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YourDailyLocal.com is counting down what we believe are the Top 10 moments/games/performances from the 2020-21 high school sports season in Warren County.
No. 1: Warren’s Katie Beyer Wins State Title in 200 Freestyle
Even with few fans and virtual meets, it was easy to see Warren swimmer Katie Beyer was putting together a historic season.
She set multiple school and pool records throughout the year and won a District 10 title, but Beyer saved her best for last when she became the first swimmer in program history to win a state title.
Beyer took home the gold in the 200 Free and finished with a time of 1:53.06, just in front of Gwynedd Mercy’s Ella Gross (1:53.32).
“It doesn’t even feel real,” Beyer said after the race. “My strategy was to go out hard and once you’re ahead you have to stay ahead. That second 100 I just knew it I had to keep going.”
She went out in the first 100 in 52.8 seconds, or just faster than the 53 seconds she went out in at the District 10 championships. Beyer ended up besting her D10 championship time by 0.6 seconds at the state meet.
The way she attacked the race right from the start made all the difference as Beyer grabbed the lead, then held on instead of playing catch-up at the end.
“There are some strategies of how you swim that race (200 freestyle),” Russ Beyer said. “A lot of people want more of a balanced swim. Katie’s mindset is going all out the whole way and she definitely proved that in the first 100.”
Beyer is the first swimmer in program history to win state gold, and just the second individual state champion in school history (Seth Meyers, 1991 high jump).
The state title brought to a close a remarkable season for Beyer. One in which she set school records, including the 100 Free at the state championships to finish third. And pool records, including her first-place swim in the 200 Free at the District 10 championships.
And the soon-to-be-senior still has one more season to add to her already lengthy list of accomplishments.
