Heading into Wednesday’s tri-meet at Clemens Community Pool, Philomath swim coach Iliana Kaiser didn’t have sophomore Lucas Brandt penciled in for the 100-yard backstroke. But the team’s top swimmer wanted to compete in the event and so the entries were resubmitted.
Gallery: PHS swimming at home tri-meet (Jan. 15, 2025)
A collection of photos from the Philomath High swim team’s home tri-meet at Clemens Community Pool on Wednesday.
As it turned out, Brandt broke his third school record with a time of 55.50 seconds.
“I definitely didn’t expect to have a time like that, I mean, that’s faster than my club time by almost a second and a half,” Brandt said.
Said Kaiser, “He had a great competition to push him and give it his all.”
The performance bettered a school record set just two seasons ago when Carrson Hirte turned in a time of 55.95 seconds at the district meet. Hirte had actually broken the record earlier that season with a time of 57.00 in a race that featured no other entries.
Brandt also holds school records in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.53) and 200 individual medley (2:03.39).
Brandt was pushed hard by Marist Catholic’s Jonathan McDonough, who finished a close second in 56.73 seconds.
“Props to Jonathan, too, he also swam a school record,” Brandt said. “It was a great race.”
The competition and the intimate Clemens Community Pool venue pushed Brandt to a memorable swim.
“It was the atmosphere and like, I was a little scared that he (McDonough) was going to beat me so I was pumped up,” Brandt said when asked what he believed factored into the school-record performance. “I was just ready.”
Brandt also won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 51.68 seconds, which was a winning margin of more than 6 seconds than the runner-up. Mike Dill holds the school record in that event with a 48.99 back in 1999.
Beyond Brandt’s latest team record, the Philomath girls were a highlight at the three-school meet with four individuals and two relays producing seven first-place performances. Sophomore Kate Burriel led the way with victories in both the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle.
“She wasn’t planning on doing the 500 and I proposed to the girls of finding someone to swim the longer distances and she was the first one to step up and is doing really well in it,” Kaiser said. “I’m excited to see how that looks for districts.”
Burriel finished the distance in 7:04.79 to win by just under 3 seconds. In the 200 IM, Burriel was one of only two entries and won easily with a time of 2:54.70, which was more than 9 seconds faster than the runner-up.
Elsewhere, sophomore Emma Mecham led Philomath’s dominating performance in the 50 freestyle with a first-place time of 30.07 seconds. The Warriors had the top four placewinners in the event with senior Kateri Pindell (30.97), junior Ellie Dye (31.98) and senior Hanna McDaniel (32.34) finishing behind Mecham.
Junior Kathleen Donovan took first place in the 100 freestyle with a time of 1:07.03, a winning margin of 7.47 seconds over the rest of the pack. In the 100 breaststroke, McDaniel edged Pindell for first place with a time of 1:26.19. Pindell touched in 1:26.36.
Two Philomath relays also won for the girls. The 200 medley foursome of Donovan, Pindell, Burriel and Mecham won by nearly a second over the runner-up in 2:15.28. And the 200 freestyle relay of Burriel, Donovan, Mecham and Pindell took first in 2:03.11, a 10-second margin of victory over the runner-up team.
Senior Kyah Weeber, who has been the highest-scoring swimmer on the team so far this season, was at a 4-H nationals event in Texas and missed the meet.
The girls took first in the team standings with 82 points to Stayton’s 77 and Marist Catholic’s 62.
For the boys, Brandt’s performances were the lone individual victories. The 200 medley relay of junior Mason Stevens, Brandt, junior Cameron McLennan and senior Alex Dye won with a time of 1:53.90, a little more than 2 seconds faster than the second-place team.
McLennan, who placed sixth at state last season in the 100 butterfly, plans to finish the season strong after experiencing some challenges in the pool so far this winter.
“Last year I did fly pretty religiously every meet and I took a break this year and I swam some other events,” McLennan said. “I’m kind of feeling the lack of reps with the 100 fly just with strength and my know-how of the event. So I’m getting back into it right now.”
McLennan finished second in the 100 butterfly in Wednesday’s meet in 1:01.88, which was 5.46 seconds behind the winning time turned in by Marist’s McDonough, the same swimmer who pushed Brandt in the backstroke.
“The guy who beat me today by 5 seconds, I beat him last year at districts,” McLennan said. “He’s a club swimmer, swims year round, so he’s got nine months on me. … He’s an amazing athlete but I can be there — I know I can and I’d be excited to do that.”
McLennan, who placed third in the 100 breaststroke at Wednesday’s meet, plans to focus primarily on the 100 fly the rest of the season.
“I’m sure he wishes he had a little bit faster times today,” Kaiser said. “He’s putting in the work … he’s swam almost every event — I think he’s missing one.”
Philomath is scheduled to compete again on Friday in a meet at Sweet Home.
