West Ottawa swimmer Joseph Engle aims for big state finish, big career at Hope
When Joseph Engle looked up at the scoreboard, he was stunned.
The West Ottawa swimmer had raced to second place in the state in the 500-yard freestyle (4:35.67).
It was extremely gratifying, but immediately cranked up his motivation for his senior year.
"Our team identity is hard work," Engle said. "After last year, I was pumped to come back. I wanted to go faster. It is my last year and I wanted to make it as special as possible - and it has been so far."
More: West Ottawa swims to stunning 11th straight OK Red title; Zeeland wins OK Rainbow
More: How West Ottawa swam to surprising second place at state
Engle ensured his career won't be over after this season no matter what. He committed to swim at Hope College next year and will be a huge distance boost for one of the top NCAA Division III programs in the country.
"The team culture there is amazing. It is a great group of guys. I visited several schools, but Hope had the tightest-knit team and why wouldn't I want to be a part of that?" Engle said.
Engle also finished third last year in the 200 freestyle (1:41.24) and helped the Panthers to a second-place finish as a team.
"Last year gave him a lot of confidence going into this season," West Ottawa coach Steve Bowyer said.
West Ottawa is coming off an unprecedented 11th consecutive OK Red Conference championship, led by Engle, who won both the 200 and 500 freestyles.
"It set the tone for the rest of the team," Bowyer said. "He comes in every day ready to grind. When you have your senior leadership willing to put in that kind of work, everyone follows."
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: West Ottawa swimmer Joseph Engle aims for big state finish before Hope
