A year older

Last season, the goal for the Patriots was to build a familial culture.

This year, they look to expand on that and take a step forward.

The Jay County High School boys swim team returns a majority of its lineup from the 2022-23 season and will look for jumps from the young swimmers as it shoots to finish in the top half of its sectional.

“It's a great group of kids,” coach Matt Slavik said. “Our freshmen brought a lot last year, now they've got a year of experience. We’ve got to lean heavy that big sophomore class. 

“I think our improvements last year were tremendous, and I look forward to continuing the improvement and continuing on developing a boys culture of swimming.”

The Patriots graduatedJosh Monroe and Wyatt Kunkler, their only boys who made sectional finals heats for the team that finished eighth out of 11 teams in 2023.

Jay County returns four swimmers that made the consolation heat. They are Peyton Yowell (50-yard and 100 freestyle), Joseph Dow (500 freestyle), Matthew Fisher (100 backstroke) and David Keen (500 freestyle).

Dow is the lone returning upperclassman for the Patriots. (Exchange students Oskar Alart Mateo, Chadi El Yaagoubi and Hugo Gutierrez are all listed as seniors as well.) The senior switched to the 500 and 200 freestyle events last year and Slavik expects him to reprise that role while improving because of the strength he’s gained during the offseason.

“He’s shown a lot more strength, hitting the weight room during the offseason,” Slavik said. “I look forward to what that brings this season, in helping with his events. We’re working on cleaning up some strokes and I think it will be a huge benefit to his efficiency in the water.”

Keen will join Dow in the 500 while also swimming the butterfly and the 200 medley relay.

Yowell will be the Patriots’ headliner for the sprint events. Slavik said a year of experience should help the sophomore as he has started to learn the language and intricacies of the sport.

Fisher is a versatile swimmer who could be slotted into nearly any event the Patriots need him to compete in.

“He’s got a lot of diversity,” Slavik said. “He works hard in the offseason too. I don’t know where he’ll be yet, but I know he’s solid in whatever I ask him to do.”

Last season, Fisher swam the butterfly and the backstroke, as well as the first leg of the medley relay.

Monroe was the only Patriot to make the sectional finals in multiple events, doing it in the individual medley and the breaststroke. Lincoln Clamme will be looked at to fill the roles that were left open by his graduation.

Brasen Glassford will be the team’s diver. Last season, Glassford finished ninth at the sectional. The top four finishers advance to the diving regional.

“I think he's got a lot of potential to score high in the sectional,” Slavik said. “He's got a lot of good board work. And he’s off to a good start.”

While Slavik will have a lot of experimenting to do with the relays and the lineup as a whole, he is hoping the team can take a step forward. The two goals he has laid out for the team are to finish at least second in the Allen County Athletic Conference and in the top half of the 11-team sectional.

“All of these kids, I can’t speak highly enough of,” Slavik said. “They all work hard. Some of them last year was the first year ever joining the swim team, so those kids were just trying to get up to speed and those who have been doing it a while continue to improve.”