The Mountlake Terrace boys swimming and diving team has undergone somewhat of a growth spurt. Last season the Hawks had 10 swimmers and divers. That number jumped to 25 this winter.
“This is the biggest team we’ve had in I don’t know how long. It finally feels like a real team,” Mountlake Terrace coach Nolan Welfringer said. “Last year it always felt like something was missing. With a team of 10, it’s nearly impossible to win a meet. With 25, you can possibly win something.”
The Hawks haven’t won a meet yet this winter, but they’re turning their attention to the postseason. Welfringer said sophomore Sasha Bogatyrev, who specializes in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200 individual medley, “will go back to state for sure,” and he hopes that at least one of his relay teams can qualify for the Class 2A state meet as well.
“Sasha is a very versatile swimmer,” he said. “He’s coming into his own in the mid-distance races. This year he hit the state time in the breaststroke early on, which allowed me to put him in other (events). We were able to look at what he was capable of doing in a different way.”
