Dedication, diligence, and plenty of invested time is what brought five boys swim members to counties. On Saturday, Feb. 2, the boys took on the Macomb County meet at L’Anse Creuse North.

Juniors Ryan Fromm, Dominic Lount, and Cameron Smale represented Utica, as well as seniors George Paul and Ian Wasilewski. Overall, the boys finished 12th in the county.

Meanwhile, team captain Ian Wasilewski has been working extra hard in pushing every team member to their full potential.

“I’m really proud of the team this year,” Wasilewski said. “The team is a lot smaller this year, but I feel like everyone is doing so well individually.”

Although many of hours go into practicing in order to make it to counties, there are also many things that go into the boys making it as far as they did, both physically and nutritionally.

“We swim around 10-12 hours a week,” junior Dominic Lount said. “We try to eat as healthy as we possibly can so that we can stay in shape, feel energized and limit cramps.”

Although the team is smaller than they have been in the previous years, the boys still manage to bring on the heat when competing. The team decreased in size from 20 members to now 12, but the amount of people surely does not stop the team from giving their meets all that they’ve got.

“Through the years, although the team has gotten smaller, I feel that we have become more positive,” junior Cameron Smale said. “We always put in our full effort and think as a team, no matter if we win or lose.”

Though it may be a challenge to have a limited amount of swimmers on the team, that number did not stop five members from making it to counties. Now that counties are over, it is important for the boys to keep their heads in the game as districts are soon creeping up.