Barber stars at Patriot League Championships

Wilmington High graduate Lauren Barber had herself quite the weekend.

Barber, a junior who is a member of the swim team at the Naval Academy, was named the Female Swimmer of the Meet at the Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championships in Annapolis.

The former Lady Greyhounds star won the 200-yard breaststroke and the 100-yard breaststroke. She was also a part of the winning 400-yard freestyle relay. Barber’s victories give her 21 career gold medals in 21 events at the Patriot League Championships, a league record for both men and women. In an interview with Navysports.com, Barber said “My freshman year I was just a little plebe,” said Barber. “I had never really had a team before, so that was all new to me. I had so many nerves coming into the meet that year. I didn’t want to let my teammates down, I didn’t want to let myself down, and I got really anxious before all of my races. Last year I was really happy with how the team did and happy I was able to earn the points I did, but personally I was looking for faster times. This year, I just worked past the nerves, got more excited for my teammates and fed off them. I think that helped me a lot.”

Barber also went on to thank her teammates who have helped her win 12 of those 21 medals in relay events.

“I have been on four relays every year,” Barber said. “More than half of those are relay titles. It is not so much about the overall wins as it is just putting up the best times I can for my team. It is an honor to be able to swim on those relays with all of the teammates I have swam with. It is pretty cool to have the most titles, I guess, but I didn’t really look at that coming into the meet. I just wanted to swim well for myself and my team.”

Lauren Barber