For someone as competitive as Franklin swimming and diving coach Zach Rayce, it's tough to admit that the goal of reclaiming the HCAC men's championship might be out of reach this winter. But he's also a realist, and he knows that with just 12 swimmers and a diver on the roster, numbers are working against the Grizzlies.

"I think a lot of it this year is talking with the guys and just being real with them," Rayce said. "With, hey, we can win a lot of dual meets. We've got a lot of that top-end talent to win dual meets, because you don't need a full roster ... but championship meets, we will struggle a little bit just based on numbers."

The good thing for Franklin, though, is that swimming is still an individual sport at its core, so there are still carrots to dangle in front of the guys this season. Even if second place in the team standings is likely the ceiling, there are individual honors to chase down — and plenty of swimmers on the squad with the ability to reach them.

Rayce sees sophomore Isaac Layton as capable of winning three individual conference titles and contending for Swimmer of the Meet honors, and he believes that the Grizzlies can win multiple relays at the conference meet as well.

He also has one of the best sprint freestylers in the country in junior Zachary Jackson-Blaine, the reigning HCAC champion in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and a contributor on three conference champion relays.

Jackson-Blaine's goals this season don't just include league dominance, though — with Franklin College serving as the host school for the NCAA Division III Championships at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, he's determined to make it onto that stage for the first time.

"It's in Indy," he said, "so I've got to make sure that I'm there."

Focusing on strength training and improving his underwaters, Jackson-Blaine believes, will help get him to nationals. And while there won't be many swimmers on the regular-season slate who can beat him in a short race, Jackson-Blaine should be able to get a push every day in practice from teammates such as Kaden Cummins, Will Johnson and Keaton Stephenson while also finding motivation in making small improvements each time out.

"Competition's hard when you're one of the top 30 in the nation," Rayce said. "It's hard to find people to push you. So we kind of have to push ourselves ... 'Hey, let's really work on this turn this time. Let's really go after the finish.' Little things to work on, because the odds of him seeing somebody in most dual meets are low."

Rayce would like to see Jackson-Blaine be under 21 seconds in the 50 free at every meet this year, and both have established a goal of getting under 20 by season's end.

Getting pushed by teammates — as well as from external sources of motivation — should help Jackson-Blaine get there.

"The definitely keep me motivated to keep hitting that high tempo, high goals," Jackson-Blaine said of his teammates, "because at the end of the day I am swimming for myself, but I'm also swimming for the college and my team.

"And then of course my mom back home — I've always got to show up and show right, because she's not sending me here for no reason."

That's the beauty of swimming. There's always a goal within reach somewhere.