Mars swimmer Luke Lamb, PIAA champ, wants to leave name on as many record boards as possible
CRANBERRY TWP — Luke Lamb wants others to look up to him.
Both by name and reputation.
“I think he sees record boards and just wants to see his name up there,” Mars coach Karen Guise said of the driven senior swimmer. “I think his motivation is, every pool, ‘Where is the record board? How can I get my name up there?’”
A New Castle resident and North Catholic student, Lamb is fond of prompting rearrangement on the lists that overlook the water.
“It just feels good, just knowing that you’re the fastest that’s swam in that event in that pool,” Lamb said before a recent practice at the Rose E. Schneider YMCA in Cranberry Township. “Just knowing that your name is going to be up there and people are going to come by and see it.
“(I’m) just trying to leave my mark wherever I can.”
His focus is set on the WPIAL Class 3A 100-yard backstroke high-water mark this year. Seneca Valley graduate Owen Blazer owns that record with a time of 47.83 seconds. Lamb wants to win a second straight 100 back PIAA championship, this time in 3A, after winning gold in 2A in March.
His 56.54-second time a YMCA meet qualified him to be on the roster for the 2024 National Select Camp. He’ll join two other 100 back swimmers — Connor Johnson (Parsippany, N.J.) and Henry Lyness (Greenwood, Ind.) — and 49 others for that camp, which is held from Jan. 9-12 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Lamb has been swimming since he was 5. For the past four years, he’s competed for the Rose E. Schneider YMCA’s RESY Riptide club team. There’s a reason he’s so goal-oriented.
“I want to make a mark on swimming, especially in this area,” Lamb said. “I want to be someone that people can look up to whenever they think about Western Pa. swimming and (the) WPIAL. I want to be someone that comes to mind.”
Lamb set WPIAL and PIAA Class 2A records in the 100 back a season ago with times of 48.68 and 48.08 seconds, respectively. He also earned a gold medal at states by completing the 50 freestyle in 20.44 seconds.
“Just the environment there was insane,” Lamb said. “It almost felt unreal when I won. ... That kind of gave me confidence to know that, even with that much pressure, I’m able to get it done.”
“I think that the other swimmers see that,” Guise said. “The results are there. His times are there. ... I definitely think that he’s a role model, even to our little ones. With being on the club team, we start with 6-year-olds, and they all know Luke’s name.”
The North Catholic and Mars swim teams merged before this season. Guise was an assistant coach for both last year and has mentored Lamb during each of his four years with RESY.
Lamb had already been training with a lot of members of the Planets’ team for club competition. He was elected as a captain by his teammates for this prep season. The only adjustment on the high school scene has been the Class 3A meets and opponents.
“I don’t think it’s any different,” Lamb said. “I’m still going to swim my own races, just do what I can do. There’s definitely some harder competition at states and the higher levels. But, I think through the season, I just have to focus on my own races, focus on myself.”
“Honestly, there’s nothing that I think he can’t do,” Guise said.
Lamb is committed to continue his swim career at the Naval Academy, where plans on majoring in political science and working on military planes.
“Without swimming, I don’t think I ever even would’ve thought of it,” Lamb said. “Just talking to the coaches, seeing the opportunity ... especially on the visit, it just felt like it was the right place for me.
“It’s very appealing to me, just being able to be pushed by others around me and being able to push others.”
