Update | Richland’s Lisa Bratton shines Friday in Tokyo Olympic semifinals

Update: Lisa Bratton succeeded Friday in swimming her way into the Olympic finals. She had the fourth fastest time in the first round and then sixth fastest in the semifinals. She swims Saturday for a spot on the U.S. team in Tokyo.

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Lisa Bratton spent some time Wednesday with family in Omaha, Neb.

But the swimming pool is never far from her mind.

The Delta High School graduate from Richland was preparing for the women’s 200 meter backstroke event at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials on Friday and Saturday.

Meanwhile, Bratton made it into the finals of the 100 backstroke on Tuesday, finishing eighth at 1:00.24.

“It was nice to take (Wednesday) off, hanging out with my parents,” said the 25-year-old. “But I’ll get back into the water tonight. This is a very long meet. And it was nice to get to sleep in today.”

The 200 backstroke is Bratton’s specialty.

“I’ve always been a middle distance swimmer, and that starts with the 200,” she said.

The 200 backstroke is where Bratton shines.

In 2018, she won the gold medal in the event at the Short Course World Championships in China.

As a 16-year-old in 2012, Bratton placed 16th overall in the 200 back at the USA Swimming Trials.

Four years later, in 2016, she finished third in the event — just missing a spot on the roster.

“My game plan going into this weekend is the same as it was in 2016: get three good 200s in, and come home strong (to touch the wall) each time,” said Bratton.

Also, don’t look up.

As a backstroker, Bratton says she can see the huge scoreboard above the pool in Omaha, and it’s easy to read when she swims.

“I keep telling myself, ‘Don’t look at it,’” she said. “Look above it, or look below it.”

She’s ready, and that finals experience Tuesday was helpful. Getting into the final eight of the 100 backstroke was a pleasant surprise, she said.

“But I also saw myself getting into the finals,” said Bratton. “I thought it would take about 59 (seconds) to get into it. So it was definitely on my radar.”

Graduate work

Bratton just recently finished her graduate course classes in Ocean Engineering, “but I still have my research and thesis to complete.”

Bratton, who swam collegiately for Texas A&M and attends school there, recently moved to Georgia and is training with a group of professionals at the University of Georgia.

The pandemic, she said, kind of forced her hand.

“COVID really shook everything up,” Bratton said. “Things in Texas last year weren’t opening back up. But Georgia was open.”

Last spring, Bratton was able to come home to the Tri-Cities for a few weeks. But then it was back to training.

The thought of stopping swimming, she said, has never crossed her mind.

“I can only do this for so long right now,” she said. “I’m still in school. I can work for the rest of my life later.”

International Swimming League

Friday, she’ll have the prelims and the semifinals. The finals will be Saturday.

Regardless of what happens, Bratton will have more swimming in the fall. She has competed the last two seasons in the International Swimming League — made up of the world’s top swimmers who compete on teams in meets that are scored per event.

“I love the ISL,” Bratton said. “It takes me back to my high school and college roots, where you compete for the team. And it’s great that I can get paid some money doing it.”

While Bratton swam for the team based out of Washington, D.C., called the DC Trident in the inaugural 2019 season, last season she was a member of the Toronto Titans.

“I am signed up to go back into the draft,” she said. “The first meet of the season is in Naples, Italy.”

▪ Got a chance to talk with Pasco High graduate Marisa (Vander Malle) Howard on Wednesday, as she and her husband were driving from Boise (where they live) to Eugene, as she prepares to run the women’s 3000 steeplechase at the USA Olympic Team Track and Field Trials.

Since the first round of that event isn’t run until Sunday night — with the finals next Thursday — we’ll have that in Sunday’s Herald.

High school running

Kamiakin’s Isaac Teeples just completed his junior year, but he already holds three school records in the distance runs of 800 meters, 1600, and 3200.

In a way, it’s not surprising, because Teeples was the Class 3A state champion in state cross country in the fall of 2019.

But in another way, it is surprising for Teeples, ranked 11th in the nation.

“Since he hasn’t been doing meets (outside of the Northwest), when most of the 10 in front of him have been flying all over the country, it definitely is impressive,” said Kamiakin boys cross country coach Matt Rexus.

The first record to fall was in mid-May, where in a meet in Tacoma, Teeples crossed the finish line in the 1600 meters in 4:09.

The second record to fall was the 3200, where on June 3, Teeples clocked in at 8:51.43 in Portland.

Lastly, Teeples ran a 1:53.41 time in the 800 last week in Olympia.

Performances like these are why Teeples was named the Gatorade Washington Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year in May.

Finally, Teeples was named the Mid-Columbia Conference boys cross country Runner of the Year recently.

Rexus and Chiawana’s Peter Hawkins were named co-Coaches of the Year.

Joining Teeples on the first team were Kamiakin senior Jordan Sanguino and Kamiakin junior Grayson Wilcott; Walla Walla sophomore Brody Hartley; Richland senior Joel Martinez; Chiawana senior Owen Stigge; and Hanford junior Ethan Stout.

For the MCC girls, Kennewick junior Macy Marquardt was named girls Runner of the Year.

Richland’s Gabe DeShazo was the MCC Girls Coach of the Year.

Joining Marquardt on the first team were four Richland Bombers runners in senior Madilynn Carr, senior Andrijana Fundak, junior Natalie Ruzauskas, and senior Emma Summers.

Also on the first team are Walla Walla junior Sariah Hepworth, and two Hermiston runners — senior Amanda Nygard, and junior Alexia Serna.

Basketball

The Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association will induct two years’ worth of coaches into its hall of fame in July.

One of the ceremonies will be held July 20 at Davis High School in Yakima, in which long-time Davis and Wenatchee head coach Eli Juarez gets the call into the hall.

On a local note, Roger Sonderland of River View and Dean Wagenaar of Sunnyside Christian will also be inducted that day.

This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 12:59 PM.