years.”

As with most athletes, there will always be moments of one’s career that will stand out.

For Robinson, two stand out.

“Winning conference in the 50 free and then also winning sectionals in the 50 free, that was a lot of fun.”

At the rate they’re going at, the fun has only begun for Nowak and Robinson.

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