Boerne Champion's Kate Canales Fueled by Older Brother's Swimming Success

Junior swimmer Kate Canales aims to lead her team to a third straight state title and become the first Texas high schooler to break 1 minute in the 100-yard breaststroke.

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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Kate Canales, a junior at Boerne Champion High School, has been a dominant swimmer for her team, winning multiple state titles and setting records. Her love for the sport was sparked by a desire to keep up with her older brother Jake, who now competes in water polo. Canales is committed to swimming at the University of Florida and is the state's top-ranked swimmer this season, with the fastest times in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard breaststroke.

Why it matters

Canales' success has helped propel Boerne Champion to back-to-back state team titles in girls swimming and diving. Her dominance in the breaststroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay has been a key factor in the team's relay success. Canales is also chasing a lofty goal of becoming the first Texas high school swimmer to break 1 minute in the 100-yard breaststroke, which would cement her legacy as one of the state's all-time greats.

The details

Canales began swimming competitively at age 5 after joining a summer league team with her older brother Jake, a 2024 Boerne Champion graduate who now plays water polo in college. Canales was selected as MVP of that summer league team, convincing her to focus solely on swimming and leave behind other sports like soccer and gymnastics. Since then, she has been a dominant force, winning multiple state titles and setting records. Canales enters the UIL state swimming and diving championships as the favorite in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard breaststroke, and she also swims legs in the 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relays.

  • Canales won gold in all four events (100-yard butterfly, 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard medley relay, 400-yard freestyle relay) at the UIL state swimming and diving championships in 2025.
  • Canales set a Class 5A meet record in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:00.79) in 2025.
  • Canales was part of the Chargers' 200-yard medley relay that set a meet record (1:43.79) in 2025.
  • During her freshman season in 2024, Canales teamed for gold in the 200-yard medley relay while winning silvers in the 100-yard breaststroke and 400-yard freestyle relay and a bronze in the 100-yard butterfly.

The players

Kate Canales

A 16-year-old junior at Boerne Champion High School who is committed to swimming at the University of Florida. She is the state's top-ranked swimmer this season and the favorite to win multiple state titles.

Jake Canales

Kate's older brother, a 2024 Boerne Champion graduate who now competes in water polo at Fresno Pacific University. He was a role model and inspiration for Kate to take up competitive swimming.

Scott Slay

The head coach of the Boerne Champion girls swimming and diving team, who has guided the Chargers to back-to-back state championships.

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What they’re saying

“He's always been such a great role model, and I really look up to him as an athlete and as my brother. Having him to be able to push me was definitely super helpful.”

— Kate Canales, Junior swimmer (expressnews.com)

“She's racing against that clock. There are bigger goals there.”

— Scott Slay, Boerne Champion head coach (expressnews.com)

“She's changed our relays. You look for a sub-30 breaststroker. It's such an advantage when you have a good breaststroker. She's going 27. Good boys go 27 in the 50 breaststroke. Being able to put that breaststroke into our relay makes it pretty unstoppable.”

— Scott Slay, Boerne Champion head coach (expressnews.com)

What’s next

Canales will compete in the UIL state swimming and diving championships this weekend in Austin, where she will look to defend her titles in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard breaststroke, as well as lead her team to a third straight state championship.

The takeaway

Kate Canales' swimming success has been fueled by her competitive drive to keep up with her older brother, and she has emerged as one of the top high school swimmers in Texas. Her dominance in the breaststroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay has been a key factor in Boerne Champion's recent state championships, and her pursuit of becoming the first Texas high schooler to break 1 minute in the 100-yard breaststroke underscores her elite talent and ambition.