After the whistle, after the first swimmers arced off the diving blocks, the hometown crowd at Weston High School cheered for the teenager in the middle lane: “Otto! ­Otto!”

Otto Plank, a blond freshman with significant cognitive delays, swam to the end of the pool, where teammates were waiting to cheer him on during his turn for the return length. After he finished his leg of the relay race, the team’s three fastest seniors followed, one by one, and pulled into first place — Otto’s first varsity win.