Demarest seeks more gold at SCISA state swim meet

Brent Demarest doesn’t have as much gold as Fort Knox. But give him time.

Demarest, a junior at Porter-Gaud, will compete in the SCISA state swimming championships Saturday in Augusta and at the state cross country meet Oct. 27 in Columbia. He’ll compete in track and field in the spring.

He fares well in all three sports.

Demarest owns seven individual state gold medals in swimming, cross country and track. He owns five state gold medals as a member of the Cyclones’ swimming relay teams. And, he has been a member of six state championship teams.

He seeks to increase his haul of gold when he competes in four events at the state swim meet. He will swim in the 200-yard freestyle, the 500 freestyle, and the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.

“I hope to do my best and record my best times,” said Demarest, who also competes in triathlons and aquathons. “The individual state championships aren’t important. What’s important is the relay teams and the team state titles. I want my teammates to do well, too.”

That’s what happened last fall when the Cyclones topped Pinewood Prep, 258-161, to win the crown. Demarest won the 200 individual medley and set a state record in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:56.59.

He used that as a springboard to win four individual titles his sophomore year. He was the state cross country champ and won the state title in the 3,200-meter run in track.

The success doesn’t happen by accident. He lives on Folly Beach and wakes up at 5 a.m. each morning, heading to the Park West Swim complex in Mount Pleasant for a workout. He heads to school and then runs as a member of the cross country team. The First Baptist girls also know something about gold. The Hurricanes are seeking their sixth Class AA title.

First Baptist claimed victories in 10 events last fall, including the 200 medley relay, the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay, in which Sara Stansell, Logan Kraft, Meredith Lackey and Abbey Moore combined to set a state record in 3:46.09, breaking the mark of 3:50.97 set by First Baptist in 2007.

Kraft captured two individual golds with wins in the 200 and 500 free events. Lackey captured first in the 200 IM and the 100 butterfly.

Stansell was first in the 100 free and 100 backstroke, and Moore won the 50 free.

Follow Philip M. Bowman on Twitter: @pandcphil