July 16, 2025
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Marmion's Ty Spillane verbally commits to Missouri

Spillane placed third in the 100 breaststroke at IHSA state meet; SCN's Nelson commits to Loras

AURORA – Ty Spillane will soon get to compete for one of the "smartest swim guys" he's ever met in Missouri men's swimming head coach Andrew Grevers.

Spillane, a state medalist for Marmion Academy earlier this year, verbally committed to the University of Missouri last week.

"The first call [we had], I could tell he knew what he was doing," Spillane, the upcoming senior, told the Chronicle on April 30. "He has got some big goals, and I have no doubt that with his aspiration, that those goals are definitely going to be accomplished."

Those goals include winning the Southeastern Conference, and qualifying for the NCAA Division I men's swimming championships.

"That's definitely possible with such a big school," Spillane said.

"It's always been one of my dreams to represent such an elite school, and I think Missouri is a perfect opportunity to do so," Spillane continued. "I think having that big campus, the big school, you get the camaraderie that not everyone gets."

Grevers was initially an interim head coach for the 2018-19 season for Missouri, and the Tigers finished second at the 2019 SEC championships. That finish bested a previous top program finish of fifth. At the 2019 NCAA Championships, the men's team tied for 11th.

Missouri's recruiting of Spillane ramped up following the state meet, which the process then spread into most of April before making his decision.

Spillane considered offers from North Carolina State, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Louisville.

As a junior for the Cadets, Spillane took third in the 100 breaststroke with a 54.99 second finish at the IHSA state meet in Feb, matching the highest finish in program history in that event for a Cadet swimmer.

Spillane also helped pace the 200 medley to an eighth place finish.

"Now that I've got my opportunity locked in and I'll be swimming at Missouri, I'll be able to kind of not focus on 'what are the other [college] coaches going to think of me [and] what I'm going to have to do for all the colleges,'"Spillane said.

"It's going to be how I'm going to leave my legacy at my school," Spillane continued. "Hopefully, [that includes] winning a state championship for myself and hopefully leading Marmion to a top-six finish or so."

St. Charles North's Colin Nelson heads to Loras for basketball

St. Charles North senior guard Colin Nelson, one of the top three-point threats in Kane County, announced his commitment to Loras College on Twitter on April 30.

"I chose Loras because I already know a ton of [guys] on the team," Nelson said.

Jake Healy, the son of Wheaton Warrenville South boys basketball coach Mike Healy, is a freshman in the program.

Nelson, who also played varsity soccer, also received interest from Earlham College based in Richmond, Indiana and Benedictine University.

Nelson averaged 39% from beyond the arc, and averaged seven points and 1.4 rebounds per game for the North Stars en route to a second consecutive regional title.

On the court, Nelson figures to benefit from Loras' offensive system.

"They looked like they're a pass-first mentality," Nelson said. "And, they were trying to find the open shooter."

Jacob Bartelson

Jacob Bartelson

Jake is a full-time sports reporter writing primarily for the Kane County Chronicle covering preps. His collective work is featured across several Shaw markets and platforms, including Friday Night Drive and Bears Insider. Jake began full-time in 2017.