The state of Mid-Suburban League boys swimming

First, let's start by congratulating Fremd senior Jeff Freund for finishing seventh in the 500 freestyle relay at the boys state swim meet Saturday in Evanston. A great way to finish a high school career and a tremendous accomplishment.
The problem for the Mid-Suburban League was Freund was the only one to receive medal congratulations Saturday. When Daily Herald swim guru Aaron Gabriel told me Friday that Freund was the only one to make the medal round from the MSL, frankly I was shocked. I know everything happens in cycles and the MSL hasn't been a big state factor lately, but only one medalist?
Naturally, my interest was piqued so I went through the excellent and was stunned to see what's happened to the MSL in boys swimming. It was the poorest showing since 1975 when no one from the league medaled - but even then the league was only 12 years old and the IHSA awarded just six medals per event instead of the current 12.
Last year there were only two individual top-12 medalists and just 11 combined in the last four years. The last MSL swimmer to make the top-six finals was Palatine's Skylar Davis with a fourth-place finish in the 500 in 2006.
The last state champion came in 2005 when Palatine's Kyle Sorenson won the 50 and 100 free. Barrington's fifth-place finish in 2003 was the last top 10 team finish.
From the early 1980s until 2002, the MSL routinely produced double-digit medal hauls. Even when Fremd won its consecutive state titles under Paul Reeff in 1994-95 there were tremendous battles with Fremd's Jay Glenn and Tyler Holcomb, Palatine's Greg Plank and Ryan Sorenson and Barrington's Bill Bishop - all of whom won state titles.
So what's caused the downturn? Have programs in other parts of the Chicago area and state simply improved? Do MSL swimmers get the same level of instruction and training on the youth level as they once did and as other areas get? Not all the MSL schools have pools, so are the facilities an issue? Have quality swimmers been lost to other sports? Are there not enough rivalries to push swimmers to elite state levels?
I'm interested to know. Until then, where have you gone Tom Cole (former Prospect star who won three state titles in 1977-78 and was the long-time record-holder in the 100 fly), a league turns its lonely eyes to you.