Q & A with Newcastle High School swimmer Connor Leader
Newcastle High School junior Connor Leader just won the Regional titles for two swimming events, and he’s preparing to compete at OSSAA Class 5A State.
He won first place in the 100 Yard Butterfly and the 100 Yard Breaststroke.
A Newcastle High School Athletics department spokesperson said Leader is an outstanding multi-sport athlete, and we are honored to have him competing not only at swimming but also in baseball. He stated that Leader is now a three-time State qualifier in swimming and also competed in State for baseball last season.
“Connor has an impressive resume,” the spokesperson said. “His freshman year, Leader was awarded State Runner-up in the 200 IM and 3rd place in the 100 Breaststroke. His sophomore year he was awarded State Runnerup in the 100 Butterfly and he was State Champion in the 100 Backstroke.”
The Athletics Department took the opportunity for a short question and answer session. The result is the following: Newcastle Athletics: What is your biggest accomplish- ment in swimming?
LEADER Q & A: Going for the gold at OSSAA State Swim Meet
Connor: Getting six sectional times at a swim meet in Dallas.
Newcastle Athletics: What inspired you to become a swimmer?
Connor: My sister started swimming before me and I was bored of waiting for her practices to be done. That’s how I started.
Newcastle Athletics: How do you mentally prepare for a big competition?
Connor: Listen to music and get good sleep.
Newcastle Athletics: Can you share a challenging moment in your swimming career and how you overcame it?
Connor: Before last year I hardly ever swam backstroke, but I worked on it more than ever and I dropped five seconds on the year and ended up winning state in the 100 backstroke.
Newcastle Athletics: What advice would you give to aspiring swimmers?
Connor: If it doesn’t hurt then you’re not doing it right.
This year, Leader will compete in the 2025 State Championship in the 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke.
He will swim tomorrow (Friday) in the preliminaries at Jenks High School.
The Newcastle swimmer will then go for the gold at the OSSAA State Class 5A Championship — scheduled for Saturday, February 22.
