EVANSTON — Swimming 1,500 yards at 2 or 3 a.m. is not an easy task.

But Dylan Phillips and Caleb Richins, both seniors on the Evanston boys’ swimming team, have had to meet that challenge throughout their high-school careers.

Now, Phillips and Richins get to decided what member of the team is in the water at that time. It’s a privilege the upperclassmen get. And it’s a tradition that has been occurring since the mid-90s. 

“A couple of years in a row, I had to swim at three in the morning,” Phillips said. “That’s just not fun.”

It’s not a punishment. It’s a fundraiser that has been going on for more than two decades.

Here are the rules: At least one member of the Evanston boys’ swimming team must be in the pool, swimming laps, at all times during a 24-hour period. The team started at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Davis Middle School. 

 “It helps pay for their warmups and their swimming suits, caps and away trips,” Evanston boys’ swimming booster-club president Jodie Phillips said. “It’s our main fundraiser.”

And it’s a popular event among the team.

“We love the 24-hour swim,” Richins said. “It’s been a long-time tradition and it’s just a great time to bond with our fellow teammates and enjoy some time together.”

Richins and Dylan Phillips say getting in the water at 10 p.m. and between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. are the ideal times to swim.

Each athlete swims for a half-hour, two or three times, during the 24-hour period. The goal is to get 1,500 yards in during each session. 

Sleep? That’s an option. But it must be done inside the locker room. Participants may also watch TV or play a gaming system during their down time.

“There’s not much sleeping that goes on,” Richins said. “We just kind of stay up and talk.”

Added Dylan Phillips: “It’s our team bonding event for the year. Overnight trips and things like that, we bond, too. But this is 24 hours together.”

Evanston has competed in four meets, so far this season. As of now, Phillips is the only state qualifier after making the cut in the 500-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley.

“We’re getting some others that are really close,” fourth-year Evanston boys’ swimming coach Jim Levine said. 

Levine likes what he’s seen from his team in the early part of the season. 

“We’re much further along than I thought we would be,” Levine said. “Almost every kid has hit personal-best times. And I’ve said that before, but they continue to do it.”

Evanston won’t have much of a break following the 24-hour swim. The Red Devils will practice today, before taking Saturday, Sunday and Monday off, and they’ll be back in the pool by Tuesday.

Evanston will host its invitational at Davis Middle School on Jan. 6.

“I can’t afford to let them take too many days off in a row,” Levine said. “It’s hard for them to get back into the feel of the swimming and hard for them to keep their stamina.”