OSAA state swimming recap: Top highlights, best performances, memorable moments from 2023 championships

The Oregon high school swimming championships took place Friday and Saturday. Here's a look back at some of the best stories and memorable moments.

By René Ferrán | Photo by Taylor Balkom 

The Oregon high school swimming championships took place Friday and Saturday at Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton. 

Here's a look back at some of the best stories and memorable moments. 

6A champions, placewinners, results

5A champions, placewinners, results

4A/3A/2A/1A champions, placewinners, results

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6A BOYS

Team scores

Jesuit 114, Nelson 108, Sunset 77, Lake Oswego 44, West Linn 43, Lakeridge 29, Glencoe 25, Lincoln 24, South Eugene 22, Tualatin 21

Victory in final race clinches Jesuit’s seventh state title in past eight seasons

Since Jesuit won its first OSAA boys swimming state championship in 2006, the Crusaders haven’t had to sweat out the final couple of races in many of their title runs.

Until Saturday, the closest finish among their eight previous titles was 17 points in 2018. This year’s battle came down to the final race — the 400-yard freestyle relay — which the Crusaders had to win to secure their seventh title in the past eight seasons and ninth championship overall.

They did so in convincing fashion, with Northwestern-bound senior Diego Nosack closing his prep career with a blazing anchor leg to win a seventh gold medal.

“He’s definitely been a joy to have on the team,” said Crusaders coach Bryan Butcher, who has been at the head of seven of those title runs. “We knew it was going to be close. The kids knew where they had to be, so when one kid went down, another kid maybe went up one. It was pretty great watching that.”

Butcher not only got expected big performances from Nosack but across the board, with seven individuals making the podium — including Butcher’s son, Kadyn, a junior who also is the kicker for Jesuit’s football team — as did all three relays.

“A lot of these kids swim year-round, but some of these kids don’t, and they surprised people here,” Coach Butcher said. “They were doing a great job. They actually were scoring. That was good for us.”

The anchor, though, was Nosack, who set OSAA records in the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle, earning All-America times with both victories — 1 minute, 46.91 seconds, in the 200 IM and 4:25.02 in the 500 free.

While both times were not personal bests — he swam 1:45.56 at a West Region meet in December and 4:24.80 at last week’s Metro district meet — he called his performance “satisfying” and said “we’re really just focusing on what we need to do for our races and just letting the points land where they may.”

“It’s cool to close my high school career like that,” Nosack added. “I’m always happy to contribute the best way that I can for my team.”

Relay record, three individual titles highlight Nelson’s runner-up finish

Nelson moved up three spots in the team standings from last year’s fifth-place finish and continued the second-year Happy Valley school’s trend of strong performances in Year 2.

In the fall, the volleyball team posted a third-place state finish, and the football team made the 16-team championship bracket.

The Hawks set an OSAA record in the 200 medley relay in Friday’s prelims, going 1:33.38, then followed Saturday by erasing a slight deficit to defeat Jesuit in the final.

Junior Mason Hopper, who became Nelson’s first state champion last year in the 100 butterfly, swam the anchor freestyle leg in the medley relay. He returned to the pool about 10 minutes later and held off Sunset’s Andrew Ignatescu to win the 200 freestyle in 1:40.43.

He later anchored the Hawks’ victorious 200 free relay and finished second to Lake Oswego’s Tylor Kim in the 100 free, with both posting All-America times.

“Today went super well,” Hopper said. “I’m just super excited to be with the team here. It’s just a great time to be able to compete at this level, and only for our second year, it’s super cool.”

Senior Quinlan Gould also swam legs on the winning relay teams before successfully defending his state title in the 100 backstroke in a personal-best and All-America time of 48.28, winning by more than three seconds.

“There was a little bit more time between my relay race and that race,” the Arizona State commit said. “So, I got to cool down better, and I was more refreshed today. And I was just a little bit more pumped for that final race. It just came together today. A super fun, great way to end my high school career.”

Freshman Drew Eubanks also won a state title for the Hawks in the 100 breaststroke, beating West Linn’s Gabriel Schreiber by nearly three-tenths of a second in 57.00.

Lake Oswego’s Kim wins two freestyle titles

A year ago, Lake Oswego won its first state title since 1994 despite not having an individual state champion.

The Lakers dropped to fourth this weekend, edging West Linn by one point for the final podium spot, but Tylor Kim became the program’s first individual champion since Edward Kang in 2016 by winning the 50 and 100 freestyles.

