TACOMA — The Port Angeles girls swim team finished third at the District 3 swim and championship meet and will be sending two individuals and all of its relay teams to the state 2A meet.
Sequim and East Jefferson also qualified swimmers to state. Port Angeles finished with 197 points, while Sequim came in sixth with 123 points and East Jefferson 10th with 90. Bainbridge won district with 579 points.
The Roughriders’ 200 medley relay team of Brooke St. Luise, Lizzy Shaw, Amayah Nelson and Danika Asgeirsson opened the meet with a third-place finish, clocking in at 2 minutes, 3.27 seconds. The state-advancing finish immediately set the tone for the Riders.
Next, in the 200 freestyle, Nelson swam a personal best 2:07.53 to finish third and qualify for state. Shaw followed with a personal-best in the 50 freestyle, taking eighth with a time of 27.52. Teammate Chloe Kay-Sanders also logged a personal best in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:15.0, good for 10th.
Nelson returned in the grueling 500 freestyle to claim second, again with a personal best of 5:48.48, slicing a remarkable 2.5 seconds off her previous time. She will go to state in that event, too.
The Port Angeles 200 freestyle relay team of Asgeirsson, St. Luise, Shaw and Lynzee Reid placed fourth with a time of 1:51.45 and advancing to state.
The Riders’ depth was on display in the 100 backstroke, with seniors and co-captains St. Luise and Asgeirsson finishing fifth and seventh respectively, both achieving personal records in the process. Shaw returned to the pool in the 100 breaststroke, taking ninth with a personal best time of 1:22.40.
To close out the meet, the 400 freestyle relay team, Reid, Nelson, St. Luise, and Asgeirsson, captured second, a solid eight seconds ahead of North Kitsap.
In the diving event held in Auburn, Reid qualified for state with a strong fourth-place finish. Reid’s highlight dive was her reverse one somersault, scoring consistent 4.5s and 5s from the judges, cementing her as one of two Port Angeles individuals heading to state.
“As the Riders look ahead to the State Championships next weekend, they’ll carry with them the confidence of a strong season and the momentum of their achievements at the WCD III Championship. With both veteran leadership and emerging talent, Port Angeles is ready to make waves on the state stage,” said coach Sally Cole.
Sequim, East Jefferson
Sequim had a number of top-6 finishes at district.
Ava Shinkle had a solid meet, qualifying for state in the 100 butterfly, coming in fourth with a time of 1:04.39. She had a state-qualifying time in the 200 individual medley, coming in sixth at 2:22.99. Her time was good enough to automatically qualify for state by 0:01 of a second.
The Sequim 400 freestyle relay team of Shinkle, Keira Morey, Melia Nelson and Annie Ellefson came in fifth in a time of 4:18.08. The Wolves’ 200 medley relay team of Melia Nelson, Ellefson, Shinkle and Morey finished sixth in a time of 2:10.27.
Ellefson was also sixth in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:17.14.
East Jefferson’s Akeyla Behrenfeld had a solid all-around meet with four top-6 finishes as an individual and relay team member. She finished fifth in the 100 freestyle in 59.8 to come in fifth and also came in sixth in the 50 freestyle with a time of 26.86.
The East Jefferson 200 freestyle relay team of Serena Hanby-Perless, Ursula Schmidt, Bella Ferland and Behrenfeld came in sixth in a time of 1:54.5 and the Rivals’ 400 relay team of Hanby-Perless, Schmidt, Stella Bosley and Behrenfeld also came in sixth in a time of 4:23.1.
Some of the fifth- and sixth-place relay teams and swimmers may qualify for state as wild cards.
