Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Before he hits the water inside the University of Iowa Aquatic Center on Saturday Forrest Frazier is already the most accomplished swimmer in City High history.

With five individual school records, three state titles and a state meet record already filling a sparkling career resume Frazier can stake claim as the best to swim at City High.

All of that is before Frazier has his grand finale on Saturday at the State Swimming Meet in Iowa City.

“Once Forrest is done this weekend it will be Forrest,” City High coach Zane Hugo said when asked if Frazier was the most decorated in program history. “We’ve had some really good swimmers and divers so there is some good history but he has definitely put his name in our record book.”

Frazier will attempt to put the finishing touches on his brilliant prep career on Saturday.

The University of California recruit owns the top time in the state in both the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM this season and is a heavy favorite in both events.

His time of 1:49.15 in the 200 IM leads the rest of the field by more than two seconds and Frazier owns the top time in the 100 breaststroke by nearly three seconds as he seeks a third consecutive state title in the event.

It’s not the potential for two more individual titles that has Frazier most excited for his prep finale but rather the chance to do something he’s never done before – share a title with teammates.

“I’m really excited about leaving my mark in my individual events but what I’m most pumped about is how we are sitting in our relay,” Frazier said. “We have never gone in this high seeded we didn’t have our top relay put together this past weekend so I think some really exciting things are going to come on the team level and that’s what has me pumped.”

The City High 200 medley relay team of Frazier, Isaac Weigel, Caleb Coons and Will Larson enters with the second fastest time at 1:34.75 trailing rival West High by more than a second and a half.  

“That’s a tough relay for us just because West High is so good and we obviously want to win it to,” Hugo said. “I think we are going to make some switches at state that will give us a little boost. I think we have a good shot at dropping a significant amount of time.”

A relay title is one of the few things that have eluded Frazier during his prep career.

Frazier burst onto the state scene as a sophomore, winning state titles in the 100 breaststroke and 100 butterfly while being named the state meet’s outstanding swimmer.

Last season his commitment to junior national swimming events combined with a nagging shoulder injury limited Frazier’s prep season to just the district and state meets.

He still managed to defend his state title in the 100 breaststroke with the second fastest time in state meet history behind his own state record from the previous season.

This year Frazier was been back with the Little Hawks for nearly the entire season dual season, something he says he made a priority.

“Our team has been deeper and just better in the dual meet season than we have been in the past,” Frazier said. “Typically, the championship part of the year is when we really shine but we’ve shined through the dual season as well and that’s been exciting.”

Frazier swims at a high level on the national level and trains for that competition throughout the season.

The opportunity to get in the pool during the week and compete with his teammates at dual meets was something Frazier didn’t want to miss in his final season.

“That’s a blast,” Frazier said of the duals. “Just being able to compete all the time, that’s what we do it for, we aren’t here to swim laps to swim laps we want to train to be able to compete so being able to compete all the time that’s what it’s all about its fun.”

With his prep career coming to an end Frazier is looking to go out with a bang.

Frazier will attempt to join Cameron Herting as only the second swimmer in City High history to win a state title in the same event three times with a title in the 100 breaststroke.

Herting captured three consecutive titles in the 500 freestyle from 2009 to 2011.

“The 100 breaststroke is definitely one of my favorite events,” Frazier said. “I like relays the most in general because those are the most exciting when the whole team is in it but the 100 breaststroke is definitely one of my favorite individual events for sure.”

Frazier set the state meet record in the 100 breaststroke at 54.16 two years ago. He nearly matched that time last week at the district meet winning in 54.18.

“My goal was to break the state record two years ago and it’s a totally different thing now that I’m able to go those times unrested,” Frazier said. “My goals keep moving forward as I do. It’s always good to set something new to get in the water every day to chase.”

Isaac Weigel hopes to build on a strong state meet performance from last season that included a fourth and fifth place finish.

Weigel has posted top-five times in the state this season in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle races.

“He’s a competitor,” Hugo said of Weigel. “He just goes after it, nobody is hitting best times in dual meets all year but he has had some really strong dual meets putting up good times.”

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