From morning to after school practices, two swimmers have gone above and beyond what was expected of themselves and the season to come. Sophomore Austin Edmondson and senior Gavin Mulkey qualified for state competition in the first meet of the boys swimming season.

“It’s a great feeling, qualifying so early in the season,” Edmondson said. “I wasn’t expected to do that well. So when I came back at the beginning of the season and I did that well I even surprised myself.”

Qualifying for state swimming requires effort and commitment. Head swim coach Kyle Farrington said most swimmers require more practice through the season and cannot qualify or consider for state in their first meets.

“It takes off a lot of pressure from swimming practices since I qualified so early in the season,” Mulkey said.

When swimmers qualify early in the season, Farrington said it makes it easier to put together a select team of boys to swim at state.

“Qualifying for state so early on takes a lot of pressure off of the swimmers, and if [they] don’t qualify early in the season, it could leave us in a lurch when we have to put a state team together,” Farrington said.

Training is a key component that is needed to reach state level swimming, Farrington said. Various swimmers prepare for the school season when practice is not being held by being a part of competitive teams during the offseason.

“Qualifying also takes some natural ability and mental fitness, but that doesn’t guarantee that you will make it to state,” said Farrington.

Edmondson and Mulkey both said they believe that many members of the team will be able to swim at state competition this year.

“I hope that we aren’t the only ones swimming for state on the team. But I really do think that a lot of the swimmers will consider or qualify for state,” said Edmondson.