Summit’s Landon Egeland swims the boys 200-yard freestyle during the Bend City Meet on Jan. 26 at Juniper Swim & Fitness Center in Bend.

For nearly a decade, Landon Egeland and his younger brother Brecken have been side-by-side competing against each other in the pool.

But they have just a few weeks left of swimming for Summit High School and only a few more months of competing for Bend Swim Club before the elder Egeland heads off to college.

“It’s going to be a great change,” said Landon Egeland, a senior. “We’ve been in pools together for two hours every day for nine years.”

“I’m not going to have someone to push me,” said Brecken Egeland, a junior. “I’m really going to have to be self-motivated next year.”

The Egeland brothers have become two of the top swimmers not just in Central Oregon, but the entire state. At last year’s Class 5A state meet, Brecken won the 100-yard butterfly, and Landon finished second place at state in both the 200 and 500 freestyle the past two seasons.

The Egeland brothers made up one one half of the Storm’s state championship 4×400 freestyle relay team to help Summit finish third in the team standings last year.

With the Intermountain Conference championships starting next Friday at Bend’s Juniper Swim & Fitness Center, and the state championships in Beaverton Feb. 21-22, the Egeland brothers have their sights set on another successful ending to the high school swimming season.

“I’ll be happy just to represent Summit one final time,” said Landon, a captain this season for the Storm. “High school times aren’t as important to me, it is all about the team aspect.”

Landon, who plans to swim collegiately at UC San Diego, will once again compete in the 200 and 500 freestyle. This year he does not have one of the nation’s top swimmers to contend with. The last three years Parkrose’s Thomas Olsen, now swimming at USC, won state titles in the 200 and 500 freestyle.

Brecken, on the other hand, is giving up the chance to defend his state title in the 100 butterfly by electing to swim in both the 100 and 200 freestyle.

So, should all go well at the IMC championships, the Egeland brothers would be squaring off head-to-head in the 200 freestyle at the 5A state meet.

“There aren’t going to be any two more motivated people that meet when they are racing each other,” said Summit swim coach Nolan Morrell. “I really hope they enjoy and revel in the opportunity.”

It would not surprise Landon if his younger brother gets the best of him. He’s seen Brecken grow up and develop into a talented swimmer, and even win when the two race each other.

“He’s bigger than me now,” Landon said. “He’s stronger than me in the water. There is a switch that has flipped for him. He’s kicking my butt nowadays. But that’s how I like it. It is one of the proudest things about being a brother.”