Southmoreland freshman Joselyn Busato cuts through the water at the Mt. Pleasant High School pool using her arms to pull herself ahead of the competition. Her friends, coaches, and family cheer her on, but she isn’t swimming for the Mt. Pleasant team. Busato is the only competitive swimmer on the entire Southmoreland swim team.

“Not many people know we even have a team,” said Busato, 14. “Some of the freshman class know, but that’s really it.”

Busato has been swimming for nine years, and not having a full team isn’t going to stop her anytime soon. She practices with the Mt. Pleasant team at their pool, but in swim meets she earns individual points that count towards Southmoreland’s record.

“I would love to have more swimmers because then we could have at least one relay team,” said Busato. “And it’s always nice to have your own team supporting you even though I have so many friends on the Mt. Pleasant team.”

Busato is expecting to compete in her first high school meet in December. While she wouldn’t mind having a larger team, Busato is very happy with the friends she has made on the Mt. Pleasant team.

Busato swims nearly three miles for practice, but she runs even farther. She is currently running for the first time on the Southmoreland girls varsity cross country team, and her family could not be more proud.

“Joselyn runs pretty quick,” said her father and chemistry teacher at Southmoreland High School Mr. Michael Busato, “but she’s 10  times faster in the water.”

Busato is expected to letter in both cross country and swimming this year. For both sports  competitors must consistently be in the top five fastest times in order to qualify for a letter.

“Because I’m swimming as an individual, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’m going to letter,” Busato said about her upcoming season. “But I still plan on pushing myself to do my best.”