Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – John Weigel just wanted to be tops in his own family.

As the 2023 boys’ swimming season neared its end, the City High senior began to inch closer to the 100-yard freestyle school record of 45.24 seconds, set by older brother Isaac Weigel two years ago.

After all, dreams of a state title in the event would mean overcoming a defending champion.

Too much to ask?

Not on this day.

“I didn’t expect to win, but the main goal was beating my brother’s school record,” Weigel said after claiming the 100 free state championship in a school-record time of 45.19 seconds Saturday during the finals of the boys’ swimming state championships at the University of Iowa’s Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. “Which I did by five hundredths. I’m ecstatic.”

Weigel bested defending state champion AJ Abram of Waukee by 15 hundredths of a second after a late charge over the final 50 yards in which he went from second place to the top of the podium.

A change in mindset before the meet seemed to produce a loose, free type of effort.

“I think I just stopped worrying about it,” Weigel said. “It was my last 100 as an individual and I just wanted to go out there and prove myself, show what I can do. It was a lot less anxiety going into that race I just thought I would leave it all out there. I was just trying to stay in second. I didn’t expect to out-touch him. I am just blown away.”

The state championship was a rousing finish to the prep swimming career for Weigel, who also posted a third-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle in 20.79 seconds.

“When he is at his tops, he is kind of like on top of the water,” third-year City High coach Mandi Kowal said. “I saw some of that come back. I am just so happy for him.”

Weigel’s state title was the second of the day for City High.

Junior Joe Polyak – an Iowa City Regina student – improved on last year’s fourth-place performance in the 200-yard individual medley and won the event in 1:48.94, more than a full second faster than runner-up Asher Havenhill of Waukee (1:50.02).

“It means a lot,” Polyak said. “It is another reassurance of how hard I have worked this year. I definitely didn’t expect this, but I am really happy with how I did.”

Polyak is the second City High swimmer to win the event in the past four years after Forrest Frazier won in 2020.

“Definitely, I knew this year it was going to be possible,” Polyak said. “But really, I just focused on my time and what I could do.”

Polyak missed a second state title by just two hundredths of a second after finishing second in the 100-yard breaststroke.

His time of 55.44 seconds was a second-and-a-half faster than his time in Friday’s preliminary round, but just behind Ames junior Joshua Chen (55.42) for the championship.

“He has had a lot of growth,” Kowal said. “Part of it, for him, is trusting the process and understanding what happens on his club level and his high school level. You can just see him get the information a little bit better. He is getting a little bit more confident. You can be confident, but be mindful of the other swimmers. That is what you have to do, and he is really good at that. And I think that is going to carry him a long way.”

Weigel and Polyak also helped Iowa City High place fifth in the 200-yard freestyle relay alongside senior Kento Yahashiri and junior Charlie Pfohl and seventh in the 400 relay with Pfohl and freshman Philip Berry- Stoelzle.

Yahashiri also contributed points as an individual in the 100 breaststroke for City High which finished 10th overall in the team standings with 126.5 points.

“The guys, they got themselves ready,” Kowal said. “I could not be more pleased with them. I am just happy for them. Everybody had really good swims. You just want the guys to leave on a good note.”

With 304 points, Waukee won the team title for the third year in a row and fifth time in eight years.

West High was eighth as a team with 136 points, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the 100-yard butterfly and a fourth-place performance in the 100 backstroke from junior Holden Carter, an Iowa City Liberty student.

Junior Max Gerke (200-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle), senior Lukas Swanson (200 free, 500 free), freshman Winston Fan (200 IM, 100 breast) and senior Ian Caballero (50 free) also contributed individual points for West.

Boys’ swimming State Meet

At University of Iowa Campus Recreation Center

Teams – 1. Waukee 304; 2. West Des Moines Valley 214; 3. Ames 176; 4. Ankeny 160; 5. Pleasant Valley 159; 6. Linn-Mar 158.5; 7. Bettendorf 150.5; 8. West High 136; 9. Cedar Falls 127; 10. City High 126.5; 11. Cedar Rapids Washington 87; 12. West Des Moines Dowling 65;  13. Sioux City Metro 61; 14. Dubuque Hempstead 49; 15. Johnston 39; 16. Spencer 29; 17. Newton 19; 18. Keokuk 16; 19. Dubuque Senior 14; 20. Council Bluffs Lewis Central 13; 21. Fort Dodge 12.5; 22. Burlington 12; 23. Ottumwa 8; 24. Southeast Polk 7; 24. Decorah 7; 26. Centerville 6; 26. Marshalltown 6; 28. Carroll 5; 29. Vinton-Shellsburg 3.

200 medley relay – 1. Ames 1:33.24; 23. City High (Grayson Wills, Kento Yahashiri, James Kardos, Braydon Calonder), 1:44.39

200 freestyle – 1. Jacob Pins (West Des Moines Valley), 1:37.52; 7. Lukas Swanson (Iowa City West), 1:44.69; 8. Max Gerke (Iowa City West), 1:45.81.

200 IM – 1. Joe Polyak (City High) 1:48.94; 14. Winston Fan (West High) 1:57.91.

50 freestyle – 1. Lance Swanepoel (Ankeny) 20.40; 3. John Weigel (City High) 20.79; 16. Ian Caballero (West High) 21.94.

100 butterfly – 1. Lance Swanepoel (Ankeny) 47.10; 2. Holden Carter (West High) 48.66

100 freestyle – 1. John Weigel (City High) 45.19.

500 freestyle – 1. Jacob Pins (West Des Moines Valley) 4:25.34; 6. Lukas Swanson (West High) 4:46.94; 8. Max Gerke (West High) 4:53.84.

200 freestyle relay – 1. Waukee 1:23.17; 5. City High (Joe Polyak, Kento Yahashiri, Charlie Pfohl, John Weigel) 1:26.59; 7. West High (Ian Caballero, Christian Janis, Lukas Swanson, Max Gerke) 1:26.77.

100 backstroke – 1. Asher Havenhill (Waukee) 49.20; 4. Holden Carter (West High) 49.92.

100 breaststroke – 1. Joshua Chen (Ames) 55.42; 2. Joe Polyak (Iowa City High), 55.44; 8. Winston Fan (Iowa City West), 59.22; 15. Kento Yahashiri (City High) 1:00.13.

400 freestyle relay – 1. Waukee 3:05.75; 7. City High (Joe Polyak, Philip Berry-Stoelzle, John Weigel, Charlie Pfohl), 3:11.19; 9. West High (Lukas Swanson, Max Gerke, Holden Carter, Winston Fan) 3:12.40.

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating.