Haiden Schoessel didn’t know she was on the verge of history.
And that’s just the way she wanted it.
The Eureka High senior standout won the 50-yard freestyle state title for the fourth consecutive time at the Missouri Class 2 Girls Swimming and Diving Championships in February.
Schoessel became just the second female swimmer to take four successive golds in the 50 free after Blue Springs’ Tarin Corwin also did it from 2005-08.
But it was not something Schoessel was aware of until Eureka coach Anna Jovanovic whispered it in her ear as she was draping the gold medal around her neck moments after the race.
“I didn’t want to tell her (beforehand) and then have her start worrying. I wanted her to focus on her race,†Jovanovic said. “Being the second person to do that is pretty awesome. It’s just a testament to how hard she’s worked. To do it in the 50 free of all events is quite impressive.â€
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And, again, Schoessel was just fine without the advanced knowledge of what was at stake in a 50 free final in which she would swim a time of 23.22 seconds — just two-tenths of a second off her Class 2 state record time of 23.02 from last year’s final.
“We kind of have a mutual understanding not to tell each other things like that,†Schoessel said. “She knows I could probably handle it, but there are times where it does stress me out and it just adds another thing I will obsess over and worry about. She told me when she put the medal around my neck and that was when it all hit me and I got a little emotional. It was a very cool moment for me and my coach.â€
That historic effort helped earn Schoessel the nod as the Post-Dispatch All-Metro girls swimmer of the year this season.
“I’m just really proud that I was able to grow so much as a leader and a teammate this year. I feel like that’s a success in itself and a huge part of why our team was very successful this year,†she said. “I’m very proud of everything I’ve achieved over the last four years. I know everyone says this, but I never thought in a million years that I would be in this position and have accomplished what I accomplished. I’m grateful for every single second of it.â€
Read about the St. Louis area's top high school girls swimmers and their accomplishments throughout the 2023-24 season.
Schoessel, who has signed to swim at Arizona State, also added a state championship in the 100 free as a junior. She was hoping to do so again this season, but she finished as the runner-up, just behind Liberty North senior Avery True.
“I knew it was going to be a tough race,†Jovanovic said. “After the emotional high of the 50 and being told you’re the second person to do it, the way she handled getting second place through that emotional roller coaster within 20 minutes of one other just shows the growth that she has made.â€
Schoessel knew she had one more job to do after the 100 free final — swim the anchor leg of the day’s final event, the 400 free relay, which would determine how the Wildcats finished in the team race.
And Schoessel came through with flying colors.
Her 100-yard split time of 50.16 seconds was more than three-tenths of a second faster than the time True posted to win the 100 free individual final. That final effort helped Eureka win the 400 free relay in come-from-behind fashion and secure a second-place tie with MICDS in the final Class 2 team standings.
“Just for her at the very end of the meet to post the fastest 100 split the entire meet just shows you how bad she wanted that for her and her teammates,†Jovanovic said. “It was just so exciting to watch.â€
Schoessel also swam the anchor leg of Eureka’s state-champion 400 free relay team that won the state title her freshman season, as the Wildcats also placed second as a team that year.
And the same song serenaded the Wildcats out to the starting blocks for both finals three years apart — “Titanium†by David Guetta and Sia.
“When ‘Titanium’ started playing, it was a crazy moment and I freaked out. I knew we had it,†Schoessel said. “We knew going into the meet that we had a chance to do something special in that race, so that was always in the back of our heads. What was really cool for me was the whole thing felt so full circle.â€
Schoessel’s focus will soon turn toward the world of college swimming at ASU.
“I think it’s going to be a huge transition for her, as it is for every high school athlete going to the collegiate level,†Jovanovic said. “It’s a whole new program that includes weights, strength training, yoga. Anything and everything that she’s not used to. I think we’re gonna see her times get even faster throughout her four years.â€
Schoessel is looking forward to everything she will be about to experience in Tempe.
“I’m excited to start fresh. Every senior in high school is excited to go off on their own and see what they can make of themselves,†she said. “I’m very excited to hopefully find a team that is half as supportive as the Eureka swim team. They’ve been my biggest cheerleaders, and I really don’t think I could have done anything I have done without them.â€
Schoessel will leave Eureka High as one of the best — if not the best — to ever hit the water for the purple and gold.
“I think one of her legacies she’s gonna leave is doing high school sports. Which sounds silly, but in the world of swimming, a lot frown upon high school athletics and just focus on club,†Jovanovic said. “And she has been proof that you can work hard, have fun and still get the job done. Her fastest times that she was recruited on were high school times. I think that really showed to her teammates and the younger girls coming up through the program that you don’t know need to just do club to go fast.â€
And that’s a mark Schoessel is more than happy to leave on her school and its swim program.
“I’m appreciative of both high school and club swimming and I attribute a lot of my success to both,†she said. “I have grown up in the Eureka community. My mom (Annie) is a teacher at the school, so it’s really just ingrained in me.â€
Read about the St. Louis area's top high school girls swimmers and their accomplishments throughout the 2023-24 season.