When senior Benjamin Enos made the unexpected choice to join the swim team this year, the collective reaction from his family and friends was, “What?” Despite the resounding uncertainty surrounding his choice, Enos has undoubtedly made waves on the team – both inside and outside of the pool.

On why he made the surprising choice to join the swim team, Enos mused, “I’ve recently put on some weight so I decided swim was a good way to lose it.” Following this insight, he kept his remarks short and simple – “I like the water.” That affinity for the water recently helped Enos to qualify for the Nevada high school swimming regionals as part of the boys relay team.

Enos’s swimming success didn’t come without failure, however. Opening up about the external factors that hinder his swimming capabilities, he revealed “I don’t like the chlorine. It burns. It hurts a lot.” Despite learning to overcome iniquitous foes such as the chlorine, Enos still grapples with his own internal roadblocks. “I don’t like to swim long distances,” Enos melancholically recalled. “The first 100 yards are fine, but I really do start to get kind of tired.” As he shared the most severe instance of his exhaustion, tears began to mist Enos’s eyed. “They made me do the 200 freestyle. I got last.”

Attempting to cover his shaken demeanor, Enos bounced back with confidence. “I do consider myself kind of specialized.” As the interview progressed, Enos slowly revealed his humility by addressing the fact that he hadn’t been swimming as long as his teammates. “I don’t want people to read this and be annoyed like, ‘this kid barely swims.'” He went on to express his admiration for his teammates – “I just don’t swim as much as those other guys. They’re dedicated to their craft.”

One of his teammates, Jack Hall, served as an important mentor to Enos’s aquatic adventures. Hall recently committed to California Polytechnic State University for NCAA Division 1 swimming, and he graciously offered wisdom to Enos during his first weeks on the team. “Jack Hall has been a great mentor for me,” Enos reminisced. “But I can truly say that the student has become the teacher.” Jack Hall, when asked for comment, responded “Well he didn’t come to my signing so…”

Looking to the future, Enos expressed his sympathy for his family once he leaves for college at UNR. “I don’t know how my family is going to function when the favorite child leaves.” As for his future in swimming, Enos painted a detailed picture of his plan: “I really like trucks. They’re really cool. I also want a boat when I’m older. And then I can use my truck to pull my boat. In the water I’m going to push the boat with myself.” Enos, describing his goals for the next 20 years, continued, “At the 20 year high school reunion if I don’t have a boat and a truck, know that no matter how happy I seem, I am not truly fulfilled. If I’m not rich I’m not going to the reunion.” When asked to comment, Enos’s girlfriend, Isabella Gregory, provided insight on his goals to be wealthy. Gregory remarked, “I asked Ben what the most important thing in the world was to him. He said being rich.”

In concluding the interview with Enos, we moved from musing on the distant future to addressing the immediate future. He opened up about the need for more male athletes on the swim team next year, stressing, “Without more athletes there won’t be a team.”

Benjamin Enos’s underdog story on the swim team proves that no matter what background you come from, the swim team is a place where anyone can succeed. To any male athletes interested in joining the swim team, contact coach Jim Stretch at jim.stretch@bishopmanogue.org!