TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) - It'd been three decades since a Maclay relay team had made it to state - until last season.
"We qualified for State for the first time, broke the school record for the first time," Ryan Rumana. "We all swam out of our minds for that relay."
Now that Ryan Rumana and his teammates have tasted success, they want more.
"It was a whole bunch of fun, it was a great trip," said Rumana. "I think the team really bonded, and got serious last year. This year we're serious again, but we're still having fun. I think it's a great experience to try and shoot for."
"This kid works so hard. Really, the only expectations I have for him is to have this be the most incredible year with his teammates," Kaitlyn Dressel. "He puts enough pressure on himself, so just watching him have fun is all I want."
Having fun and helping make Maclay a team to be reckoned with. His times are low in the pool, but his GPA? It's sky high, a 4.65.
"He pushes himself to the limit in every way possible, and he still has time to give to others," said Dressel. "His work ethic, again, it's just incredible."
"It makes me happy that I really did it and I didn't have to compromise when most people end up having to," said Rumana.
No compromising here, and as much work as he puts in, he plans on finishing this year with a bang.
"I'm really happy I put a lot of work in and I hope it pays off for me and the rest of this team, because we're all putting that work in at Maclay," said Rumana.
They're putting in work so this team doesn't have to wait three more decades for success.
