By Morris Malakoff
Herald Writer
FEDERAL WAY — The three-year reign of the Snohomish Panthers as the 4A girls swimming and diving state champions is over. But a Western Conference team may still bring home the title.
Sure, Erica Chandler will be defending her titles in the freestyle events, but the senior star was the only Panther individual to qualify for today’s 5 p.m. finals during Friday’s prelims at the King County Aquatics Center.
With only Chandler and the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay teams making it into the championship heats, it will be left to Courtney Spurgeon, Patricia Thrasher and Erin Richmond in the consolation finals and a trio of divers to earn the points for the top-seven finish predicted by Panther coach John Pringle after last weeks district meet.
Chandler edged out Dana Kirk by .42 of a second to enter tonight’s finals as the number one seed in the 200 freestyle. Kirk was the class of the opening day field, shattering the 100 butterfly record set in the 3A preliminaries on Thursday by Anacortes’ Rebecca Sturdy. Kirk lowered the state standard to 54.55 seconds.
In the 100 freestyle, Chandler’s time of 52.85 placed her third behind Emily Kukors of Auburn and Caitlin Friedhoff of Thomas Jefferson.
The focus of the finals will be the upstart Kamiak Knights and their attempt to surpass Capital of Olympia for the state title. It could all come down to how the three Kamaik and two Capital divers place. For Knights head coach Chris Erickson, how that event will play out is a mystery.
"The judging in diving is highly subjective," said Erickson. "Yet, those points could make the difference."
Capital, a team that finished third last year, is well-placed gojng into tonight’s races, subjective diving scores aside.
The Cougars will have swimmers in the final heats of all three of the relay events, the 200 individual medley, two swimmers in both the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke and one swimmer in the backstroke. Add to that the two divers and half a dozen swimmers in consolation heats and the makings of a championship are in place.
Erickson knows what his team is facing.
"Capital is strong and deep." Said Erickson. "While the goal is to win, we are young and this is a step to an eventual championship if we don’t win this year."
The Knights will open the finals with a head-to-head challenge against Capital in the 200 medley relay. The Knights time of 1:54.81 was over four seconds slower than the pace set by Capital in Friday’s preliminary race.
Rikka Brunner and Ashley Best both qualified for the finals of the 200 individual medley. Brunner also made the finals of the 100 backstroke. Capital swimmers will occupy lanes in both races.
Shala Van Gerpen will shoulder much of the load for the Knights. The junior can pick up critical points in the finals of the marathon 500 freestyle event and the 100 butterfly.
Oak Harbor might be limited in potential points, but the Wildcats biggest fans tonight could be Kamiak. Kyla Meuer will swim for the state title in the 50 and 100 freestyle events against swimmers from Capital. The same holds true for Missy McIntyre in the finals of the 100 breaststroke and the consolation race in the 200 individual medley. The Wildcat 200 freestyle relay team could be the biggest help to Kamiak’s championship aspirations if they can slip past the Capital team. Oak Harbor was less than half a second off the Cougars leading pace in the preliminary event. Points in the relay events are double those in an individual event.
For a number of Wesco swimmers, the team standings are meaningless, but their individual effort and apperance at the state meet is everything. Rachel McNeill of Cascade is the only Bruin at the meet. She will swim in the consolation final of the 200 individual medley. Jackson Timberwolf Stephanie Aasland will truly be a lone wolf when she joins Edmonds-Woodway swimmer Sarah Spillman in the consolation final of the 200 freestyle event.
Friday’s preliminary results from the state Class 4A girls swimming championships at the King County Aquatic Center.
200-yard medley relay — 1, Capital, 150.58; 2, Rogers, 1:50.81; 3, Kentlake, 1:53.76; 4, Kamiak, 1:54.81; 5, Central Kitsap, 1:55.47; 6, Kentridge, 1:55.63; 7, Wilson, 1:57.33; 8, Shorewood, 1:57.41.
9, Inglemoor, 1:57.74; 10, Foss, 1:57.78; 11, Port Angeles, 1:57.98; 12, Oak Harbor, 1:58.01; 13, Jackson, 1:58.02; 14, Gig Harbor, 1:58.91; 15, Snohomish, 1:59.59; 16, Wenatchee, 1:59.67.
