FEDERAL WAY — Kamiak senior Claire Smith had an eventful outing at the Class 4A girls state swim and dive championships this weekend.
The 2021 100-yard butterfly state title winner added an additional first-place medal to her collection Saturday at the King County Aquatic Center.
Smith swam the 100 butterfly in 56.14 seconds, which outpaced runner-up Jackson sophomore Elissa Anderson by 2.19 seconds.
Smith added a second-place finish in the 100 backstroke with a time of 58.30 seconds and was a part of the Knights’ runner-up placements in both the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays along with juniors Iris Cho, Janey Ryu and Julia Lorenzo. Lorenzo added a seventh-place medal in the 100 backstroke.
“This summer and fall, I’ve been working really hard especially at my 100 fly,” Smith said. “It’s my main event and honestly it’s my favorite. Working at that has been an amazing experience. … To be able to come back after winning so suddenly in my sophomore year, to win it again to close out my high school career, it’s been a pretty amazing feeling for me.”
Kamiak’s Claire Smith receives her first-place medal from Kamiak coach Chris Erickson for her win in the 100-yard butterfly during the Class 4A girls state swim and dive championships Saturday at King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Kamiak finished fifth in the team standings with 141 points, just seven points off fourth-place Issaquah.
“The two relays were a great team effort from those four girls,” Kamiak head coach Chris Erickson said. “With Claire, it’s her last year. First in the fly and second in the back. … She did a great job.”
Jackson takes 2nd-place team finish
Jackson’s parade of placing swimmers were a factor throughout the championship races Saturday.
The Timberwolves tallied five top-five individual placements and added a second-place medal in the 200 freestyle relay and a third-place medal in the 400 freestyle relay on their way to a second-place team finish at 171 points. Curtis finished first with 301 points.
Anderson claimed second in the 100 butterfly (58.33 seconds) and third in the 50 freestyle (24.69). Senior Celina Hernandez-Murillo also placed fourth in the 50 freestyle (25.25).
Junior Olivia Hoyla finished second in the 200 individual medley at 2:08.82. She also placed fourth in the 100 backstroke, finishing in 57.78 seconds.
Jackson’s Olivia Hoyla swims in 200-yard individual medley during the Class 4A girls state swim and dive championships Saturday at King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
“Yesterday (at prelims), we were okay,” Jackson head coach Drew Whorley said. “Today, I tasked them with being better, trying to set our sights, pick people off and try to climb up the scoreboard. They really embraced that philosophy and raced with a lot of confidence today, the jitters were gone and they just swam with pride. It was so fun to watch.”
Jackson’s 200 freestyle relay group of Anderson, Hoyla, sophomore Julia Song and Hernandez-Murillo finished 0.69 seconds behind first-place Curtis.
The Timberwolves second-place team finish led a trio of Snohomish County squads in 4A’s top seven.
“It’s competitive in a great way,” Whorley said. “We all push each other. There’s just a good vibe in southern Snohomish County, and swimming up there is a little bit of a tool I think. … It’s fun to watch it shine at a stage like this. I’m just really proud of all the teams and all the coaches. It’s a great day for our area.”
Glacier Peak carves out seventh-place team score
Glacier Peak’s substantial diving committee on Thursday set the Grizzlies up for a successful stint at state.
After junior diver Addison Farman brought home the 4A state diving trophy for GP on Thursday, the Grizzlies had contenders remaining in the finals swims. And GP came away with seventh-place team finish at 127 points
Junior Alena Lehmann set a school record at 5:03.19 during second place swim in the 500 freestyle, which was just 0.56 seconds off the pace of Lewis and Clark sophomore Ava Swigart. Lehmann also took fifth in the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:55.51.
Glacier Peak’s Alena Lehmann swims in of the 500-yard freestyle during the Class 4A girls state swim and dive championships Saturday at King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
“Finishing seventh was a tremendous accomplishment,” GP head coach John Neff said. “We had a shot at top-five. We didn’t quite get there, but the swims that some of the gals had were incredible. So, in terms of the message we had. … I’m extremely proud of what this group accomplished. It’s really crazy to think that we’re not graduating a single points earner from state this year.”
Lehmann’s razor-thin race in the 500 freestyle was 5.35-second improvement from her run in the prelims.
“Alena executed perfectly,” Neff said. “What we train for and how she swims, myself as well as her club coach worked together to really try to help her get to where she wanted to be. On the one hand, it truly stings to see her get out-touched at the end by a taller athlete. But, what else is there to say? She brought our team record down by almost 13 seconds. That alone is an accomplishment.”
Glacier Peak’s diving crew, headlined by Farman’s 403.40 point score and sophomore Claire Butler’s third-place finish at 329.15 points, were a major highlight for the Grizzlies. Junior Selma Boudraa also finished 11th (261.55).
“It was a great year,” GP diving coach Mark Hughes said. “Addison was just great. … Her goal was to win the meet, she came in really focused. She came in on the first dive, nailed it, and never left the top of the leaderboard. She dove strong for I’d say 10 out of 11 dives.”
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