VIKINGS READY TO MAKE THEIR MARK AT THE STATE MEET IN INDY You can feel the positive energy in the Viking locker room as the Valparaiso High School boys swimming and diving team prepares for the ultimate postseason test: the 2026 IHSAA State Finals at the legendary IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. After a powerful championship performance at the Hobart Sectionals, the Vikings bring a deep and talented roster to compete against the best in Indiana this Friday and Saturday, February 27-28. --A Force in the Relays-- Valparaiso has established itself as a top-five powerhouse in two major relay events. The 200-yard Medley Relay team enters the state meet as the 4th seed with a lightning-fast time of 1:33.01. The squad, featuring freshman Jack Douglas, junior Constantine Papachronis, junior Jakob Schroeder, and junior Joseph Rojek, is poised for a big performance in Heat 4 of the preliminaries. The Vikings are equally formidable in the 400-yard Freestyle Relay, where they hold the 5th seed with a time of 3:09.48. This team—led by Papachronis, freshman Ian Mendoza, Schroeder, and Rojek—will be looking to secure their spot on the podium come Saturday morning. --Individual Standouts to Watch-- The individual lanes will be popping with Valpo green, as several Vikings have qualified in multiple events: - Joseph Rojek (11): A true sprinter, Rojek is a top contender in the 50-yard Freestyle and 100 Breaststroke, entering as the 7th seed with a time of 20.74 in the Free and 5th seed with a time of 55.96 in the breaststroke. - Jakob Schroeder (11): Schroeder will showcase his speed in the 100-yard Butterfly and 100 Backstroke, where he is the 13th seed with a time of 50.48 in the butterfly and 15th in the backstroke with a time of 51.38. - Ian Mendoza (9): The freshman distance specialist has made a splash this year, qualifying as the 17th seed in the 500-yard Freestyle (4:43.69) and the 24th seed in the 200-yard Freestyle (1:44.33). - Henry Patterson (9) Patterson has burst onto the season as a freshman, being 1 of 3 qualifiers for the state meet in the 500 Free for the Vikings. He is heading into Friday's prleims in 19th with a seed time of 4:43.92 - Hank Calhoun (10): Leading the pack in the 500 free, Calhoun will be the Vikings' top state qualifier in the event, seeded 16th with a 4:43.67. - Constantine Papachronis (11): Papachronis will compete in an individual event, holding the 22nd seed in the 100-yard Freestyle (46.93). --Snyder Leads the Way in Diving-- The diving well will feature senior, Evan Snyder, who is set to represent Valparaiso with confidence. Snyder qualified for the state meet with a score of 383.35, placing him among the elite group of 32 divers in Indiana. He is scheduled to dive 12th in the preliminary flight on Saturday morning. --The Road to the Podium-- The action kicks off with the swimming preliminaries on Friday evening at 6:00 PM ET. The top 16 swimmers in each event will advance to Saturday’s finals, which begin at 1:00 PM ET, following the morning diving preliminaries and semifinals at 9:00 AM ET. ℹ️ TICKETS & INFO: https://www.ihsaa.org/sports/boys/swimming-diving/2025-26-tournament?round=state-finals With great momentum, the Vikings are ready to make some noise in Indianapolis. Go Valpo! 🟢⚪️