Rhys Birky brought swimming fans to their feet Saturday at the district swimming finals in Albany.
Birky, the anchor leg of the 400 free relay squad, took to the water a full five seconds behind the leading Junction City squad.
He pushed hard, making up for lost time, and touching the pool sides a half-body length in the lead. He did so a full second ahead of his 100 yard championship time of 49.7.
“This…