"You ready?" Mac asked Towson as they waited in the ready room. They had cleared the clerk of course check in and were seated in order for the medley relay race.

Liz was first, Carissa second, Mac third, and Towson fourth. That was the order the coach wanted. The first three had swum the relay before. They were champions. Liz held the school record for backstroke, the first in the medley relay. Carissa was a three-time champion of the breaststroke, the second leg of the race. Mac was - hands down -the best butterfly sprinter the sport had ever seen. He seemed bound to attain Olympic glory.

That left Towson, the anchor, to swim the freestyle leg. It would be his first time. Charlie, the regular anchor, had lost his grip coming out of the pool after his 200 free event, which he won, and knocked his chin on the tile deck. Blood sprayed everywhere. He had likely broken his jaw, though X-rays hadn't confirmed that. Obviously, he'd be out the mixed medley relay, the final event of the meet, which was the final meet of the season for Coiner College.

The meet against Pinestown would decide the division champion. The events were close. Pinestown and Coiner traded leading points throughout the meet. The medley relay would decide the meet winner and the championship.

Liz, Carissa, and Mac were all graduating. With Charlie at anchor, they had never lost a medley relay. But witnessing Charlie's injury and the agonizing wait while Coach Dalsey considered options for replacement unnerved the trio. Carissa placed second in the individual breaststroke. Liz bungled her flip turn in the backstroke and missed the top 3 placement altogether.

Coach Dalsey's decision put them in a worse mood.

"Who the hell is Towson Garrett?" Mac bellowed at his coach. Dalsey was used to it and stood her ground.

"He's a walk-on freshman, but he's shown great promise in practice. He beat Charlie in the 100 free, which is the distance he'll swim for the medley. He can do it," she said.

"He's a nobody!" Mac shouted back. "He's what? 100 pounds soaking wet?"

Carissa and Liz agreed. Dalsey had lost her mind, they thought.

Towson did not look like a swimmer. He was scrawny and appeared to have zero muscles on his tiny frame. His ribs shown. His elbows stuck out at odd angles.

None of the three seemed bothered that the conversation occurred in front of Towson, who heard everything. Dalsey had pulled the four aside and stepped into the hallway off of the pool deck.

"You're going to sink us," Mac said. "You're ruining our chances for a championship year."

"Have faith in the kid, Mac," Dalsey said. "I do. I remember when you were a freshman. Couldn't swim fly to save your life. Now look at you. Bound for Helsinki if everything goes right. I've made the call. Build a lead, and give it to him. He'll bring us home."

She left for the four to talk and get checked in.

"You ready?" Mac asked again. "You blow our lead, better figure out how to walk home."

"I got it," Towson said.

"Don't think I've ever seen you swim," Mac said.

"I'm always in the farthest lane from you guys. Just started swimming my junior year in high school."

"Christ, and now you're here. Great," Mac said. "Coach has really lost it."

The clerk of course motioned for the relay team to get in position. They would occupy Lane 5. The Pinestown team would take Lane 4.

"Who's the shrimp, Mac?" one of the Pinestown swimmers asked. "That's taking Charlie's place? You guys want to give us this meet or what?"

"Shut it," Mac said. "You still have to take me down."

Mac turned to Towson and nodded. "When we're on the deck, we're a team."

Towson nodded back.

Liz jumped in and positioned for the backstroke start. She arched backwards off the blocks and was kicking underwater well ahead of her Pinestown rival. She completed her leg three lengths ahead as Carissa dove in for breaststroke. Something was still wrong, or Pinestown had a stronger swimmer, because the lead had dwindled to a half length when it was Mac's turn for butterfly. Mac increased the spread to a full length by the time he touched the wall.

Standing next to Towson for Pinestown was Kris Norris, the fastest 100 freestyle swimmer in the division. His large shoulders, long arms, broad chest, and toned legs waited to pounce. Next to Norris, Towson looked like a middle schooler playing a swimming game for fun.

Mac touched the wall with both of his hands a few seconds ahead of the Pinestown swimmer. Towson lunged into the pool and submerged beneath the waterline. Norris followed in his lane and took a commanding lead before Towson emerged.

Norris was ahead by a half length when he completed his first 50 to turn. Mac, Carissa, and Liz watched down the lane in anguish as Norris' head came out for the final 50 home. They could see Towson had turned, but he remained underwater for a longer time, almost to the distance cutoff allowed.

When Towson emerged, his arms and legs moved with a speed they hadn't noticed before. It wasn't that his strokes or kicks were faster, but they looked smoother. More efficient. He gained on Norris and was even with him as they approached the flags near the wall. With two fluid, long strokes Towson's hand touched the wall a wrist-length ahead of Norris.

The pool center erupted in cheers. Judges, who already wore ear protection, covered their ears to block the sound of the roaring crowd.

Liz, Carissa, and Mac pulled Towson out of the water - an easy task given his light weight - and hoisted him onto Mac's shoulders.

Coiner had won. Towson had won. Coach Dalsey smiled. She mouthed "Faith" to Mac, who nodded and clapped in her direction.