The RBHS 2019-2020 boys’ swim team has had a very successful season so far.  There was a lot of improvement from the previous season, although they faced some difficulty after several seniors graduated last year.  The boys have put in a lot of hard work and dedication to get where they are. All of that hard work paid off, with the Bulldogs winning 3 out of 4 meets. 

The team has won three meets, including the Main East Invitational, which included 12 schools, some of which being big rivals of the Bulldogs.

“So far the season has gone well. We graduated a lot of seniors, so it’s been a bit of a rebuilding year. But we have had some guys step up and fill the best they can and that’s all I can ask for as a coach,” said Graham Risley, head coach for the boys’ varsity team.

The team is now primarily made up of sophomores and juniors, with there only being two seniors, Charles Stack and Nolan Dowling. The team has created very close bonds with one another.

“It’s hard, but everyone is dedicated.  It’s like a family. It’s been long and difficult, but it’s also been fun,” Stack said.

The team has worked very hard to get to the place that they are. They are looking to send a few swimmers to state toward the end of the season. Last season, they sent Harrison Nolan, who was a freshman at the time, to compete in state for diving.  

“My biggest accomplishment was qualifying for State last year. That’s pretty much the best [accomplishment] I’ve had. [I also made the] finals at State last year,” Nolan said. 

All great athletes have some things that they need to work on to improve their performance.

“They could work on just being a little more consistent with putting in a really strong effort day in and day out, and not letting opportunities going to waste,” Risley said.

On February 22, the swimmers will compete in their Sectionals competition.  After Sectionals, the selected swimmers will head to state in order to represent RB. The swimmers still have time to succeed and compete well in events such as Sectionals and State and work on perfecting their craft.