“Swimming has taught me about life, working and most of all hard work,” these are the words of junior Macauley Kolonko. Many things come to mind when you hear his name: friend, student, forehead etc. Most of all people know Mac for his swimming and diving career while a student at Weedsport High School. While he isn’t only a distinguished student but he is also an extraordinary swimmer, he can swim across a pool faster than he can solve a rubik’s cube.

At a young age, Kolonko got his start at the local YMCA at the age of 4 taking lessons. As a young boy he started to swim competitively at 6, which is accomplishment that really no one can argue with. There is no question that he has a natural penchant for swimming and diving but that isn’t all that he is. Macauley is also one of the top students in his grade and a member of Weedsport Band, Chorus and Jazz Band.

Obviously he swims for Weedsport, but he also swims prolifically in Auburn for the Stingrays, the YMCA club team. All of this time and effort that he puts into his swimming career is what has molded him into who he is today. When asked, he said “swimming has made me who I am. It provides direct results, every workout and practice that I put in, I see the fruit of that effort in the pool”.

Macauley hopes to be accepted in the Naval Academy and continue his swimming career throughout his life and to be an engineer in the military and the pinnacle of his dream is to work with nuclear power and energy. So, while Macauley might be an excellent swimmer and musician he has a lot bigger things in mind when it comes to his future.