The boys swim team is over halfway through the season, with the state meet coming up on Feb. 20-21.

Season highlights include the 200 medley relay qualifying for state and Max Stoneking, sophomore, achieving four state qualifying times in four different events along with a school record in the 500 freestyle.

Luke Wardle, junior, has achieved state consideration times in the 200 individual medley and the 100 breastroke.

With over half of the team swimming competitively for the first time, experience is limited. Only three swimmers, Kyle Frank, senior, Wardle and Stoneking, swim year-round on a club team. In addition to the club swimmers, there are just four seniors on the team.

“We may not be winning meets, but we are striving to get better. There are some guys that are starting to step up,” Wardle said.

The new coach this season has brought a new atmosphere to the team. Brandon Simpson, head coach, explained before the season that he wanted to improve on the history of the swim team. That would include breaking team records that haven’t been touched in 10 years and even in some cases 25 years.

A more race-specific training program has been implemented to help achieve the record times and also to qualify more swimmers for state.

“I think that this is really going to work,” Wardle said.

The team is sharpening their race skills in the final few days before the championship season, to ensure the fastest times are swum at league, JV league and state.