In doing so, the Lakers senior and Penn State commit escaped the shadow cast by Diggory Dillingham last year when the Mountain View senior — a USC commit who chose not to swim high school to focus on club season — arrived from North Carolina and won the same races.

“I got second and third last year, so it felt pretty good to get first in both my events this year,” said Kim, who posted All-America and personal-best times in both, going 20.41 in the 50 free and 44.66 in the 100 free.

“It went a lot better than I expected. I did want to go for even faster times, but obviously, what I went is what I went. I did better than my PRs. I’m really happy about the way it turned out today.”

While Kim was never headed in the 50 free, beating Gould by three-quarters of a second, the 100 freestyle matched him against Hopper in a mano-a-mano at a distance between their two specialties.

Kim jumped out to a 14-hundredths of a second lead through 50 yards and neutralized Hopper’s strength at longer distances, giving up only .01 off his advantage down the homestretch.

“For the 100, all I really do is sprint,” Kim said. “I know Mason has a lot of energy, so I knew it was going to be really close. So, I wanted to be really fast as possible going out, and I was a lot better than I was yesterday.”

Steiner gives Glencoe first boys swimming state title

Nate Steiner wasn’t sure when was the last time a Glencoe swimmer had won a state title.

Little did the Crimson Tide junior know that he was the first boy in school history (and the first swimmer from the Hillsboro school since 2007) to win a state championship when he went wire-to-wire to win the 100 butterfly in an All-America consideration time of 49.73.

He rued the tenths of seconds he lost throughout his championship swim.

“I’m honestly a little disappointed in myself because I thought I could go faster,” Steiner said. “Winning is a bonus, but time is what matters. I’m mad I didn’t get a juniors cut or close to it.”

Then, Steiner — who also took fourth in the 100 breaststroke — caught himself.

“It was just great being here,” Steiner said. “I’m glad to be the first state champion. Now, to come back next year and hopefully do it again.”

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6A GIRLS

Team scores

Jesuit 109, Lake Oswego 79, Sunset 71, Lakeridge 59, Westview 51.5, West Linn 51, Mountainside 35.5, Lincoln 27, South Eugene 27, Nelson 21

Jesuit gets to the wall, earns 11th state championship

A year ago, Jesuit finished outside the top two in the team standings for the first time since 2015.

On Saturday, the Crusaders more than doubled last season’s point total, winning the program’s third OSAA state title in the past four years and 11th overall, with Lake Oswego finishing second for the second consecutive year.

The Crusaders opened the finals with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay, then got individual titles from junior Sydney Wilson in the 500 freestyle and senior Alaina Pitton in the 100 breaststroke among their six individuals who won 10 medals.

“Their mindset is, you know, you go in Friday, get the best time you can,” coach Bryan Butcher said. “And then on Saturday, it doesn’t matter how fast people are. You get to the wall.”

Wilson, the state’s No. 1 recruit in the junior class according to SwimCloud, had to feel a bit of déjà vú after her second state meet went similarly to her first.

She entered both of her events — the 200 and 500 frees — as the top seed, only to have an unheralded senior rally over the final 50 yards to eke out victory in the 200.

Last year, it was Grant’s Quinn Brown who turned the trick. This time, it was Westview’s Alice Yueh — whom Wilson beat by almost two seconds in last week’s Metro district meet — who erased a half-second gap to edge Wilson by two-hundredths of a second.

“It was a great race between all of us,” Wilson said. “There were definitely some critiques I had about my own race. I just didn’t have it today. I didn’t go out quite fast enough, but again, she swam an amazing race.”

Again, Wilson had to bounce back an hour later for the 500 final, using her defeat as motivation. While her winning time Saturday (4:58.11) was more than four seconds from the personal best she swam a year ago, Wilson focused more on what her victory meant in the team standings.

“There’s a team aspect here,” she said. “It’s a very big deal, because here, I’m representing Jesuit. I’m representing something that’s a lot bigger than myself.”

Westview’s Yueh finishes strong to win competitive 200 freestyle

Yueh was a distant fifth last February when Brown and Wilson dueled for the state title in the 200 freestyle.

On Saturday, she sat in fourth place with 50 yards to go, more than a second behind the leader, Lincoln sophomore Charlotte Duanois, with Mountainside sophomore Victoria Kurtz and Wilson also between her and the lead.

