The Ames High Boys Swim team this year has been the best it’s been in years. By the best in years also comes with being one of the best in the state. Ames Boys have been consistently ranked top five in the state, leading the way for the Little Cyclones is South Dakota State commit, Senior Peter Matthews (Ballard) followed by a long list of talented Junior swimmers including Dalton Lillibridge, James Bentley, Soma Szabo, and Misho Mahrous.

As the season is coming to a close Ames High has had a remarkable season finishing up the regular season 9-1 with their only loss coming to the defending state champs, Waukee. Standout wins for the Little Cyclones came against Valley, Southeast Polk, Ankeny, also being the Wittmer invite champions. Highlighted swimmer Dalton Lillibridge set a team record this past year in the 100 breaststroke at 58.43 seconds, ranking him #2 in the state!

The remaining schedule for the season is Districts on February 4th at Johnston, and the state tournament on February 11th at the Marshalltown YMCA.

Junior Misho Mahrous mentioned about state expectations, “As a team we think we’re good enough to as a team make top 3 for sure, every varsity swimmer should at least make the podium.” Misho Mahrous swims the 100 butterfly and is top 10 in the Ames High record books with a time of 52.92, ranking him top 15 in the state!

Having so many talented juniors on the roster, this offseason is going to be an extremely important training period. The team goes straight from high school swim season to ACAC (Ames Cyclones Aquatics Club).

“During the offseason we practice with club 6 times a week. We mainly swim of course, but we do additional running and lifting. In the summer we swim at Furman which is a major upgrade from the high school pool, and we really enjoy getting the chance to be outside in the summer.” Junior James Bentley explains the offseason plan. James Bentley swims the 100 freestyle at a 48.43 time, making him a top 10 swimmer in the state!

The upcoming years for the Little Cyclone may look promising but they maintain focus on finishing out this season with a bang. Catch them at the Marshalltown YMCA on February 11th as they attempt to take home the title.