Zach Hermanski placed second in the 100 breaststroke in a school-record time of 1:10.37 to highlight Maryvale’s effort in the Flyers’ 67-34 loss Friday.

Hermanski, who is also the team’s top swimmer in the IM, took a full second off the previous mark to keep Maryvale competitive for a good portion of the meet.

It was one of the brightest spots in what’s been a bit of a tough season for the Flyers, who have struggled to just two wins due to a very small roster this season. But, while the wins haven’t been piling up for Maryvale, that’s not to say the Flyers haven’t had anything to cheer about.

Jacob Breymiller has consistently trimmed time off his season best efforts in both the butterfly and backstroke this winter, while Ben Lipp has also done the same in the butterfly to improve his personal-best mark to 1:07. Matt Law has also participated in the time-dropping party, lowering his personal bests in both the 200 and 500 freestyles.

“It’s tough as a team to go against schools with a lot of depth, but I’ve got great kids who work hard and have all dropped a lot of time this season,” coach Jeff Kunkel said. “They swim hard every day and have picked up a lot of personal victories this year. Nine of our 14 kids have already qualified for ECICs, and we’re hoping to get at least two more to do so by Friday.”

Maryvale returns to action Friday against East Aurora, and then closes out its regular season Tuesday against crosstown rival Cheektowaga.

Kunkel is certain that the best is yet to come from his swimmers, and wouldn’t be surprised to see additional significant performances posted in the final meets leading up to the postseason.

“We may not win many meets this year, but it’s not for a lack of effort,” Kunkel said. “They surprise me every meet with the way they swim from their hearts. These kids are working their butts off, and they’re getting some notice around the league from other coaches. They should all be proud of themselves. We’re hoping to have our biggest team at ECICs in years.”

email: jnadolinski@beenews.com