That’s when Yueh put on a withering finishing kick, with a final lap of 28.31 seconds more than a half-second faster than her nearest rival. She outreached Wilson at the wall, touching in 1:52.40 — almost a full second faster than her previous best in the event and two-hundredths ahead of Wilson.

Kurtz was just one-tenth behind in third, with Ducanois fading to fourth, just 0.38 behind Yueh.

“Really, I was just trying to race — go out as fast as I can and give it my all,” said Yueh, who couldn’t recall beating Wilson before Saturday’s final. “And on the last 25, I wanted to get my hand on the wall. I’m still shocked. I have no words for it.”

Yueh said she and her coaches had worked on her getting off to faster starts, but she also had confidence in how well she swims the back half of races.

“I haven’t looked at my splits,” said Yueh, who was fifth after the first lap. “So, I’m not sure how that worked out. But yes, I do like to come from behind.”

Senior becomes first Central Catholic girl to win state title

Central Catholic senior Dalton Sickon made program history by becoming the first girl to win a state swimming title and just the eighth Rams swimmer since 1960 to do so.

Sickon, a San Jose State commit, held off Westview’s Stephanie Lee to win the 50 freestyle with an All-America consideration time of 23.50.

“It makes it very meaningful,” Sickon said. “I’m very honored, very excited about it. Very happy.”

Sickon hadn’t broken 24 seconds in the event until winning the Mt. Hood district title, and in quick succession, she now has done so in three consecutive races.

“A big improvement from last year,” said Sickon, who finished third last year in 24.32. “I’ve been more consistent in practice, and I started kicking a lot better. So, I’m really happy about it.”

Lee bounced back to win the 100 freestyle, edging 200 IM champion Dylan Gustaff of Lake Oswego (a Towson commit). The Lakers saw sophomore AnneMarie Vlaic — the state’s No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025 — win her first individual title in the 100 butterfly, holding off 100 backstroke champion and Missouri commit Maeve DeYoung of West Linn.

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5A BOYS

Team scores

Summit 69, Crescent Valley 58, West Albany 51, Parkrose 26, Wilsonville 18, Hood River Valley 16, Caldera 14, Silverton 12, Canby 11

Back on the Summit: Storm win first title since 2015

Summit had been a juggernaut in the early part of the 21st century, winning 10 titles and posting a runner-up finish from 2003-15.

The Storm had not finished among the top four since that 2015 title until Saturday, when they knocked off defending champion Crescent Valley by 11 points.

“It’s really fun to win as an individual,” said senior Liam Gilman, who capped his career with his first individual title in the 100-yard breaststroke. “But it’s more fun as a team to win.”

Gilman’s winning time of 59.95 seconds was slower than the 59.81 he swam in finishing seventh in last year’s 6A state meet, but it was enough to move him from the fifth-fastest qualifying time from Friday’s prelims to pass Woodburn’s Mark Seledkov over the final lap of Saturday’s final.

“Over the summer, I swam with my swim club, practiced my strokes and got much faster,” said Gilman, who also swam on the Storm’s second-place 200 medley and 200 free relays and took third in the 200 individual medley. “And I brought that into this season so I could win as much as I can.”

His victory also gives Gilman bragging rights on a team that had nine individuals score points in six events, but he was the only champion. Summit also took second in the 400 free relay to seal its victory.

With help from old friend, Parkrose’s Olsen reaching unforeseen levels

A year ago, Thomas Olsen became Parkrose’s first state champion in the past 45 years, winning the 200 and 500 freestyles to help the Broncos finish fourth — their first podium finish since 1976.

On Saturday, Olsen not only defended his titles, but he broke the 5A meet record in both races, shaving more than two seconds off his winning time in the 200 free (his 1:39.14 winning time Saturday earned All-America consideration and was a personal best) and more than 13 seconds in the 500 free (his 4:26.52 met the All-America standard) to best the marks set by Corvallis’ Logan Storie in 2007.

“I was just happy to get the win for Parkrose and the win for myself,” Olsen said. “But I was still disappointed with my times. I feel like I can go a lot faster, and when I’m tapered down, I think I’ll be able to go a lot faster. We did a ton of work this week, so I have a good base built up, and I’m just going to carry this momentum and these wins into sectionals. I think I’m going to do something special there.”

Olsen might have been happier to watch longtime friend and Parkrose teammate Julian Hernandez win the 100 butterfly between his races. He and Hernandez, a senior who attends King’s Way Christian in Vancouver (which does not offer boys swimming), swam together with the Northwest Blue Crush Aquatic Club through middle school before Olsen left to join the Multnomah Athletic Club program his freshman year.

