Boulder Creek's Delaney Barbee driven to break her state swim record

It's been a couple of years since Delaney Barbee set state records twice in a 24-hour span in the 50-yard freestyle during the Arizona Interscholastic Association's Division I state swimming and diving championships.After transitioning to a new club, the Anthem Boulder Creek senior not only missed out on breaking her own record last year but finished second at the state meet in both the 50 (23.30 seconds) and the 100 freestyle (51.51). She won state titles in both events her sophomore year, swimming the 100 free in 50.28.She's back now with the hope of breaking her state record of 22.74 seconds in the Nov. 6 state preliminaries and the Nov. 7 finals at Skyline Aquatic Center in Mesa.Her best time this year is 23.0 off of a relay leadoff. "I'm really hoping at districts this week I can get under 23," she said. "And, at state, maybe get close to my record. Maybe break it."Last season was a transition year for the 5-foot-11 Barbee, who went from the Arizona Dolphins club to the Scottsdale Aquatic Club."I think the adjustment to a lot of higher volume training was hard on my body, and it just took a year to adjust to it," Barbee said. "I feel a lot different in the water, a lot more confident in the water this year." Barbee had committed to Arizona State in the summer, but she then decommitted. This week, she announced her commitment to the University of Arizona.Her Boulder Creek coaches, Scott Newell and Dan Morse, have seen a more powerful swimmer in the water this year. Barbee put in a lot of time in the weight room, along with the pool.The Boulder Creek girls' team finished in the top five at state last year in Division I. They have a chance at doing that again with Barbee also contributing to two relays and competing in the 100 free along with the 50 free."She's come back really well," Morse said. "Last year was a bit of a struggle for her. But she's a really tough kid. She managed to get through that adversity and now everything is starting to move forward again. I think she's primed to have a really good state meet."Newell has seen Barbee make huge strides from her freshman year, when she first made a splash."Delaney is obviously a really good swimmer, and we've had a lot of good swimmers here," Newell said. "But she's also a really nice kid. She gets along with everybody. You wouldn't know by meeting her that she's been the fastest kid in the state for four years. She's very down to earth and relatable."She said she's excitecd to swim at the next level, and, if in 2028 all things go well, possibly in the Olympics in Los Angeles.Barbee entered her freshman year owning three age-group state records but didn't put too much pressure on herself when entering high school.Now, she won't put pressure on herself to get to the ultimate victory stand at the Olympics."I think I've been able to handle it pretty well," Barbee said. "I was a pretty confident freshman. I knew what I was capable of. Having a tremendous group of seniors my freshman year also really helped. So that kind of set the tone for my four years. "I hope I'm able to pass that on to help this next generation of swimmers feel the same way."Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. Please sign up for Azcentral Preps Now newsletter. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obertThis article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Boulder Creek's Delaney Barbee driven to break her state swim record