Republic swimmer Brady Lewis is in St. Peters this morning for the first day of the state swimming championship. Lewis is competing in two events, the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard backstroke. It’s his third consecutive trip to the state meet, but in the previous two years, he had teammates alongside him on the trip. This year, he’s the only Republic swimmer to qualify.
“That’s a big difference, but other than that, it’s the same thing. I know what I’m doing, though, because I’ve been here before,” he said. “I’m more confident in myself. As my confidence has grown through the season, my times have dropped significantly, and it makes me confident enough to drop into the spots I want.”
Lewis is hoping to earn a medal in the butterfly. He’s ranked 10th of 32 swimmers going into the competition. The top eight swimmers earn a state medal.
His goal for the backstroke, where he’s ranked 17th, is to move into the top 16. That would allow him to swim in the finals and earn team points for Republic.
Lewis is the Republic record-holder in both the events in which he’s competing. His best time in the 100-yard butterfly is 53.71, and his best time in the backstroke is 56.44.