Brookstone swimmer sets new highlight in career with first place at state meet

As Brookstone’s Hannah Mattson psyched herself up for the state meet’s 100-yard freestyle finals race in February, the junior kept a watchful eye on one competitor.

Mattson had raced Holy Innocents’ Abby Pilkenton quite a bit before this event, not only at the high school level but at the club level as well. Mattson knew Pilkenton was a worthy competitor even before the two battled it out in the finals, and a pre-race chat beforehand drove home that point.

Once the race began, Mattson said she could see Pilkenton out of the corner of her eye and paid close attention to the sophomore’s position. As the race progressed, it became apparent the two were in great position for a victory, leaving onlookers to carefully watch the event’s conclusion.

With the end in sight, Mattson did what she could to finish strong.

“I just remember that last wall, I put my head down and tried to get there as quickly as I could,” Mattson said.

Mattson’s final push proved worthwhile. She and Pilkenton tied for first place, giving each an unlikely state title to their credit.

It was a highlight that won’t soon be forgotten for Mattson, who also finished second in the 200 freestyle and helped the 200 freestyle relay team finish fourth. Thanks to her standout efforts, she has been named the All-Bi-City Female Swimmer of the Year for the second straight year.

“It’s definitely very nerve wracking, being at finals and just at state in general. With high school teams, it’s a lot less common for a bunch of people to go to state, so I think everybody had those nerves,” Mattson said. “It’s big. It’s intimidating. Everybody’s so fast, but I think just having everybody there was nice to have that experience.”

Mattson entered her junior season after a year in which she finished second at state in the 100 and 200 freestyle. She said the year was a stressful one with the start of the recruiting process, but she was determined to go to practice every day and push to improve.

It was an easier task thanks to the senior-laden team around her. Mattson was the only Brookstone girl who made state who was not a senior, and the group’s connection made a real impression on their younger teammate.

“It was kind of a bittersweet last season for them. I’m sad to see them go, but it was a lot of fun,” Mattson said. “We really pushed each other in practice. We were all very encouraging. I think that’s the biggest part of improving – being there for one another and pushing one another.”

As enjoyable as the first-place finish was for Mattson, her final event of state meant just as much. As part of the 200 freestyle relay team, Mattson and seniors Anna Leary, Rachel Leary, Ava Pahl, went out with a 4th-place finish among Class A swimmers, taking 12th against all opponents from Class A up to Class 5A.

To say the moment was emotional wouldn’t quite do it justice.

“That last relay at finals, I won’t shut up about it. We got a video of it, and we were all just hugging each other and crying after we finished,” Mattson said. “That was really impressive for Brookstone because we’ve never made finals before as a relay. I think that was a really cool experience for other Brookstone girls who don’t swim year round. It was just so meaningful.”

Brookstone has a big task ahead of itself with the loss of those seniors, but Mattson is determined to keep pushing forward. She aims to make the state meet yet again, and is eager to put together a relay team from scratch.

The task ahead may be tough, but for Mattson, it’s all about controlling what she can and making the most of her senior season.

“My plans are work as hard as I can, “Mattson said. “Hopefully, we can do the same things we did this past year.”

This story was originally published April 17, 2018 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Brookstone swimmer sets new highlight in career with first place at state meet."