As the colder weather approaches, winter sports begin and the boys swim and dive team has taken a leap into the water to begin their new season. Planning on participating in over twenty meets this season, the boys have a packed schedule but have never been more ready for the challenge.

Although the team lost some key members from last year’s team, the current senior class is looking very strong. Seniors Gavin Cai, Ben Rogala, and Isaac Stewart are all looking forward to a great year and have high hopes for a state appearance as a team.

“For our team, I think we just need to take it one meet at a time and see where it takes us,” Gavin explained. “There is a lot of room for growth and I think we might surprise ourselves with how well we do.”

Along with a team appearance, many of the athletes hope to see themselves go far this season. Gavin is hoping to win at least one of his events at the conference meet this year along with making the all-state team. Ben is setting his mind to making sure he gets a state cut in all of his main events, along with setting a team goal of beating the reigning division three state champion team, East Grand Rapids. With these goals in mind, the boys need to continue working hard during their practice so their dreams can become a reality.

“I think that this year we will have a much better practice atmosphere,” Ben said. “I can’t wait to see how the freshmen do with our new schedule.”

Similarly to the girls swim and dive team, the boys roster is lacking in numbers. With only fifteen people on the team, the boys are going to need to put in the extra work to become some of the best athletes around. Although it will be tough, the group is excited to get to work.

“Our team is really small so we are going to have to work with the challenges that come with our limitations,” Gavin said. “We will probably use the same lineup for most of the season until the freshmen and sophomores develop a little more.”

While the conference standings are looking tough, the boys are more than ready to face the challenge. Along with the three seniors, junior Reed Dixon is going to be a key player in their road to states, as he was part of the state team last year.

As the days continue to dwindle down, the boys continue to prepare for their first meet which will be at Battle Creek High School for the Cereal Bowl Relays on Saturday, December 3.