Troy boys swim team finishes strong as state finals loom

TROY — The Troy High School boys swim team won the Oakland Activities Association Red Division title Feb. 27 and placed among the top five teams for Division 1, according to the most recent rankings posted by the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

The rankings, produced by the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association, moved Troy from an unranked “honorable mention” in the prior set to a Top Five team, with state finals just weeks away.

“Overall, I’ve been really pleased with how the season has gone,” said Kyle Larson, the team’s head coach. “(The swimmers) are excited and they’re enjoying the sport, and we’re winning a lot. Put those two things together, and you’ve got a pretty successful season on your hands.”

According to Larson, the biggest reason for the team’s success this year is the desire to win from the students themselves.

“At the very start of the season, back in October, I met with my current captains … (and) they were the ones who set the expectations of what the season was going to be,” Larson said.  “They had really lofty goals. That’s what’s been so exciting about this season. The expectations and the goals for the season… It’s the kids who set those.”

The team is well on its way to accomplishing many of its goals. Aside from its ranking, Troy also hasn’t lost a dual meet since its first matchup of the season. The group recently finished as the runner-up in the Oakland County Championships, in addition to taking home the OAA Red crown after a runner-up finish in 2025.

“That had already been a big step up from where we were previously, because prior to that we were in the OAA White, which is a step down from (OAA Red),” said Benjamin Bricker, Troy’s senior captain. “But to get that close and not quite get it… We were definitely hungry for it coming into this year.”

The 2025-26 year has been great so far, but championship season has arrived, and the boys swim team has much that it still wants to accomplish.

“We’re looking forward to states,” Larson said. “The highest I’ve ever had a team place was tenth, and our goal right now is probably somewhere in the single digits.”

Troy is prepared to have a sizable group of swimmers make their cuts and attend the state meet at Oakland University.

“We’re going to compete. This is where we’re going to show up and show everyone else what we’re about,” Bricker said. “Placement-wise, we’re looking to have the best placement so far in school history.”

The seniors on the team have seen the program significantly grow over time. When they were still freshmen, the Troy team had bottomed out. Now, the group has a chance to put together one of the best seasons in school history.

“When I came in as a freshman, we lost every single dual meet and finished sixth at the (OAA Red) league meet. So, it’s the complete opposite of where we ended up,” Bricker explained. “The foundation (of working hard) that those seniors set when I was a freshman… has lived on every year that I’ve been here. I hope to leave the same mark on the underclassmen this year.”

Larson and the athletes also want to make sure that this growth isn’t an outlier, but rather the new norm for the program.

“Our goals are not just about the team, but about setting up these young guys and these individuals to have success even beyond Troy High School,” Larson said. “We’re just trying to set the stage for continued success in the future.”

The state finals for Division 1 MHSAA Boys Swimming is March 13-14 at the Oakland University Natatorium. For more information, visit MHSAA.com.