After an exciting regular season, Olympia High School boys swimming began their assault towards the state championship.
The OHS boys swimming post season peaked at districts, where they took an astounding 19 swimmers to the competition. Out of those 19, 3 swimmers remained to represent OHS at state individually excluding relays. AJ Valz, Garrett Wickoren and Mathew Jones broke their own records this year and finalized their high school swimming journey on a positive note.
Senior Mathew Jones placed 10th in his 100 yard breaststroke with 59.33 seconds, beating the school record set by himself by half a second. As the last push, the last time jumping into the water representing OHS, the situation was understandably nerve wracking. “I thought I would have a panic attack but then I went ahead and did it. I used nervousness as energy and I’m content with it all ending this way,” Jones said.
This has been a brilliant year for the boys swimming program. “It’s not just the achievements and records, the collective growth we’ve had as a team is huge. I think this is the best community we’ve had since I got here, I feel deeply connected to every swimmer, it really feels like a family,” Jones shared. The closeness the team has achieved for what is an individual sport is evident from any outsider’s point of view.
Garrett Wickoren, another key figure for OHS boys swimming, remarked on what swimming has meant for him and the many other swimmers who carry the future of the program without its graduating seniors. “It’s a demanding discipline, me and many of the other guys average 17 hours of training every week. We are committed to each other because we know that in the water it’s only one person at a time, swimming for all of us,” Wickoren shared.
With companionship forged out of shared tenacity towards their discipline, the swimmers have made this year a great success for the program. A success the seniors believe can be replicated with its underclassmen.”It’s about momentum, having the underclassmen see what can be done here is what will raise the standards of the school and bring further success,” Wickoren said.
