Senior Timothy Gladyshev is a prominent member of the boys swim team. Last year, he was the Massachusetts state champion in the 100-yard breastroke event. The year before, he came in second place in the Nebraska state meet as a sophomore.

Sag: How did you get into swimming?

TG: I was kind of weak when I was a child, so I needed to get some muscle mass. Swimming was the sport to do that because it works every muscle. I kept at it, I liked it, and I got pretty good at it.

Sag: Have you been a strong swimmer your whole career?

TG: I was actually really bad when I started swimming. I just kept at it and got pretty good when I was about 12. Then, I got a little worse again, but now I’m catching back up.

Sag: How important is swimming in your life?

TG: It’s a pretty big factor. I’ve been doing it for so long and I’ve put so many hours in. I used to practice in the morning, but not so much anymore because I have school and stuff; I kind of stopped that. But, my freshman and sophomore years, I practiced in the morning for my high school team and my club team in Nebraska. Now, I’m spending about two hours a day swimming, so it’s a pretty significant factor.

Sag: What has been the highlight of your swimming career?

TG: I would say the trip to junior nationals has been the highlight of my career. I placed 32nd in the country in the 100-yard breast stroke with a [time of] 58.54 [seconds]. I really liked it. It was a fun trip to Orlando.

Sag: What are you looking forward to the most this year?

TG: I am looking forward to the states meet because my rival, who I beat by a fraction of a second last year, has gotten faster. He’s actually faster than my fastest time, so it’s going to be a really close race. I’m looking forward to it.

Matt Goroff can be contacted at [email protected]