It’s 5:20 AM when Max Bryant stumbles out of bed gets dressed, packs his bags, and hops in his car. He’s headed to his first of two swim practices that day. He does this every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He then attends school like the rest of his classmates. Bryant is also the only guy his age swimming on the team.

“Yeah they suck but I feel really accomplished when I complete a hard day of practice,” says Bryant.

Max, a senior at AHS, has been swimming since he was nine years old, but at the time had no idea he would be in the position he is in today.

“I never used to understand why the older kids tried so hard,” said Bryant

As Bryant got older and older, swimming progressively became a bigger part of his life. He stopped participating in other sports and focused solely on swimming.

“I guess I always set my sights high so I always saw myself here,” said Bryant.

Max is not a cocky person he just believes in himself he envisions himself succeeding and that has helped him achieve the goals that he sets for himself before every season.

“I make measurable and reasonable goals and treat them as stepping stones towards a resounding goal,” said Bryant.

These reasonable goals have helped him become a state champion four times. Bryant won his first state championship, in the 400 individual medley, when he was 14. IM is a combination of the four major swimming strokes. Each one 100 yards. Bryant won his second state championship, in the 200 butterfly, when he was 16. His last two championships came this year where he won both the 400 IM and 200 butterfly. The joy he gets from winning has decreased as he has gotten older and found other aspects of the race more important.

“When I was 14, I was stoked beyond belief. After my last win I was happy but I am now more focused on my time opposed to how I do in a specific race,” said Bryant.

His times are more important because that’s what colleges are looking at. Max is a DI swimming prospect and has looked into swimming at schools such as SMU, Dartmouth, Brown, Colgate, and Georgetown.

“I look forward to being in a team environment with guys my age” said Bryant, “If I had to choose one of these schools, SMU would be my top choice.”

Although Bryant looks forward to competing in college, his focus now is on his upcoming meet at Texas A&M University in December.

“These are the senior gulf Championships, it’s the biggest meet going on that weekend”, Said Bryant. “I want to best my times so that I look better in the eyes of college coaches”.

Even with all the pressure of college coaches watching, Max plans to enjoy another successful season hopefully culminating in another state championship.

Photo caption: Bryant stands atop the podium after winning the 400 IM state championship. Photo courtesy of Max Bryant