GOUVERNEUR, New York (WWNY) – Gouverneur High School and first responders had a send-off Thursday for a student heading to the state swim finals in Ithaca.
Junior Riley Shepherd is the captain of the high school’s swimming team and will compete in the butterfly category championship.
This season made Shepherd the first student from Gouverneur to place first in Section X in more than 20 years.
“Over the years, way back I remember having a lot of competition within the section and it was hard. When I got moved up to varsity, I was placing 9th, 10th, and now being able to go and place first and being able to qualify for state feels really amazing,” he said.
Shepherd’s goal is to beat his personal best in butterfly.
First responders in the community escorted Shepherd out of town as part of his send-off.
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