By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– Eliana Kuenz knew how special last season was to see more of her Salem Academy swimming teammates, making it to the 4A-1A State Swimming Meet in Tualatin during her junior year.
It was an exciting experience to be able to share that high-stake experience with her teammates her junior year coming off of a sophomore year where she finished night in the 50-yard freestyle and tenth in the 100-yard freestyle, the now-senior said. Mixed in the challenge her junior year of doing the 50-yard freestyle with the 200-yard freestyle Relay and 200-yard Medley Relay, her junior season was
“It was a really exciting experience and it’s amazing to go with my team (in 2024), the year (2023) I went by myself, so it was a really fun experience to be able to go with my teammates and make that kind of team comradery and family together at such a high-stake event,” said Kuenz. “50’s are definitely my thing. It’s definitely a mental thing where I have to think before I race about how I have to shift what I focus on in the past event, and I have to focus on now. And make sure I don’t tire out because I definitely want to give it my all in each and every event and make sure I find ways to give it my wall to save energy for future events.”
Kuenz, along with Ellie Gladow, who also qualified for the 100-yard freestyle (11th), 200-yard freestyle (12th) last season and was on those relay teams with her, return. Alex Willcoxen and Clarie Hicks, who were alternates on those relay teams, also returned this winter. Setting up for another possible Crusader relay appearance at State this season, if not at least, sending a few individual swimmers in individual events. It’s something that Kuenz is hoping to leave behind for the program, to leave it in a good spot before she graduates in the spring.
“This year, I made it my goal… telling the coaches, telling the team that I want it to be fun,” starts Kuenz. “Swimming can be a sport where you can get burnt out, and I really want people to have fun this year and really just love the sport for the sport that it is. I also want them to give it their all and focus on what they need to do to get to that higher-level stakes like State.”
A new face on the team that’s expected to turn heads is Carson Birky. The freshman swimmer is making the adjustment from Club Swimming into school swimming. The transition is going well, but Birky points out, but knows she can continue to work at it as the squad prepares for the Sprint Meet Saturday in Albany.
“I think it’s going well, I just need more time to process it more and put in the work. I can keep working as hard as I can and going as hard as I can during the meetings and keeping the mindset of ‘Each Meet is new.” Each Meet, I’m going to do my best,” said Birky.
