NFHS Swimmers of all Levels Spark Team's Success

Teams that win championships at the high school level are usually littered with talented upperclassmen. 

The swim team certainly has a strong core of upperclassmen hungry for an Oakland Activities Association White Division title. But the underclassmen have been just as impressive for the Raiders this season, who own a 5-1 record in dual meets. 

Last Saturday, the freshmen and sophomores on the North Farmington squad competed in an underclassmen invite in Howell. The Raiders defeated nine other squads to win the invite and bring home the trophy. It was North Farmington’s first appearance at the event.

“Our freshmen and sophomores swam really well on Saturday,” North Farmington head coach Mike Harfoot said. “There were teams there that we don’t usually swim against. So it was pretty neat to be able to go there in our first season at the invite and win it.” 

Freshman Nick Leshock is at the center of the success for North Farmington this season. Leshock has already qualified for the state meet in two events, the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke. He’s also very close in the 200 freestyle, needing to shave off less than a second to qualify. 

“I don’t think I expected to be doing this well,” Leshock said. “I thought it would be kind of rough because swimming at this level can be hard. But I think I’ve had a pretty good year. I think I’ve done pretty good for myself.” 

Leshock won both of the individual events he competed in during Saturday’s Howell Invite. He also swam in two of North Farmington’s relay wins.  

Having Leshock and several other talented underclassmen has helped motivate the upperclassmen to bring their best to the pool every day. 

“With the freshmen we have, they motivate everybody,” Harfoot said. “It gives our program a boost in the arm. Nobody wants to lose to the freshmen. So you see the whole team trying their hardest to beat them. It’s a good thing to have with that group of freshmen this year.” 

“I don’t think any of the juniors and seniors want to get beat by us freshmen,” Leshock said. “It helps push them harder to stay on top. And it keeps us motivated to try and beat them, too.” 

While Leshock has made quite the impression his freshman season, he still thinks he has plenty of room for improvement. He swims year-round and hopes to eventually swim at the collegiate level. 

“I think I can get better,” Leshock said. “I don’t know if I have the best technique yet. Hopefully coach can help me get quicker and faster this season. I think I have a lot of room to improve.” 

The freshmen class also includes standouts Danny McNeece, Joe Paris, Jake Wasko and Rob Chapwkis. 

Along with Leshock, senior Cameron Wasko has been one of the most productive swimmers for North Farmington this year. 

“Cameron and Nick are our top two swimmers,” Harfoot said. “Cameron has done a really nice job for us here, talentwise, for the last four years. He qualified and scored in the state events last year, so he’ll be looking to do that again this season.” 

The team will compete in the county meet this weekend. With such a large field, Harfoot is hoping for a top-10 finish for his team.  

Then the team will participate in the Oakland Activities Association White League Meets on Feb. 23-25, with the state meet following on March 11 and 12. 

“We have three really big meets left,”  Harfoot said. “We’ve had a good season so far, but we want to finish strong in those meets to try and accomplish our preseason goals.”