By ALEX RACZEK

The Mirror reporter

Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH) boys swim team has started their season. The 21 boys on the team have won all three of their conference meets and they are still looking strong.

“The goal for this year is to win the conference meet and go on to win the sectional meet,” Coach Bob Allen said.

Allen has been the head coach for the last seven years and has a record of 44 wins and three losses with dual meets.

Coach Allen is helped by Maggie Reilly, the assistant coach and managers Brianna Check and Jenna Strojny.

“I heard about this job from my boss and I talked to Bob and it seemed like a good fit,” Reilly said. “I love it, working with the boys swim team.”

If the boys pull off another conference win it will be their fifth consecutive conference championship.

There are seven seniors on this team, captains Zach Dahlseng and Hunter Shulfer as well as Daniel Hess, Eric Konkol, Ethan Whitmarsh, Aaron Kane and Reese Eckenrod-Snyder.

“Freshman year was my first year competing so it’s been a pretty good experience to progress through the years and just have fun,” Shulfer said.

Last year the team sent four swimmers and two alternates to the state meet. They had six individual events and two relays qualify. This year they hope to send more people to state.

“My goal is to make it back to state and break more school records,” Dahlseng said. “I would like to make it back again this year and maybe place a little higher.”

Last year SPASH had four school records broken. Two of the record were individual events and the other two were relays.

The individual events were the 50 free record broken by Ben Harris with a time of 21.66 and the 500 free record by Dahlseng with a time of 4:52.05. The two relays were the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay both the relays consisted of Dahlseng, Shulfer, Chad Franz and Harris.

The 200 free relay was tied with the time of 1:30.05 and the 400 free relay had a time 3:17.51.

The SPASH boys swim team is growing and gaining quite a few new faces they increase their team number. Last year they ended the season with 14 swimmers and this year they have a team of 21.

“This is my first year swimming. Practices have been long and I haven’t expected to work this hard but I know I’ll get a lot out of it by putting a lot into it,” Zach Silvester, a freshman, said. “As of now I plan to continue next year.”

There are all types of swimmers on the team and all of them are need to create a working team dynamic and culture. Before they get in the water the team gets together and has a question of the day where they all share something about themselves.

“I really like having a question of the day. It makes me feel closer to everyone on the team and helps me look forward to having practice every day,” Konkol said.

This is a team that knows the value of being close as a team and valuing all members no matter how fast they may be.

“I enjoy going to their meets because they are always cheering for each other even if they come in last there is a real sense of family and friendship about the team,” Myranda Cherney, swimming fan, said.

This is a team that not only knows how to work hard and see results but how to joke around and have fun.