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There isn’t much the 16-year-old senior doesn’t do. Except maybe one thing.
“I don’t drive,” Swanson said.
That’s likely to change soon. Swanson aims to take driver’s ducation class in the spring so he can get his license before heading off to college.
“I’ve been busy,” he said.
Busy is a clear understatement. Swanson is the youngest in Capital’s senior class. He carries at 3.99 grade-point average, and if he isn’t named class valedictorian, he’ll at least graduate among the top 5 percent.
Swanson entered Capital as a freshman in fall 2008 just five weeks after turning 13; he skipped eighth grade at Jefferson Middle School. The pace of classes wasn’t what he wanted.
“It got to the point where I wasn’t making full use of my time,” he said.
While his friends spent the past summer soaking up the sun and enjoying family vacations, Swanson was hitting the books 3,000 miles away in Cambridge, Mass., after being accepted into Harvard’s Secondary School, an intense seven-week summer program for incoming high school juniors and seniors to get a feel for college atmosphere.
He received college credit for two courses – calculus and astrobiology, the study of life throughout the universe, including whether planets besides Earth can sustain life. He said the experience was great, but the Ivy League school isn’t in his post-high school plans; he’s applied to Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif., which is known for its mathematics, sciences and engineering.
The brief times when he wasn’t studying this summer, he made time to visit one of the campus pools to work on his stroke.
“I developed a lot better work ethic, because you have to put in a lot more time (on) your classes than you do in the high school environment,” said Swanson, who also was the Cougars’ No. 1 singles player in tennis this fall and qualified for the West Central District III tournament in May.
With his house on the banks of Puget Sound, Swanson grew up around the water but did not compete in high school swimming until last year. Thanks to some nudging from friends, he decided to give it a try.
Second-year Capital coach Dean Sawhill described Swanson as an exceptional athlete with good strength in the water.
“He is very intelligent with his swimming,” Sawhill said. “He’s got a good, natural ability for swimming, too.”
It took a while for Swanson to get back into the consistent groove of swimming, but once he did, his times began to drop. He shaved off 10 seconds from his 100 yard freestyle time, dropping from 1 minute, 3 seconds to 52.8 seconds.
While he didn’t make a state-qualifying time last season in either sprint freestyle event, he swam in the Cougars’ two relays teams – the 200 and 400 freestyles – that placed seventh and 10th, respectively, at state.
He already is ahead of where he was at this time last year, swimming in the 100 freestyle in the low 53-second range. The 3A state-qualifying time is 50.20, which is something Swanson said is achievable.
In Capital’s double-dual meet with River Ridge and North Thurston last week, Swanson won the 50 free (23.96) and 100 butterfly (1:07.90).
“He is amazing, he really is,” Sawhill said.
Meg Wochnick: 360-754-5473 mwochnick@theolympian.com
BOYS SWIMMERS TO WATCH
Christian Dilworth, sprint freestyle, sr., River Ridge
Christian DiScala, sprint freestyle/backstroke, sr., Olympia
Cameron Peterson, butterfly/freestyle, sr., North Thurston
Erik Solveson, 200 IM/backstroke, sr., North Thurston
Jack Swanson, sprint freestyle, sr., Capital
BOYS SWIMMING OUTLOOK
North Thurston returns all seven swimmers who went to the Class 2A state championships last season – Solveson and Peterson, along with juniors Scott Harn, Tyler Ridgeway, Brady Neeley, Nathan Anderson and Matthew Brickey. The mixture of depth and talent reminds Rams coach of his 1975 state championship squad. … River Ridge has had a habit of sending relay teams to the state meet, and with seniors Dilworth and Durias Thomas back, the Hawks should be there once again. They did, however, suffer a loss when diver Michael Evans, who was fourth in 2A last season, suffered a neck injury that sidelined him. … Timberline has five returning swimmers with postseason experience, including three members – Nathan Knox, Peter Emmons and Eric Smith – from last season’s 3A state-qualifying 200 medley relay team. … Olympia has seen a spike in turnout numbers with 24 total swimmers. The Bears went 3-7 overall last season in Narrows League dual meets. Seniors DiScala and Clayton Middleton (200 freestyle) should advance past the West Central District III meet this season. … Except for Swanson, it’s a rebuilding year at Capital. Many of the 39 swimmers are new to the sport.
Meg Wochnick, staff writer