Hernandez also took second in the 100 backstroke, and together, the duo secured another fourth-place trophy for the program.

“He’s been my best friend since we were 8, 9 years old,” Olsen said. “I grew up with him, I play Fortnite with him weekly, and we’ve been there for each other since a young age and always pushed ourselves to levels that we didn’t think we’d be able to reach. Having him here has been really sentimental. He’s going to college down in California, and he’ll be an hour away my freshman year (at USC, where he committed this season). But it’s really super cool that he won state for the first time.”

McKean makes Caldera history as first boys state champion

Last year, Campbell McKean became the first Caldera boy to win a medal in the first-year Bend school’s history, taking third in the 100 backstroke and fourth in the 200 IM.

On Saturday, the sophomore became the first Wolfpack boy to win a state title in any sport, dominating the field in the 200 IM, with his winning time of 1:52.44 more than seven seconds faster than his nearest rival.

“Just being able to set a bar for all the classes below me, being able to push them to know that you can get that good,” McKean said of the significance of his accomplishment. “I knew from yesterday, just looking at the times, that I was going to be ahead, but I didn’t know I was going to be that far ahead.”

McKean came back later in the afternoon to win the 100 backstroke in 51.01. Despite entering the meet as the top seed and posting the fastest qualifying time, he acknowledged that “I was worried on this one more, and that’s because I had kids around me who were a lot closer to my time.”

He put any nervousness aside once he entered the pool, and he ended up beating Hernandez by 2½ seconds.

“I feel I swam a lot better today than I did yesterday,” McKean said. “I was definitely happier with my time.”

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5A GIRLS

Team scores

Bend 67, Mountain View 52, Summit 49, Crescent Valley 41, Canby 36, Churchill 23, Wilsonville 14

Bend schools hold block party, sweep top three spots on podium

Bend and Summit combined to win seven consecutive Class 5A state titles from 2012-18 before both schools joined Mountain View in moving to 6A in the summer of 2018.

At the three state meets since that move (COVID-19 caused the cancellation of the 2021 meet), the Lava Bears twice made the podium (third, 2019; fourth, 2020), but neither the Storm nor the Cougars posted a top-five finish.

With the Bend School District opening Caldera in 2021, the four Bend schools dropped to 5A this school year, and the Central Oregon powers celebrated their return by sweeping the top three spots in the team standings — led by Bend winning its fifth title — and relegating 2019-20 champion Crescent Valley to fourth and last year’s champion, Churchill, to a distant sixth.

The additions of sophomore Kamryn Meskill (50-yard freestyle, 100 butterfly champion) to the Lava Bears from Caldera and freshman Maddie Thornton (100 backstroke) proved the finishing touches to Bend’s championship roster.

“It was a big play,” said senior Grace Benson, who anchored Bend’s state champion 200 and 400 freestyle relays to meet-record times and made the podium in the 200 individual medley (third) and 100 breaststroke (second).

“Getting Kamryn and Maddie for the free relays was just what we needed. It’s been awesome here with them. We had an awesome team and awesome group of girls here. It’s what we were shooting for. I’m really proud of us.”

Mountain View’s runner-up finish is the program’s best since it won the 2001 state title. Summit posted its best finish since winning the 2016 championship.

Meskill moves crosstown, helps Bend’s championship cause

Meskill made history last season when she became the first Caldera athlete to win a state championship, taking home the title in the 6A 50-yard freestyle.

Over the summer, she chose to transfer to Bend, where she became an integral part of the Lava Bears’ title run. Meskill again won the 50 free, this time in a personal-best 23.11 seconds (earning All-America honors), and added the 100 butterfly title in a meet-record 55.53.

Meskill, the state’s No. 2 recruit in the class of 2025, didn’t go into detail regarding her decision to switch schools.

“I think I just needed to make the right decision for me,” she said. “It was going to be the better fit for me, so I made the switch, and I’m happy with where I am.”

Meskill hoped to break 23 seconds in the 50 free and challenge Helena Jones’ meet-record 22.96 set last year. Instead, she chopped 0.69 off her winning time of a year ago and almost a half-second off her previous career best.

“The 50 free is a game of milliseconds,” she said. “So, I’m not angry about it.”

She didn’t realize she’d broken the seven-year-old record in the butterfly until asked about it. It was a pleasant surprise after she hadn’t hit the time goal she’d set coming into the race.

