SMCC's David Grant signs to swim at Youngstown State

SANDUSKY — David Grant didn't pick Youngstown State University because of its mascot. But as far as mascots for a future Division I swimmer go, he could've done a lot worse than 'Penguins' — YSU is the only D-I school with that moniker. "I like penguins," Grant said. "They're a pretty good bird. Pretty good swimmers. Can hold their breath really long." Grant, a senior at St. Mary Central Catholic, recently committed to the program at Youngstown State, which competes in the Horizon League. SMCC held a signing ceremony Monday to recognize its newest college-bound athlete. "I had my official visit (to YSU) in October, which went really well," Grant said. "We followed up a bit after that, and a couple weeks ago, we finalized everything." Grant began swimming when he was 9. His older sisters had started the sport in junior high, and he "wanted to be like them." He hasn't left the water much since. "I think I was hooked from the beginning," Grant said. "I never really wanted to stop at all." Grant grew into a strong swimmer in the butterfly and the backstroke. As a freshman, he swam the backstroke leg on the school's state-qualifying medley relay, then as a sophomore, he swam the fly as the relay made it back to state. Before his junior season, Grant realized the district had lost some strong swimmers and that he might be able to make noise in the 200-yard individual medley. "It did not come naturally for me," Grant said. "... The breaststroke was one of my main issues, so I had to fix that." Grant put the pieces together to make it to state for a third consecutive year, this time as an individual. He placed 20th in Division II, missing the top-16 range that made the finals by 1.12 seconds. That spurred Grant to focus on out-of-the-pool work to try and turn his senior season into an even more successful trip to state. He's been lifting weights and doing dry land workouts before school to help his strength match his technique. "It's kind of hard, because you don't see the improvements right away," Grant said. "They only really show up at the end of the year. That's a little mentally tough, but overall I can tell it's working, and I'm very happy with it." Grant already possesses plenty of ability in the water. One of his long-time coaches, Jack Lenczyk, was at Monday's signing ceremony and called Grant an "insane kicker." "If there was a 200 IM at state for just kickers, he'd be state champion," Lenczyk said. Grant also hopes to qualify for state in the 500-yard freestyle, the longest distance in high school swimming. "It's really, really painful, I'm not gonna lie," said Grant, who also competed in cross country for the Panthers for four years. "Mostly just the mentality of trying to keep going. I'm always racing someone. I like to have that competitive mindset. It's a lot easier to swim when you're swimming against someone. That's what pushes me, the competitive pace of everything." Grant's likely fourth trip in four years to Canton won't be the end of his swimming career. He liked Youngstown State as a school aside from the swim aspect, too. He plans to study graphic design at YSU. "I really like visual design, and the fact that I can combine digital and studio art is really helpful for me," Grant said. Monday's signing ceremony provided a reflective moment for Grant, too. Much of his time in the water has been spent at Vacationland Swim Club. As a younger member there, he watched many of his older peers go on to compete in college. "I was like, 'Oh, I wonder what that could be like for me,'" Grant said. He's on his way toward finding out.