By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – The math was pretty simple for Forrest Frazier.

Through some simple comparing of times Frazier could see where the performances he was putting up last year as an eighth grader would place him at the state swimming meet.

The results of his simple exercise in comparisons came as a bit of a surprise to Frazier but it certainly didn’t satisfy the City High freshman.  

“I looked at it and I noticed last year how I would place top seven with my times but at the same time that’s seventh place and I want to try to get number one or number two on the podium,” Frazier said. “That was cool to see but I knew I had to put in a lot of work.”

Thanks to the work he put in Frazier will get a chance at his goal of reaching the top of the podium in his first trip to the state swimming meet on Saturday at the Marshalltown YMCA.

Frazier headlines a list of six state event qualifiers for City High, entering with top five qualifying times in both the 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke.

“He puts in the work and it really shows,” City High coach Zane Hugo said. “We knew he was going to be an immediate contributor to the team success but he works for it, it’s all him.”

Frazier, who turned 15 years on Thursday, entered his first season of prep swimming already with a loaded resume in the pool while competing for the Iowa Flyers Swim Club complete with a trip to USA Swimming junior nationals in December.

He didn’t disappoint during the regular season, posting the fastest time in five different events for City High.

Even with his extensive swimming experience Frazier admitted his first district meet last weekend came with some nerves.

“It was a bigger meet so of course there were nerves there but it wasn’t I’m not used to,” Frazier said. “When I get nervous I get excited at the same time because I know that I’m getting to the bigger meets, the bigger opportunities and better outcomes.”

Whatever nerves existed Frazier conquered.

He set school records in back-to-back events at the district meet, breaking the City High mark in the 100 backstroke with a time of 52.45 and then setting a new school record in the 100 breaststroke at 59.46.

“Forrest’s best strokes are backstroke and breaststroke so in the high school event order it’s a tough combo of events to do but he’s a tough kid,” Hugo said. “I can’t say what he is going to do every single year, he has other strong events but that is the lineup that he was going to see the most success in. It’s something that I have never seen anyone do before but he’s going to be a contender for state titles in two events.”

His time in the 100 backstroke was the second fastest qualifying time and second fastest in the state this season.

Frazier is one of four swimmers with qualifying times of 53 seconds or faster, a group led by Bettendorf junior Caleb Aman with a time of 52.11.

“We are all in it, there are four guys within a second of each other,” Frazier said. “We have all been putting in the work so we will see who comes out with it.”

Frazier brings the fifth fastest qualifying time in the breaststroke at 59.46 and is a member of the City High 200 medley relay team that qualified with the ninth fastest time.

“The district meet was a great experience and I was just pleased with the outcome of it and the position I put myself in,” Frazier said. “I am there in lane five and I’m in it.”

Frazier will attempt to become the first City High individual champion since 2011 when Collin McAllister (200 freestyle) and Cameron Herting (500 freestyle) each won titles.

“To win a state championship, that’s what I’ve wanted since forever,” Frazier said. “My goals was to come in and win a state championship my freshman year.”