“Thanks for telling me,” she said, breaking into a smile. “That’s pretty cool. I’m proud of myself.”

Jones has Georgia on her mind as she wraps up prep career with two state records

Jones, a Wilsonville senior, capped her high school career by breaking two more meet records as she prepares to move back to Georgia over the summer to start her college career at the University of Georgia.

Not only did Jones win both her races — the 100 and 200 freestyles — but she set OSAA records in doing so. She opened her meet with an All-America time of 1:47.15 in the 200 free, winning by nearly four seconds, before coming back about an hour later to take the 100 free in 49.26, also an All-America time and a 3½-second victory.

“It was a great way to end my senior year,” she said. “I just wanted to stay positive, have fun with it. I felt like if I had my head in the right place, I definitely thought this was possible, and I was able to pull it off today.”

Jones moved from Georgia to Oregon the summer before her eighth-grade year. She won her first state title as a freshman at West Linn in the 6A 100 free, then transferred to Wilsonville before her sophomore year.

COVID led to the cancellation of that year’s state meet, but she came back as a junior to win 5A titles in the 50 and 100 frees. She dropped the 50 free for the longer race this season, and she improved upon her personal-best times in both races set this season swimming for Lake Oswego Swim Club at regional meets.

Now, she’ll return to her old home to join a program that is ranked No. 15 in the country, matching its finish at the 2022 NCAA championships.

“My family lives there, and I love the school,” Jones said. “I love the coaches, and they have a great history of success in the pool, so I thought it was a no-brainer.”

Wasikowski trades one state title for another in senior season

A year ago, Kelsey Wasikowski set a meet record in winning the 100 breaststroke to help Churchill win its first state championship.

For her final state meet, the Lancers senior dropped the 100 breast, instead swimming the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle at the state meet.

Wasikowski won the 200 IM in a meet-record and All-America time of 2:00.45 — shaving almost three seconds off her personal best — then came back to finish second in the 500 free behind Summit senior and Idaho recruit Ginger Kiefer.

She called her record-setting performance in the 200 IM “kind of a surprise because I haven’t really swum this event too much. Then, I still feel like there’s room for improvement, which is really exciting for the future.”

She also appreciated getting to swim the 500 free after getting disqualified at district last winter.

“I wanted another chance to do that one,” said Wasikowski, who will swim at the University of Arizona next year. “Honestly, it’s just so fun to be here with my team. This is just such a fun meet, so it really does mean a lot to me.”

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4A/3A/2A/1A BOYS

Team scores

Catlin Gabel 70, Newport 48, La Grande 43, Marist Catholic 26, North Bend 25, Valley Catholic 18, Marshfield 16

Summary

Catlin Gabel successfully defended the team title it wrested from Newport a year ago, with junior Hodge Dauler leading the way, swimming on the winning 200-yard medley and 400 freestyle relays, winning the 200 free and dethroning La Grande’s back-to-back champion, Glenn Ricker, in the 100 butterfly. Ricker bounced back to win the 100 breaststroke, handing Catlin Gabel sophomore Adam Li his only loss — Li won the 200 individual medley and joined Dauler on the victorious 200 medley and 400 free relays. Newport junior Sam Postlewait was the meet’s other double winner, taking home titles in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke, beating defending champion Akira Van de Groenendaal of Catlin Gabel by 27-hundredths of a second in the latter.

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4A/3A/2A/1A GIRLS

Team scores

Catlin Gabel 54, Sweet Home 51, St. Mary’s (Medford) 36, Cove 26, Newport 23, Cascade Christian 21, Molalla 20

Summary

The team title came down to the meet’s final event, with junior Adrienne Tam giving Catlin Gabel a 7½-second lead after her opening leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay and the Eagles holding off Sweet Home by four seconds to overtake the defending champion Huskies and win Catlin Gabel’s second title in the past three OSAA meets. Tam also repeated as the 100 butterfly champion. Sisters Sarah (50 free) and Becca (200 free, 500 free) Koza won Cove’s first girls swimming titles, following older brother Tim’s footsteps — he became the school’s first swim champion last February. Becca, a freshman, defeated defending champion Jane Hanson of Catlin Gabel in both events. Cascade Christian’s 200 freestyle relay won its school’s first title since 2012. 

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6A champions, placewinners, results

5A champions, placewinners, results

4A/3A/2A/1A champions, placewinners, results