Photo by Hope Toliver
By BYRON BEERS
Broken Arrow senior Claire McDaris has excelled in swimming, a sport she’s enjoyed now for nine years.
McDaris is a three-time state qualifier who will extend her swimming career at Quincy University (Illinois) after she’s completed her time at Broken Arrow.
The 2022 Frontier Valley Conference champion in the 200 Freestyle also competes in the 500 Freestyle for the Tigers. In 2022, McDaris earned the Most Versatile Swimmer Award, Leadership Award, was a Superintendent Advisory Board Student appointee and a OAG finalist at the Senior State Championships.
“Claire is a determined athlete,” Broken Arrow head coach Casey Beck said. “She has set goals for herself and trains hard to achieve them. She is a leader on and off the deck and is always willing to help her fellow teammates out however she can. I believe she will be in the top eight in her events at state this year.”
In a recent meet at Bartlesville on Jan. 3, McDaris claimed a title in the 500 Freestyle where she posted a time of 5:39.12, edging Bartlesville’s Ashlynn Taylor (5:39.37). McDaris was second in the 200 Freestyle where she recorded a time of 2:08.64.
McDaris finished seventh at state in the 200 Freestyle and was 14th in the 500 Freestyle as a junior. She was 11th in the 400 Freestyle Relay. In 2021 as a sophomore, she had a pair of top10 finishes in the 200 Freestyle (ninth) and the 500 Freestyle (ninth). She placed seventh in the 400 Relay as a freshman.
Academics come first for McDaris.
“I love the ability to represent my school and my grades are important to me so I am able to swim,” McDaris said. “My favorite subject is history.”
McDaris has a strong bond with her teammates.
“They mean the world to me,” she said. “They are my support when I need it. My girls are like sisters.”
