Powell Jacobs, a Sam Barlow senior, placed ninth in the state for 200-meter freestyle, 500-meter freestyle, and 14th in the state, along with 400 relay anchor with his teammates Nathan Davis, Noah Peterson, and Tolik Lupasco placing 13th in the state.
Jacobs is a Bruin swimmer as well as an honorably mentioned water polo player. Jacobs graduates by the end of the school year as a part of the class of 2026. Powell is ending his swim year amazingly by going to state and districts. Even as an accomplished athlete, Jacobs has maintained a 4.0 GPA.
Regarding how long he has been swimming for, Jacobs said, “I’ve been swimming since freshman year, which is pretty much the first time I touched a competition pool. I started training in the off-season after sophomore year on a club team once I figured out I loved it.” Powell puts his all into everything he does, whether it’s in school or out in the pool, which we can see pays off well. One of his goals was to beat his 200-meter race time from districts into state by a little less than a second, which he accomplished. In doing so, he was able to place ninth in the state, which he says, “was a huge bonus in my opinion.” Another one of his goals was to beat his 500-meter time at districts by 4 seconds. Although it seems he must have been born with this talent, he has worked very hard and religiously to make his goals happen through training. He informs that high school training is a lot of aerobic training, sprint training, along with techniques and tapering off to stay fresh for big races ahead. Powell doesn’t remember having huge anxiety storming thoughts before races, but “exerting maximum effort just laser focuses me on making sure I perform exactly how I trained for and nothing else, ” Jacobs says. Throughout a season of success, Jacobs had a few difficult moments. “The first half of the season was difficult for me. I wasn’t dropping time in the early meets because those times were my bests from state last year.” Jacobs uses his nerves to his advantage and tries to use them for an adrenaline kick, but does have a routine down to help. Credit: Powell Jacobs won the swim competition in 2026.
Other students who have classes with him say, ”He turns things in before it’s due, which is annoying. Things kinda come naturally to him. When asked about his determination in school and outside of the school, his peers say, “He’s at the top of his class. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was at the top,” said Mr. Arnold, his English teacher here at Barlow. Powell’s favorite events are between the 100-meter freestyle and the 200 im. Powell is a well-rounded student athlete, keeping up his grades along with making it to state swim.
