The high school boys’ swim team had their last home meet on February 7th. It was not only a day to honor their seniors, but also to celebrate their donation to their charity of choice: Mosaic Counseling. Mosaic Counseling is a foundation whose goal is to connect people to “hope and healing” by providing them with services such as therapy and suicide prevention. The people in charge of the foundation believe that mental health services should be vastly accessible and refuse to turn anyone away. They work to make this type of care affordable and available for everyone. The swimmers managed to raise a staggering amount of $4,125 and counting in only four days’ time. They fundraised by reaching out to businesses and individuals. When asked how they received such support and enthusiasm, Johnny Wachter simply stated, “We know a lot of people.” 

The swimmers brought in the executive director of Mosaic Counseling, Sarah Lewakowski, at the beginning of their meet. She said that she has “never seen a need greater than it is right now,” when it comes to those struggling with mental health issues. She was incredibly thankful to all who donated and encouraged people to continue to support those who may benefit from mental health services. 

As for the meet itself, seniors Tomas Ruiz and Cornel Rauwerda-esprit were paraded through a tunnel that the rest of the team formed with their arms to commemorate them. It was Spring Lake versus Hamilton, and the overall score ended up being 83 to 100. Although the Lakers lost, they had various successes throughout the meet. They won the first event of the evening: the 200-medley relay. Johnny Wachter came in first in the 100-fly with a time of 53.25 seconds. For the 100-backstroke, Ryan Fisher came in second at 1:02.28 seconds, only 1.12 seconds behind first place! After the meet, the boys shook hands with the other team and had dinner together. 

The Lakers will have multiple swimmers going to state in the upcoming months; both the team and the coaches are excited to see how far they can go. Stay tuned for further updates on the boys’ progress!