State Champion 500 Counter Commits to East Northwestern State University of the South

Courtesy: Tyler Montgomery

Trevor McGregor, the nation’s top-ranked 500 counter, has announced his commitment to Division IV powerhouse, East Northwestern State University of the South.

“Lap counting at the collegiate level has been a dream of mine ever since I discovered numbers at the age of two,” McGregor said in a statement to all four of his Instagram followers, three of which are Russian bots and the other Kevin Durant’s burner account. “I want to thank my coaches, teammates, and most of all I want to thank my parents for sacrificing their own counting dreams so that I could pursue mine.” McGregor tells SwimSwam he is the first person in his family to count higher than the number 12.

McGregor faced a bit of adversity in his senior season, suffering an injury from over-counting in September. “I just overdid it,” McGregor admitted. “I didn’t count much over the summer and thought I could jump right back into double digits early in the season.” The low point of the season came in a dual meet when McGregor flipped to 71 instead of 17, a moment his teammates described as “hard to watch.” “That was rock bottom for me,” McGregor said. “I had no choice but to get serious about rehabbing after that.”

Despite the early-season setback, McGregor returned to peak form in time for the state championships, where he captured the 500 counting title in dramatic fashion. In the finals, he opened aggressively through the early numbers before settling into a controlled tempo. Analysts praised his composure through the notoriously volatile 11-15 range before bringing it home in dominant fashion.

“There was a moment around 13 where I blanked on what came next, but I just trusted my training and let the numbers come to me,” McGregor said.

McGregor’s success should come as no surprise. His high school coach, Ernie “The Enumerator” Wilson, was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame following his own decorated lap counting career. Wilson is best known for revolutionizing the sport when he invented his famous “up and down” technique in the 80’s, a tactic still commonly used to motivate swimmers to go faster.

“He’s one of the most instinctive counters I’ve ever coached,” Wilson said of McGregor. “Most kids rely on memorization, but Trevor just knows what number comes next.”

Wilson also highlighted McGregor’s leadership. “Early in the season, he helped our freshmen stay on track by showing them a ‘1’ before the turn in their 50 free. By midseason, a few of those kids could even swim the whole 50 without anyone counting for them. That’s the kind of effect Trev can have on a team.”

McGregor’s future college coach, Dom Chesbro, is excited to add depth to an already stacked counting group.  “Versatility is everything at the D4 level,” Chesbro said. “Trevor has shown he can count forwards or backwards, by odds or by evens. There’s really nothing he can’t do with a lap counter in his hands.” Chesbro confirmed McGregor will likely redshirt his first year as he adjusts to the increased counting volume.

McGregor recently inked an NIL deal with LapPro Elite, a leading manufacturer of high-performance lap counters.

“Trevor is a generational talent in the art of kneeling poolside and dipping a small plastic board into the water,” a company spokesperson said. “We believe he could do for lap counting what Michael Phelps did for swimming and we’re thrilled to have him on the LapPro Elite team.” Sources tell SwimSwam McGregor will headline a summer marketing campaign promoting a new Roman Numeral lap counter.

ABOUT TYLER MONTGOMERY

Tyler Montgomery had a four-year swimming career, all with the Riverdale High School Water Warriors in Murfreesboro, TN, where he still lives with his family. He’s currently the head swim coach at Rockvale High School, a program that has been relatively successful despite his involvement.  Being a high school swim coach is not nearly as lucrative as it sounds, so Tyler also works in the publishing industry.