Brueggen earns state swim medal to conclude memorable season

By Andy Brown
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Updated: May 31, 2022

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg freshman Sabra Brueggen medaled fifth in the 100 backstroke at the state swim meet on May 21 in Lenexa.

LENEXA — Even though she is just a freshman, Sabra Brueggen is already putting a stamp on her high school swim career at Louisburg High School.

It all came to a rousing end on May 21 as Brueggen earned her first state medal at the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim and Diving Championships at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center.

Brueggen became the first swimmer in school history to earn a state medal as she finished fifth in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:00.58.

On the day before in the preliminaries, Brueggen also took fifth in a season-best time of 1:00.15.

“Medaling as freshman means the world to me, and it proves to me that all of my hard work for all of these years, has paid off,” Brueggen said. “I feel like I performed my absolute best at state, and I was very happy with the results. It gives me confidence that I will have a bright future representing OzPaLou at the state swim meets.”

She nearly had a second medal in the 50 freestyle. Brueggen put together a season-best time of 25.26 seconds, but finished ninth overall. It was the same finish she had the in the preliminaries.

***Sabra Brueggen dives into the pool for her start in the 50 freestyle on May 20 at the state swim meet in Lenexa.***

The top eight in each event earn a state medal as she was just .06 away from earning another spot on the medal stand.

“Placing ninth in the 50 free started a fire in me,” Brueggen said. “I’m determined to push even harder to earn a top eight finish, not in just one event, but both my events next year. However, swimming a lifetime best in the 50 free this year at state has challenged me to work even harder to accomplish my future goals.”

Brueggen had a memorable season for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg swim program as she became the first swimmer to qualify for state in all eight of her individual events.

Getting off to a good start in her high school career has only left Brueggen wanting more.

“I’m very excited to see what next year brings, and I’m so thankful for all of my coaches this year that have supported and encouraged me in all of my endeavors,” Brueggen said. “I’m confident that the future of the OzPaLou swim team is bright.”