Fairfield High School junior Ross Westrick may be the lone Indian at the Division I state swim meet, but he still feels like he is on another team trip.

“You can tell he is having a lot of fun,” Fairfield coach Beth Toerner said during a practice swim in Canton on Thursday afternoon. “He has a lot of teammates from (his summer team) Countryside here, so it is still like a team outing for him.”

Having fun with summer teammates is helping take some of the edge off the trip for Westrick.

It marks his third straight trip to state. After qualifying on two relays as a freshman, he advanced in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle events last year as an individual.

Westrick is back in the same two events this year and enters the meet with the fifth-fastest time in the 200 free.

“I think he’s got a little more nerves,” Toerner said. “He knows he can do well and puts pressure on himself because of the goals he has set.”

Westrick knows the competition in the 200 free pretty well. He was fourth in the district meet with just one other swimmer from across the state moving into the top five.

“Our 200 free was incredibly fast,” Toerner said. “… It should be a fun race to watch.”

Westrick is not the lone local looking to leave Canton with some hardware. Lakota East, Lakota West and Talawanda will be represented as well.

Matthew McDonald leads Lakota East contingent, competing in the 200 individual medley and the 500 free while Abby McDowell competes in diving.

Bryan McNamara will swim the 200 and 500 free and John Raker in the 100 breaststroke for the Lakota West boys. On the girls side, West’s Casey Frazier will swim in the 200 IM and 100 breast and the Firebirds also qualified their 200 medley and 200 free relay teams. McNamara has the second-fastest time in the 500 free.

Talawanda advanced in the 400 free and 200 medley relays. Individually, Jesus Caraballo will compete in the 100 breast, Edgar Caraballo in the 100 fly, Scott Richmond in the 100 breast and 200 IM and Josh Crowder in 100 free.

Division I prelims begin today at 9 a.m., with the finals set for 4 p.m. on Saturday at C.T. Branin Natatorium.