The names and faces change, but the results always seem the same.

For the Pittsford boys swimming team, success is front and center. This year, as the past five years, should be more of the same.

The Panthers aim for their sixth straight Section 5 championship Saturday at the Webster Aquatic Center.

Pittsford finished undefeated in dual meets this season (12-0), running their dual meet winning streak to 61 meets.

“As a team, we just keep getting better,” said Andrew Kuter, a senior. “No matter what the competition is, we work hard. We are always pushing each other. We will be ready for sectionals and the rest of the postseason.”

Pittsford could have entered this week’s Section 5 championship as the favorite on reputation alone, but this year’s performances more than speak volumes about the team’s talent.

The Panthers opened the season by taking first in eight of the 10 events at the Lockport Sprint Invitational on Dec. 1. Two weeks later, Pittsford dominated the Owego Invitational taking first by 70 points.

The Panthers then went on to capture eight of 12 first place spots at the Fab 4 Invitational on Jan. 12.

“It’s a lot of fun to be part of this team, it is something no one takes for granted,” said senior Nate French. “We all work really hard everyday. Everything we have accomplished is great because their are a lot of good people in this program.”

The Panthers should have several first place finishers at Sectionals.

French enters Saturday’s meet as the defending champion in the 500 free. He also finished second in the 200 freestyle to Penfield’s Jonathan Jones last year.

Kuter is the defending champion in the 100 free, while Ken Pink won the 200 individual medley.

“We are always trying to stay consistent,” Pink said. “Our goals remain the same. We always want to swim our best, and be competitive in every race.”

Sean McManus is a prime example of the success of the program.

McManus took third in the 100 breaststroke at the and was part of the winning 400 free relay team at last year’s Section 5 championship. He continued to improve and became one of the lead swimmers in the area this past season.

McManus was a key part of all three relay teams this season and emerged as the top swimmer in the 100 butterfly. He finished third in the event at last year’s sectional meet.

“This is one of our strongest teams, I hope we can get everybody to score,” McManus said. “It’s great to be part of the legacy that previous teams have built. We know that we can keep that tradition going.”

McManus, like many other swimmers has intentions of keeping the strong performances going long after sectionals has ended.

The Panthers are hoping to not only have individual state champions, but win the team state title also. Pittsford ended last year on top of the state rankings.

Bryan Sullivan can be reached at (585) 394-0770 ext. 273 or bsullivan@mpnewspapers.com.