On Tuesday, January 31, the boys swim and dive team took on the Eagles of Grand Rapids Christian. After an intense meet with the scores moving back and forth, the Rangers ended up on top to win their first conference meet of the season with a final score of 98-78.

“I went into the meet expecting to win and it felt great,” senior Ben Rogala said. “Winning is much more fun, especially when the score is so close.”

The boys started the meet with the 200-yard medley relay. Juniors Reed Dixon and Dylan Pomeroy, along with seniors Ben Rogala and Gavin Cai led this team to a first-place finish where they ended with a time of 1:45.16. After an eight-race break for individual races, the 200-yard free relay team began preparing for its moment. Freshman Lucas Witham, and seniors Isaac Stewart, Ben Rogala, and Gavin Cai claimed another first-place finish after they ended with a time of 1:24.22. Lastly, to end the night, the 400-yard free relay team took second place in an extreme matchup with a time of 3:39.33. Lucas Witham, Reed Dixon, Isaac Stewart, and sophomore Nolan Breckon, all contribute to this relay’s success.

“I am proud of my perseverance through this meet and I am proud of my teammates’ performance tonight,” Ben said. “I plan on staying consistent in practice so I will be well rested when it is time to swim fast.”

Scattered throughout the relay events were the individual races. Isaac Stewart and Lucas Witham began the individual races off on a very strong note in the 200-yard free where they swam neck-and-neck. Lucas ended up taking first place with a time of 1:51.06 and Isaac took second with a time of 1:51.11. Lucas also had a great run in the 500-yard free where he snagged another first-place finish with a time of 5:11.59. Logan Tiggleman had an outstanding performance in the 100-yard breast, where he took first place with a time of 1:08.12. Shortly behind Logan was Gavin Cai who took second with a time of 1:10.14.

“I was proud of my 200 and 500 free swims since I hadn’t dropped this season so they both felt really good,” Lucas said. “I was proud of the team for persevering through the tough losses and working hard in practice to prepare to pull out a win tonight.”

Reed Dixon continued his stellar season through this meet. He placed first in the 200-yard individual medley where he earned a time of 2:06.92. He also grasped another first-place finish in the 100-yard back where he ended with a time of 55.75. Ben Rogala also had an amazing night in both of his events. In the 50-yard free he took second place with a time of 22.96 along with the 100-yard free where he snagged second with a time of 51.24.

“I was expecting to go a little faster than average because I was racing against some of my best friends from the opposing team,” Reed said. “I was really proud of my 100-yard back and I got my all-time personal best in my main event which is very exciting.”

The boys look to continue their season back at the Forest Hills Aquatic Center on Tuesday, February 7, against Byron Center for their senior night.