It wasn’t until his sophomore year that St. Thomas Academy’s Luke Mechtel decided swimming would be his primary sport. He also played football and baseball.

Now he’s a multi-event state champion in the water.

Last year as a junior, Mechtel was a three-time winner at the Class 1A state meet. He won the 50-yard freestyle in 20.93 seconds, the 100 breaststroke in an automatic All-America qualifying time of 55.05, and swam the second leg on the winning 200 medley relay team to help led the Cadets win their first state title since 2016.

For his senior season, Mechtel’s only desire is to get faster.

“I want to drop another half a second, try to get in the 20 lows for my 50 free, and in the 53-second range for 100 breaststroke this year,” Mechtel said.

“He doesn’t love to win, he hates to lose. And there’s a difference,” said STA swim coach John Barnes, now in his 28th season. “He’s not a bad loser, but he hates to lose. And he’ll fight to find a way to get something done.”