Lee races past rival for two titles.

Byline: The Register-Guard

GRESHAM - Kaila Lee's hard work paid off in a big way on Saturday.

Last season, the Willamette sophomore finished second at the Class 5A state swimming meet to Glencoe's Alesha Trattner in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100 freestyle.

Afterward, Lee went to work with an eye on this year's state meet, where she'd have one last chance to beat Trattner, now a senior.

Lee tore through the regular season undefeated and won both the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle at the Midwestern League district meet last weekend, but her ultimate prize came Saturday, when she outraced Trattner in both events to claim her first two state championships.

"I was really surprised," Lee said after finishing the sweep. "Last year after state I got really motivated and just decided I was going to try to beat her this year. I worked really hard and I guess it paid off."

Lee said she was less than calm heading into the 50 free, her first race Saturday.

"I was really nervous just because there was a lot of pressure on me to get first and a lot of people were gunning for me," she said.

She won the 50 free in 23.71, breaking the meet record she set in Friday's prelims and edging Trattner, who finished in 24.17.

After securing that first title, Lee said she was more settled for the 100 free, which she won in 52.48. Trattner was second in 52.81.

"I wasn't as nervous because I'd done it before," she said.

Crescent Valley's girls and Summit's boys easily finished atop the team standings.

The Raiders scored 97 points to finish well ahead of second-place Corvallis with 36. Willamette was seventh with 14, and North Eugene - which got fifth-place finishes from Kelly McGrath in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke and a sixth place in the 400 freestyle relay - was 15th with six.

Summit's boys scored 70 points to win, followed by Corvallis with 41.

North Eugene finished tied for 10th with nine thanks Eric Mathews, who was fifth in the 500 freestyle and sixth in the 200 freestyle, a fifth place in the 200 freestyle relay and a sixth place in the 400 freestyle relay.

Sam Carter finished third in the 100 breaststroke and swam a leg on the sixth-place 200 medley relay team for the Colts, who were 14th with six.

Brett Clark scored for Churchill with a fifth-place finish in the 100 butterfly.