On Monday, the boys swim team will face Roncalli and New Palestine at home. This will be the last meet of the season before Sectionals.

“I know I will do well in the meet because I have been trying hard at practice every single day. Also I have been resting, stretching, and eating well at home. Preparation is not only physical so my mindset is always set on winning as well,” sophomore Nick McCoy said.

Most swimmers put their best efforts in whether they are at practice or not even in season.

“I did not get the chance to swim at all after last year’s high school swim season, so a lot of my preparation has been personal training on my own time. Throughout this season, I have been pushing a lot at practice, especially during hell week. Hell week is the definition of pain, but it gets us in the best physical shape possible,” junior Emmanuel Jackson said.

Preparation has led the boys swim team to expect they will emerge victorious.

“I think we will get first, maybe second because we placed third in County and in Conference. We have also done really well against Whiteland, Perry, Berbuff, Southport, and Speedway this year,” sophomore Beau Syers said. 

Jackson is also confident that GHS will place well in the meet.

“We pose more of a threat this year than last, especially because we have gone through a lot of difficult practices this season. We also will do great because we all have positive mindsets,” Jackson said.

Both Roncalli and New Palestine have strong swimmers. McCoy has a relative on the Roncalli team who provides personal motivation.

“The biggest competitor will be a freshman at Roncalli who swims the exact same speed I do. I will definitely have to race him, but I know I can beat him. New Pal has really fast relay teams, so we will just have to be faster. I have a cousin on the Roncalli team who will be my personal competition,” McCoy said.

Because this is the last regular meet of the year, swimmers have to start preparing for Sectionals.

“After the meet, I plan to use the momentum to target my previous race times and hopefully even drop more time. I would be really glad to make it into a couple events at Sectionals,” Syers said.