Photo by Ashley Hawking

New additions to the swim team made a splash this year, coming from all grade levels.

Sophomore swimmer Jack Ryan was amongst the sea of newcomers who made an impact this year.

“I’m looking forward to being team captain next year and going to State [in the future],” Ryan said. “Everyone on the team is so supportive, and I like helping out the new swimmers.”

The leadership and skill came from all grades this year, including junior Ellis Springe. Springe was one of nine swimmers to qualify for state —one of three newcomers to do so.

“The biggest reason I joined was to stay in shape for soccer season, also there were a lot of people I knew on the team,” Springe said. “Everyone on the team is really close, and it’s a great group of guys to have around.”

Senior Caelan Golledge and freshman Patrick Oblon are the other two newcomers who qualified for state this year.

Apart from freshmen, sophomores and juniors, seniors were among the newcomers who showed they could help the swim team in the span of just one season. Though senior Tristan Hantula will only be a part of the team for one season, he quickly emerged as a leader for underclassmen.

“I’m one of the few endurance swimmers, and as a senior you try to keep everyone morally in check and acting right…not necessarily a leader, but you garner respect as a senior,” Hantula said.

Senior and co-team captain Caleb Axlund was impressed by the crop of new swimmers this year.

“Our new guys really came through,” Axlund said. “Not a single guy wasn’t meeting our expectations this year and really did well.”

Though the swim team had a large number of seniors and sophomores, not many juniors were amongst the ranks. Head coach Kent McDonald said he believed sophomores could rise to the challenge in coming years.

“I’d say about half the team is new, a lot of them are seniors…They’re all improving a lot, so it’s hard to tell you a guy,” McDonald said. “It kind of is a building year, but we have a large sophomore class that will be stepping up. By the time they’re seniors, they should be significant to the team.”

McDonald said the team shows potential for future years.

Senior and co-team captain Tim Schraad is eager and optimistic to see how the team will do at the state meet this year.

“It’s an honor to be able to compete with the best there is and be able to do it for LHS,” Schraad said. “I’m proud of the boys who I get to swim with and have been able to swim with all year.”