For The Tribune

Jackson Boyt said he through it was time to try something different going into the winter of his junior year at Seymour.

“I felt like I needed a change,” he said. “I kept doing wrestling all my life and nothing else, really.”

Boyt began wrestling in sixth grade at Seymour Middle School and stayed with that sport until he changed to swimming.

He swam the 100 freestyle the past two seasons, and this year he swam the 200 individual medley most meets.

The senior swam the 100 free and 200 IM in the sectional at Floyd Central.

“It was amazing,” he said of swimming at sectional. He had his fastest times of the season in the IM at 2:34, and in the 100 free clocking 1:00.3.

Boyt said his career highlight swim came in the sectional trials in the 100 free the night when he won his heat.

“I came in first place, and I dropped a lot of time, a lot of considerable time, and that was just one of my proud moments,” he said. “I may not have been able to make it Saturday for the finals, but it was a great moment for me.”

Boyt said he thought the butterfly and the freestyle were his strongest strokes in the IM.

The senior also enjoyed swimming the medley relay where he either swam the breaststroke or freestyle.

Boyt said practices were hard but important.

“Practices, basically, got us all to where we are,” Boyt said. “Without practice, we wouldn’t even be in the finals. The hard practices especially is what got us here because those push us to keep going.”

If Boyt he could have had all his meets at home or at Bedford North Lawrence that would have been OK with him.

“I loved the home meets,” Boyt said. “The Bedford pool was one of my most favorites.”

Swimmers had practice Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 a.m. during the season.

“I had to be 100 percent in,” Boyt said of his dedication to the sport.

Jackson said he enjoyed having his sister (Abby) on the team. He said they talked swimming away from the pool and exchanged ideas.

He said he has enjoyed being a student at Seymour.

“I loved it; I would do it again,” Boyt said. “I’m mostly going to remember all the friends I’ve made because being on a team makes you closer to people. Academic wise it offered a lot of opportunities for me.

“It also opened up a lot more people to me because it’s a public school. For elementary school, I went to St. Ambrose. There wasn’t a lot of variety there, then I moved to a public school and it opened up a whole new world.

“If you love doing something then put all your effort into it because it’s better to do that than do something that you don’t like and just be bored the rest of your life. I think I’ve had a good run my four years of high school.”

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Name: Jackson Boyt

School: Seymour High School

Parents: Amy and James Boyt

Sibling: Abby

Sports: Swimming, two years; wrestling, two years; archery, two years

Athletics highlights: Swimming most improved 2015-16

Plans after high school: Attend IUPUI

Organizations: FFA, band

Favorite food: Baked potatoes

Favorite TV show: “Peaky Blinders”

Favorite musician: Pearl Jam

Favorite movie: “Pulp Fiction”

Favorite team: Chicago Cubs

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