EDITOR'S NOTE: For full results of the Swim & Dive State Championships on Nov. 8-9 in Mesa, click here.

When Delaney Barbee traveled to Indianapolis this past summer to compete with the very best this country has to offer at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, she took it in stride when finding out she didn’t make the team.

“I was still pleased with my performance considering I was one of the youngest athletes there,” the 15-year-old sophomore at Boulder Creek said about not making the top two spots in the 50-freestyle, turning in a 26.15 time on the long course.

The top two finishers traveled to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

So, when asked if she was nervous about the upcoming Division I Swim & Dive State Championships this weekend in Mesa, her experiences at venues like Lucas Oil Stadium where the Olympic trials were held are what she references.

Boulder Creek’s Delaney Barbee standing for a photo at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis, Indiana, at Lucas Oil Stadium in June. Barbee is one of the top swimmers to watch at the Division I Swim & Dive State Championships on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 8 and 9, in Mesa. (Barbee family/Courtesy)“I think after super big experiences in swimming, this is easy for me,” Barbee said about her potential individual state championship prospects in the 50- and 100-freestyle events. “I have some pretty high expectations for myself, I’m confident in my racing abilities.”

The 6-foot, 170-pound standout currently holds the top 50 (22.97) and 100 (50.43) times in the state at all levels. She is also part of the top 200-freestyle relay team (1:38.00, Boulder Creek) and is second in the 200-freestyle (1:51.99).

Born in Phoenix, Barbee said she actually tried gymnastics first, but quickly switched to swimming after an unfortunate accident.

“I wasn’t even doing anything cool; I tripped over my big foot and fell and broke my arm,” Barbee said with a laugh. “After that I realized maybe this is not for me.”

So, at age 9, Barbee joined a recreational swim team and initially hated it, but learned to love her craft, and eventually joined a club team.

“I loved my teammates; we were best friends. The friendship, the culture, is what made me start to love it. Then I put it in the work, and I kept getting better and better, and that contributed to my love for the sport,” Barbee said, crediting her mom for her swimming success.

“She swam in high school,” Barbee said, adding that the 5 a.m. swim practices are paying off because by age 12, she was breaking state records. Being able to participate at Olympic trials in June “solidified” her place among the very best in Arizona.

Set to turn 16 in December, Barbee is homeschooled but has been involved in extracurricular activities from the beginning.

“Growing up, my mom was super good about putting us in all the activities, and as I got older, I chose friends and we’re still friends to this day. I’m always around people,” Barbee said, adding that her dad is a big supporter of swimming.

“He doesn’t know as much. He’s always there cheering for me,” Barbee said with a laugh, noting that her father was a soccer player and her younger sister, Kelsey, loves and participates in soccer.

And from the outside looking in, swimming feels like an individual sport, but she doesn’t take for granted how much of a “team sport” if feels like with at Boulder Creek.

“It looks individual, but it’s a team,” Barbee said. “It’s super fun to swim with all your teammates during high school.”

UP NEXT

The Division I Swim & Dive State Championship preliminaries are set for Friday, Nov. 8, and the finals are Saturday, Nov. 9. Both days start at 3 p.m. and are at the Skyline Aquatic Center.

TOP TIMES

Division I

50 free individual: Delaney Barbee, Boulder Creek, 22.97

100 fly: Lorin Tobler, Gilbert, 54.93

100 breaststroke: Corinne Warriner, Hamilton, 1:03.01

100 free individual: Delaney Barbee, Boulder Creek, 50.43

100 backstroke individual: Lorin Tobler, Gilbert, 55.64

200 free individual: Delaney Barbee, Boulder Creek, 1:51.99

200 medley individual: Reagan Uhlik, Basha, 2:04.60

200 medley relay: Arizona College Prep, 1:47.91

200 free relay: Boulder Creek, 1:38.00

400 free relay: Mountain View, 3:35.69

500 free individual: Reagan Uhlik, Basha, 4:57.59

Division II

50 free individual: Katelyn Huffman, Desert Mountain, 23.96

100 fly: Ellie Horning, Desert Mountain, 56.07

100 breaststroke: Ireland Gilligan, Horizon, 1:05.74

100 free individual: Amber Janky, Catalina Foothills, 51.65

100 backstroke individual: Ellie Horning, Desert Mountain, 56.76

200 free individual: Amber Janky, Catalina Foothills, 1:50.96

200 medley individual: Amber Janky, Catalina Foothills, 2:06.68

200 medley relay: Desert Mountain, 1:48.63

200 free relay: Catalina Foothills, 1:38.74

400 free relay: Catalina Foothills, 3:33.28

500 free individual: N/A

Division III

50 free individual: Aubrielle Stevens, Paradise Honors, 23.88

100 fly: Reagan Edquid, Pusch Ridge, 56.85

100 breaststroke: Reagan Edquid, Push Ridge, 1:05.77

100 free individual: Aubrielle Stevens, Paradise Honors, 53.40

100 backstroke individual: Liliana Hineman, Notre Dame, 57.85

200 free individual: Lelia Symington, Phoenix Country Day, 1:54.77

200 medley individual: Reagan Edquid, Pusch Ridge, 2:08.44

200 medley relay: Phoenix Country Day, 1:52.78

200 free relay: Phoenix Country Day, 1:41.73

400 free relay: N/A

500 free individual: Lelia Symington, Phoenix Country Day, 5:02.43

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on X at @AzPreps365Brian or on Facebook at @Five2MediaWorks. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.