Lukas Siska wanted to go to college, and he figured swimming was his best shot at getting there.

The 2003 graduate of Nacogdoches High School has been swimming since the age of 8, and he started hitting the pool year-round when he was 12.

His senior year at NHS, Siska qualified for the state swimming meet. But his 13th-place finish in the 500 freestyle and 6th-place run as part of Nacogdoches' 400 freestyle relay didn't exactly have the college coaches knocking down his door.

"The first time around, I had a few Division IIIs talking to me," Siska said. "But they can't give athletic scholarships.

"But I knew I was kind of a late bloomer — still growing, still getting bigger and stronger."

So Siska decided to stay in Nacogdoches for another year, work on his swimming, and see what happened. After some ferocious training last fall, Siska entered a December meet at Texas A&M in College Station. With almost another year of growth and development under his belt, Siska swam career-best times in all his events.

"That helped me get my foot in the door," he said.

"My goal was to swim in college," Siska said. "I tried to send out my times and my profile to as many colleges as I could. I got a lot of help with that from (NHS swim coach) Carrie Hairston."

Luckily, somebody noticed.

Siska said Fairmont State College's Patrick Snively was one of the collegiate coaches who contacted him, following the A&M meet.

Siska recently signed a letter of intent to swim on scholarship with Snively's Falcons.

For Siska, the choice was a simple one.

"They offered more money than any other school," he said. "And I like their team. They're kind of an up-and-coming team."

He's also anxious to join his new family, the swim team at Fairmont State.

"It's killer training by yourself," Siska said. "I'm looking forward to being part of a real team next year."