200 freestyle — 1, Erica Chandler, Snohomish, 1:51.47; 2, Dana Kirk, Bremerton, 1:51.89; 3, Sandy Hong, Decatur, 1:54.76; 4, Jamie Tannhauser, Juanita, 1:55.05; 5, Rachel Walker, Garfield, 1:55.98; 6, Bergen Beck, Roosevelt, 1:57.62; 7, Kim Kripps, Roosevelt, 1:58.20; 8, Megan Woodworth, Kent-Meridian, 1:58.11.
9, Sara White-Deleboy, Kentlake, 1:58.69; 10, Stephanie Aasland, Jackson, 1:58.86; 11, Carolyn Bohm, Kentwood, 1:59.57; 12, Jerrah Holth, Port Angeles, 1:59.86; 13, Sarah Baker, Central Kitsap, 2:00.02; 14, Sarah Spillman, Edmonds-Woodway, 2:00.09; 15, Emilie Rennie, Capital, 2:00.61; 16, Jenna Neff, Wenatchee, 2:01.28.
200 indivdual medley — 1, Megan Rains, Rogers, 2:02.77; 2, Emily Kukors, Auburn, 2:03.41; 3, Emily Schmied, Woodinville, 2:08.84; 4, Rachel Owen, Capital, 2:09.87; 5, Anna Grant, Hudson’s Bay, 2:10.10; 6, Rikka Brunner, Kamiak, 2:11.11; 7, Ashley Best, Kamiak, 2:11.40; 8, Kristin Okazaki, Thomas Jefferson, 2:11.78.
9, Bailey Kuestermeyer, Emerald Ridge, 2:11.89; 10, Missy McIntyre, Oak Harbor, 2:12.67; 11, Chelsea Helgason, Capital, 2:12.82; 12, Lisa Fry, Rogers, 2:12.99; 13, Rachel MacNeill, Cascade, 2:13.57; 14, Erin Matthew, Central Kitsap, 2:13.67; 15, Sarah Stockwell, Kentalake, 2:14.96; 16, Stephanie Lasby, Foss, 2:15.19.
50 freestyle — 1, Jill Kripps, Roosevelt, 24.55; 2, Katie Fitzgerald, Capital, 24.55; 3, Kelly Corcoran, Kentwood, 24.59; 4, Kyla Meuer, Oak Harbor, 24.61; 5, Caitlin Friedhoff, Thomas Jefferson, 24.62; 6, Mallory Schuyler, Capital, 24.85; 7, Andria Giovanni, Central Kitsap, 24.98; 8, Brynn Bromley, Gig Harbor, 25.11.
9, Jacklene Salwei, North Kitsap, 25.23; 10, Cherlyn Brubaker, Shelton, 25.28; 11, Raechelle Scoccolo, Kentridge, 25.38; 12, Larissa Barth, Eisenhower, 25.55; 13, Brittany Martinec, Wilson, 25.60; 14, Megan Schuyler, Capital, 25.66; 15, Whitney Warman, Lake Washington, 25.70; 16, Courtney Spurgeon, Snohomish, 25.91.
100 butterfly — 1, Dana Kirk, Bremerton, 54.44; 2, Judith Farkas, Tahoma, 58.32; 3, Chelsea Freeman, Rogers, 58.52; 4, Kim Kripps, Roosevelt, 58.91; 5, Anna Grant, Hudson’s Bay, 58.94; 6, Kristin Okazaki, Thomas Jefferson, 59.17; 7, Shala Van Gerpen, Kamiak, 59.26; 8, Corie Beth Freeman, Rogers, 59.97.
9, Rachel Hotchko, Davis, 1:00.23; 10, Brittany Martinec, Wilson, 1:00.47; 11, Mallory Schuyler, Capital, 1:00.54; 12, Courtney Spurgeon, Snohomish, 1:00.64; 13, Ashlynn Owen, Capital, 1:00.76; 14, Kayla Littlefield, Moses Lake, 1:00.93; 15, Carole Baumbartner, Inglemoor, 1:01.42; 16, Kathleen Hall, Roosevelt, 1:02.37.
100 freestyle — 1, Emily Kukors, Auburn, 51.65; 2, Caitlin Friedhoff, Thomas Jefferson, 52.28; 3, Erica Chandler, Snohomish, 52.85; 4, Jill Kripps, Roosevelt, 53.30; 5, Kelly Corcoran, Kentwood, 54.04; 6, Carolyn Bohm, Kentwood, 54.43; 7, Kyla Meuer, Oak Harbor, 54.47; 8, Andria Giovanni, Central Kitsap, 54.68.
