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Gatchell Won 100-Yard Breaststroke at Invitational

Evanston junior Nina Gatchell led her team to a second-place finish at the Evanston Invitational swim meet.

Updated on Sept. 27, 2026 in Swimming

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Evanston junior Nina Gatchell won the 100-yard breaststroke at the Evanston Invitational, leading her team to a second-place finish overall. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Junior Nina Gatchell secured a victory in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:07.76 at the Evanston Invitational. She also contributed to a win in the 200 freestyle relay, helping the Evanston girls team earn 4,012 points.

Why it matters

Gatchell's performance marks a significant step toward her goal of reaching the state finals. The junior continues to chase the long-standing school record while balancing rigorous training and recovery efforts.

Gatchell finished the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:07.76, notably outpacing her Friday dual-meet performance of 1:06.7. Her primary target remains the ETHS school record of 1:04.59 set in 2014.

The players

Nina Gatchell

She is an Evanston junior and competitive swimmer who attended an invitation-only camp in Canada.

Vanya Gojakovic

She is a member of the Evanston girls swim team who won the 100-yard backstroke at the Invitational.

Loyola Academy

This is a private educational institution that placed first in the Evanston Invitational team standings.

Evanston

This is the municipal school district that hosted the Invitational and placed second overall.

The details

Despite managing a finger burn that limited her training to dryland and kick drills for four days, Gatchell secured a backstroke victory for the Evanston team alongside Vanya Gojakovic, who won the 100-yard event in 57.59. The team utilized the NISCA scoring standard, which awards points based on recorded finish times to determine final standings.

Timeline

  1. 2014: Ana Woods set the current ETHS school record in the 100-yard breaststroke.

  2. Summer 2026: Gatchell attended an invitation-only swim camp located in Canada.

  3. Friday, September 25, 2026: Gatchell swam a 1:06.7 in a dual-meet against Maine South.

  4. Saturday, September 26, 2026: Gatchell won the 100-yard breaststroke at the Invitational.

The Big Picture

Gatchell's pursuit of the 1:04.59 school record follows the trajectory of elite high school swimmers aiming for top-five finishes at the state finals. This goal highlights the competitive evolution of the sport in the district since the 2014 record was established.

Gatchell's performance contributes to Evanston's standing in the overall high school swimming hierarchy. Her 1:07.76 time serves as a baseline measurement for her upcoming qualification attempts for the state finals.

The takeaway

Gatchell's ability to maintain competitive times despite a finger injury underscores the importance of adaptive training regimens. Athletes looking to reach state-level competition must balance intense technical drills with effective injury recovery strategies.

Further reading

For more news on local athletes, visit the Swimming section.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Evanston RoundTable.

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