Saturday, Dec. 5, the boys swim team attended a varsity invitational at Boone High School. Six new and former Trojan swimmers kicked off the season, finishing in fifth place with an overall score of 20. 

Juniors Bryan York and Brayden Atkinson paired up for the 400-yard medley, finishing in 4:38.33. York and Atkinson also swam together in the 1,000-yard freestyle, finishing in third place with 11:18.25. Meanwhile, Junior Alex Sampson and Alex Lihs competed together in the 400-yard freestyle relay, snatching a third-place win. York, Atkinson, Sampson, and Lihs teamed up, securing yet another third-place win in the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:43.23. 

Atkinson said, “As a whole, we all did very well.” He thought the team did a good job “helping each other get ready for the event,” with pep-talks, along with the practice they’ve been putting in. The swimmers lift four times a week on top of their usual practice. Right now, they’re focusing on their breathing and technique. “Our coach is making us work on it as much as possible in our practices so it becomes a habit,” Atkinson said. For the rest of the season, Atkinson said, “I’m looking forward to the memories with my team and improving on my individual events as much as possible.” The next meet for the boys swim team will be a varsity triangular Thursday, Dec. 10 in Sioux City.