As the swimming season progresses, Cove senior Becca Koza knows that a chance at making history is getting closer.
If Koza can add two more 4A/3A/2A/1A titles to her resume, she would become the fourth girl in state history to finish with eight individual state titles, joining Cascade's Crystal Kibby (2007-10), Centennial's Jamie Stone (2014-17) and Sweet Home's Lucie Davis (2014-17).
“It would pretty much mean the world to me,” said Koza, who has signed with the University of Idaho. “That's something I've always hoped I'd be able to do. This season, that's been on the forefront of my mind, to keep working hard to hopefully attain that goal.
“There's not any pressure from the people around me, only pressure from myself, just because, OK, I've done it before, can I do it again?”
Koza will be going for a four-peat in the 200-yard freestyle and a third title in the 100 freestyle, which she has has won after capturing the 500 freestyle as a freshman. She is entertaining the idea of forgoing the 100 freestyle for another event, such as the 100 butterfly.
“We're thinking about trying something new,” she said. “Maybe we will, maybe we won't. We'll kind of just eyeball it as it gets closer.”
Koza and her siblings have dominated Cove swimming since the 1A school started its program in 2019-20, coached by their father, Steve.
Tim Koza won Cove's first state titles (200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke) as a senior in 2022 and has gone on to a college career at Grand Canyon. Sarah Koza won two 50 freestyle state titles before graduating in 2024. Amelia Koza is a freshman on the girls team this season.
Cove's school board gave the OK to start a swim team in 2019 upon the request of Steve Koza and other parents. It has been a rousing success, with the girls team taking home fourth-place trophies in 2023 and 2024.
“It's really special. I love it,” Becca Koza said. “Cove is extremely supportive. I'm going to miss this team because I love it so much. The community here is just amazing.”
Steve Koza, a former district champion in the 100 breaststroke for La Grande, sparked his children's interest in swimming. They started swimming at an early age with La Grande Swim Club and have continued to make the 25-minute trip to train at the La Grande pool with Cove's high school team.
Becca Koza made a splash in the state meet as a freshman by dominating both of her events. She has handily won her races at state each year, but won't be taking anything for granted in her final meet.
“This year is going to be a battle,” Steve Koza said. “We going to have a whole 'nother level of competition at state this year with some other swimmers coming up.”
Becca Koza is bracing for the challenge.
“Right now I'm feeling really good,” she said. “I've seen a steady improvement over the course of the season, more so than in all the past years I've done high school swimming.
“We switched up my training this year. I've been doing workouts that are significantly harder, and adding in more dry-land stuff. I think just increasing my strength has helped with my speed a lot.”
Becca Koza has yet to improve on the 200 freestyle personal best (1:52.08) she set as an eighth-grader. Her PR in the 100 freestyle (51.83) came in the 2024 state meet. Cutting those times has been a bit of a struggle, but she believes she is headed for a breakthrough.
“I think I hit that middle plateau that a lot of people hit in their teenage years,” she said. “My freshman and sophomore years, I got stuck after that. I pushed through my junior year, and now I feel like I've come out the other side of it, and I'm ready to go break those times.”
Steve Koza likes Becca's progress.
“She's looking really strong,” he said. “She training harder than she ever has, trying to see what she can do this year. I think she's feeling a little bit of pressure this year, like, 'Whoa, this it.' She's working really hard to keep the streak alive.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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