Two hours before the sun rose this morning, the St. Aloysius swim team was already hard at work.

Without a grumble of complaint, they arrived at the Purks YMCA just before 5 for a light practice that ended before sunrise. After practice, they headed across town to school to begin the day in earnest. It’s the same routine they’ve followed for a month, and one that they accept as part of being a championship-caliber team.

“You never get used to it,” junior sprinter Wally Wibowo said. “When you wake up at 4:30 you give yourself two or three seconds to be miserable, then you get over it.”

If the early-morning routine has slowed the Flashes down, they rarely show it. They’ll take 11 swimmers — seven boys and four girls — to Saturday’s MHSAA Class I swim meet at Delta State. It’s not likely to be enough to extend their reign as boys state champions, but a top-three team finish and several apperances in the finals of individual events are possible.

Wibowo is the top seed in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle — he’s also the defending state champion in both events — and six other swimmers are among the top 12 seeds in other events. The top eight times in Saturday morning’s preliminary round advance to the finals later in the day.

None of St. Al’s swimmers this weekend is a senior, and only Wibowo and Rob Sanders are juniors. With so much young talent, coach Bruce Ebersole said the goal Saturday is to turn in solid times and lay the foundation for the future.

“Unless they false start or get disqualified, for the next couple of years the boys meet is between (Madison) St. Joe and St. Andrew’s,” Ebersole said. “This year, we’re trying to make big swims to get third. Next year it might be to win the thing. Learning to make big swims at big meets starts now.”

In the Class I girls’ meet, St. Al’s Blaine Butler is seeded fifth in the 50-yard freestyle.

The Class I meet is for schools in Class 1A through 4A in other sports. The Class II meet is for 5A and 6A schools, and will include swimmers from Vicksburg and Warren Central.

WC only has three people in individual events, but will still have a dozen swimmers at the meet. The bulk of the team will participate in the 200- and 400-yard

freestyle relays and the 200-yard medley relay.

“Relays are where you score the most points, so it’s what’s best for the team,” WC coach Matthew Mixon said.

Hunter Anderson will swim the 200-yard individual medley and Cameron Chappell the 100-yard backstroke for WC’s boys team. Sophomore Afton Wallace is seeded seventh in the girls’ 100-yard backstroke.

Mixon said a top-three finish is possible for Wallace.

“If she went her best time from last year, she’d be right on the three-four bubble. She was at 1:05 last year and is at 1:09 this year, so she has to cut a couple seconds,” Mixon said.