Relocating from Granite Bay, Calif., to Dayton required some adjustments for Meadowdale senior Malique Elder.

In Granite Bay, located about 30 minutes northeast of Sacramento, the average low in February is 44. That’s three degrees warmer than Dayton’s average high. The average high in Granite Bay: 61 degrees.

At Granite Bay High School, Elder competed on a high-profile swim team that has won 16 straight league championships and the ultra-competitive section championship last season. At Meadowdale, he is the swim team.

“(My classmates) congratulate me, slowly and surely realizing we actually have a swim team at the school,” Elder said of walking the halls at Meadowdale. “I think they’re more shocked we have a swimmer at the school.”

If that’s a surprise, wait until they hear this: On Friday, Elder became the first Dayton City League male swimmer to qualify for next week’s state championships. He set a pair of Division II district records at Miami University to score 40 points, giving Meadowdale a 15th-place finish out of 35 programs.

Elder joins Jessica Swope of Stivers (2007) as the only two swimmers in City League history to reach state.

Not bad for a kid whose first introduction to swimming was literally sink or swim. He sank.

“When I was a little kid I was at a family friend’s house and my dad threw me in the pool,” Elder said of Lamills Garrett, who still lives in California. “I remember my dad having to jump in the pool to save me from drowning.”

Elder, who was almost 7 at the time, said he spent the rest of the day in the deep end trying to learn how to float.

“I’m the motivational type. When I can’t do something I want to do it more,” he said.

On Friday, Elder swam the 50-yard freestyle in 21.14 seconds. That topped the district record of 21.44 set by Springfield Catholic Central’s Chip Samuelson last year. Elder won the 100 free in 47:08, topping the district record of 47.13 set by Oakwood’s Daniel Schmitz in 2010. As for state, Elder wants to touch the wall with a sub-20 sprint. The D-II record is 20.50 set by Hunting Valley University’s Andrew Malone in 2011.

He’s inspired a few classmates to consider competing next season. And if they were shocked to realize how good Elder is, think about how stunned his competitors were especially from a school known more for football and basketball than swimming.

“It was a bit awkward because nobody knew who I was or what I could do. It was like, ‘Who is this guy?’ ” Elder said of early-season meets. “People took me for granted when I walked onto the pool deck.”

At 6-foot-4 and 189 pounds Elder said he’s rarely overshadowed by other swimmers on the pool deck. That long reach is also an advantage stretching for the wall at the finish.

His physical stature nearly led him to a different sport at Meadowdale. After moving to Dayton to live with his mom, Katherine Reeves, he had a choice: Basketball or swimming. His step-dad, Mickey Reeves, is an assistant basketball coach for the Lions. He’s played basketball about as long as he’s been swimming, but in the end the freestyle beat the fast break. And once he made his decision Reeves signed on to be Elder’s coach.

Elder practices with the Dayton Raiders club team — he credits Raiders’ coaches Kevin Weldon and Gary Galbreath with helping him see his potential — and speaks highly of his former Granite Bay coach, John Sherman.

“He was there for everybody on the team. He loved the team and he loved the sport,” Elder said. “Somebody that loves what you love is motivating. Every once in a while after a meet I’ll send him a text. He’s gotten me in touch with people to help me with this college (recruiting) stuff.”

It’s that support group that helps drive Elder, who is still considering his college options. But even though he’s the Lions’ only swimmer he knows he’s not alone.

“Swimming is not about one person, it’s about family. Usually family consists of your close friends, not just blood lines, people who’ve been there for you,” Elder said. “Those are the people who have pretty much gotten me to where I am. I was really close to my high school team out in California. I could go to them for anything. My coach was amazing. … I’m making sure they do their best.”

Elder — as the record books at Meadowdale and the City League show — is doing his, too.