Burnet boys swimming finishes second at district meet

CAPTION: The 2026 Burnet High School boys swimming and diving team includes Jack Milliorn (back row, left), Jacob Decker;  Aaron Green (second row, left), Rhett Eaton, Austen Sanderson, Chevy Calhoun, Matthew Dunning, Andrew Decker; head coach Connor McBurnett (front). Courtesy photo

Several Burnet High School swimmers qualified for the Class 4A Region IV meet thanks to their finishes at the District 13-4A meet Jan. 23.

The Bulldogs earned three individual gold medals, one individual silver and three bronze medals as well as a gold and a silver medal in the relays en route to earning 92 points in the standings to finish as the runners-up in the team standings.

“I was very proud of the intensity and fight they showed in every race,” head coach Connor McBurnett said. “They scrapped their way into great team performances and fought hard against some good competition. I’m excited to see the swimmers that advanced to regionals build on this performance and continue their ascent.”

Those gold medals came from Jack Milliorn in the 50-yard freestyle and Aaron Green in one-meter diving and in the 500-yard freestyle.

Green pulls double duty in the pool, something McBurnett highly respects because it requires “balancing both.”

“It cannot be overstated how hard of a balance this is to maintain, especially when he is training for distance freestyle,” McBurnett said. “Earlier in the week he advanced to regionals for diving, and then stepped into this meet and took home the gold in the 500 free. He has fought so hard all season to continue improving in both aspects of the sport and I could not be more proud of the performance he put on. In total, Aaron brought home the gold in all four events he took competed in.”

Jacob Decker took silver in the 50-yard freestyle, a race that McBurnett called “the most exciting part of the meet.”

“Jack is an electric racer who rises to the occasion when the competition gets stiffer. It was not a surprise to see him step into a big meet and throw down his best time of the season,” the coach said. “Jacob has faced a lot of adversity this season and to watch him step up in his final district meet of his career and still put up a great finish was very rewarding. As a coach, you love to see your athletes get the success they deserve, and Jacob is very deserving of the success he bore out Friday.”

McBurnett noted that he and Milliorn “have spent a lot of time developing his plan of attack for the 100 breaststroke,” a race the Bulldog earned a bronze medal.

“He put together a very well executed race that speaks to the level of detail he puts into his planning,” he said. “Watching a smart, crafted race plan is one of the most rewarding things a coach can see in an athlete.”

He also was equally enthusiastic about Rhett Eaton’s bronze medals in the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly.

“Rhett is a real jack-of-all-trades and he stepped up in a big way with his performances in both the 200 free and 100 fly,” McBurnett said. “He has only raced in the 200 free once before, but I knew I could count on him to step up for our team and put up a great swim, which he did. The 100 fly is something he’s been working on all season, and to see him finish on the podium was a great reward for a full season of effort.”

Meanwhile the Lady Dawgs finished third in the team standings by earning 62 points led by Madison Lawry, who earned silver in the 500-yard freestyle and taking gold in the 400-yard freestyle relay and bronze in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Lawry will compete in four events at the regional meet.

“Madison is a fierce competitor, and you can see it in the 200 and 500 she swam,” McBurnett said. “Swimming distance events is not for the faint of heart and the way she attacked her races, especially the 500, takes a lot of guts. It was great to see her not hold back and race hard against some great competition.”

Sofia Cardenas will compete in the relays and the 100-yard breaststroke at regionals.

“Sofia entered this year having limited experience in breaststroke, and seeing her put it all together in the district meet was really exciting,” the coach said. “Watching her drop a whole nine seconds in her race was a testament to the effort she’s put in to improving her technique and developing a sound race plan.”

The regional meet is Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31, at the Southwest Independent School District Aquatic Center, 9290 SW Loop 410 in San Antonio.

RESULTS (top four in each event advance to regionals)

Boys, runners-up in team standings with 92 points

50-yard freestyle – 1, Jack Milliorn, 23.43, 2, Jacob Decker, 24.09; 100-yard freestyle – 5, Decker, 57.90; 200-yard freestyle – 3, Rhett Eaton, 2:19.68; 500-yard freestyle – 1, Aaron Green, 6:03.94; 100-yard butterfly – 3, Eaton, 1:02.01; 100-yard breaststroke – 3, Milliorn, 1:12.18; 200-yard medley relay – 2, Burnet (Decker, Green, Eaton Milliorn), 1:54.61; 200-yard freestyle – 1, Burnet (Decker, Green, Eaton, Milliorn), 1:39.82; one-meter diving – 1, Green, 268.30

Girls, third in team standings with 62 points

50-yard freestyle – 5, Sofia Cardenas, 31.65; 100-yard freestyle – 5, Natalie Kneese, 1:06.65, 6, Kynlee-Ann Buller, 1:08.65; 200-yard freestyle – 4, Madison Lawry, 2:16.85; 500-yard freestyle – 2, Lawry, 6:07.95; 100-yard backstroke – 6, Kneese, 1:24.20, 8, Buller, 1:29.88; 100-yard breaststroke – 4, Cardenas, 1:34.98; 200-yard freestyle relay – 3, Burnet (Lawry, Buller, Cardenas, Kneese), 2:02.32; 400-yard freestyle relay – 1, Burnet (Lawry, Buller, Cardenas, Kneese), 4:35.77

CAPTION: The 2026 Burnet High School girls swimming team includes Madison Lowry (front row, left), Sofia Cardenas; Kynlee-Ann Buller (back row, left) and Natalie Kneese. Courtesy photo