The No. 8 Ankeny boys’ swim team placed third at the Central Iowa Metropolitan League (CIML) conference swim meet with a score of 315. They finished below No. 4 and No. 5 Waukee Northwest and Valley. Going 3-5 in duals on the season including two close losses to Waukee and Linn Mar, and a huge win at Little Hawk Invite to continue the three-year streak of winning the meet. Teams at the Little Hawk Invite this year included Iowa City High, Iowa City West, Ottumwa, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, and Pleasant Valley.

Despite losses earlier in the season at the CIML conference meet, the Hawks would send a message to the state by beating both Waukee and Dowling.

“We really sent a message to the state beating Dowling and Waukee,” senior Brock Peterson said. Peterson also reflected on the team’s performance, saying “After that meet, we are all feeling great about where we are.”

An important part of swim training is a taper, in which the athletes’ training workload gradually gets slower and focuses more on feeling great during races instead of during practices.

“I’ll definitely be doing more treatment [recovery], and I’ll continue to eat healthy and push the fluids,” Peterson said.

Peterson says this season has not been without individual struggles as he has dealt with some injuries and other setbacks.

“There’s been a lot of highs and there’s been a lot of moments that you just want to forget about,” Peterson said.

Peterson continued saying that despite the grueling workouts and the difficult schedule “having a team that’s so supportive like this one makes it easier.”

“Together in the struggle,” sophomore Leo Martin said, who shared the team’s motto for the season.

Martin says that this phrase was crucial to the team’s efforts during a long season signaling a bond that pushed all of them to be the best they could be.

“It really kept us grounded,” Martin said.

The season spanning from November to February is often the issue for many teams and athletes, as all the small aches and pains begin to become more bothersome, the schoolwork begins to pile, and the bleak midwinter consumes the sky. This year, however, the boys found a way to stand next to each other throughout the difficult practices, cold winter nights, and the countless hours they dedicated to the sport.

Junior Ike Evans says that for him it is the friendships he has made through the swim team that mean the most to him, mentioning that the fun they have on the bus rides, in the pool, and during team meals are what he will remember the most. Ike said that for him the highlight of the season was winning the Little Hawk Invite.

“We brought home the win for the third year in a row, and was probably the highlight of the year for me,” Evans said.

Peterson mentions the importance of the Little Hawk Invite to the team as it is a midseason test for the team, and a chance to remember the impact their former head coach Justin Crouch had on the program. Crouch is reportedly the most successful head coach in program history and led the team for 14 years, his accomplishments are many and include the team’s first state title in 2019 and producing 20+ All-American swimmers including Peterson who received All-American honors his sophomore year in the 400 freestyle relay.

As the season wraps up, seniors were honored at the last home meet against Waukee Northwest, despite the Hawk’s loss the night was still fun and a cause for celebration, swimmers said. The night served as an opportunity for athletes to try out new relay lineups and compete in races they typically would not have swam. For Peterson, it was another chance to get his body and mind tuned up for state competition, while for Martin and Evans, it was a time to send off the seniors who have done so much for the program and the young men on the team.

“It was really rewarding to see the seniors’ hard work pay off,” Martin said.