9, Brynn Bromley, Gig Harbor, 54.78; 10, Stephanie Hulse, Kentridge, 54.92; 11, Jenna Neff, Wenatchee, 55.16; 12, Stephanie Aasland, Jackson, 55.41; 13, April Swaine, Central Kitsap, 55.43; 14, Cherlyn Brubaker, Shelton, 55.58; 15, Whitney Warman, Lake Washington, 55.60; 16, Larissa Barth, Eisenhower, 55.95.
500 freestyle — 1, Jamie Tannhauser, Juanita, 4:58.56; 2, Sandy Hong, Decatur, 5:02.58; 3, Rachel Walker, Garfield, 5:04.92; 4, Megan Woodworth, Kent-Meridian, 5:09.52; 5, Bergen Beck, Roosevelt, 5:10.76; 6, Stephanie Lasby, Foss, 5:14.99; 7, Bailey Kuestermeyer, Emerland Ridge, 5:15.96; 8, Shala Van Gerpen, Kamiak, 5:16.54.
9, Sarah Spillman, Edmonds-Woodway, 5:18.09; 10, Jerrah Holth, Port Angeles, 5:19.46; 11, Sarah Baker, Central Kitsap, 5:19.83; 12, Emilie Rennie, Capital, 5:19.97; 13, Tracie Tripple, Bothell, 5:20.66; 14, Lauren Molnar, Kentridge, 5:21.20; 15, Becky Matz, Puyallup, 5:23.59; 16, Chrissie Spence, Wilson, 5:25.64.
200 freestyle relay — 1, Capital, 1:41.85; 2, Oak Harbor, 1:42.26; 3, Roosevelt, 1:42.47; 4, Garfield, 1:42.48; 5, Snohomish, 1:42.53; 6, Eisenhower, 1:43.24; 7, Central Kitsap, 1:43.65; 8, Kentwood, 1:43.72.
9, Decatur, 1:44.17; 10, Kentridge, 1:44.49; 11, Gig Harbor, 1:44.50; 12, Thomas Jefferson, 1:44.53; 13, Port Angeles, 1:44.62; 14, Kent-Meridian, 1:44.68; 15, Kamiak, 1:44.88; 16, Eastlake, 1:45.65.
100 backstroke — 1, Megan Rains, Rogers, 57.42; 2, Judith Farkas, Tahoma, 59.19; 3, Emily Schmied, Woodinville, 59.75; 4, Rikka Brunner, Kamiak, 59.76; 5, Ashlynn Owens, Capital, 1:00.28; 6, Chelsea Freeman, Rogers, 1:00.76; 7, Sara White-Delehoy, Kentlake, 1:01.05; 8, Corie Beth Freeman, Rogers, 1:01.48.
9, Diana Rowe, Foss, 1:01.79; 10, Alicia Kors, Wilson, 1:02.49; 11, Ashley Heaslip, Central Kitsap, 1:02.53; 12, Anya Lewis, Bothell, 1:02.81; 13, Patricia Laverty, Kamiak, 1:02.98; 14, Kate Clarke, Gig Harbor, 1:03.05; 15, Jessie Rima, Marysville-Pilchuck, 1:03.09; 16, Mallory Thompson, Kamiak, 1:03.61.
100 breastroke — 1, Sarah Stockwell, Kentlake, 1:05.76; 2, Missy McIntyre, Oak Harbor, 1:06.19; 3, Katie Fitzgerald, Capital, 1:06.64; 4, Rachel Owen, Capital, 1:07.02; 5, Lisa Fry, Kamiak, 1:07.18; 6, Ashley Best, Kamiak, 1:07.74; 7, Erin Matthew, Central Kitsap, 1:08.15; 8, Jackie Benson, Shorewood, 1:08.15.
9, Chelsea Helgason, Capital, 1:09.17; 10, Jill Spencer, Kamiak, 1:09.30; 11, Rachel MacNeill, Cascade, 1:09.32; 12, Emily Rogers, Jackson, 1:10.56; 13, Kathleen Hall, Roosevelt, 1:11.91; 14 (tie), Dana DiPasquale, Kentridge and Patricia Thrasher, Snohomish, 1:11.94; 16, Erin Richmond, Snohomish, 1:11.98.
400 freestyle relay — 1, Rogers, 3:38.19; 2, Capital, 3:38.94; 3, Kamiak, 3:40.99; 4, Central Kitsap, 3:41.71; 5, Roosevelt, 3:43.11; 6, Snohomish, 3:43.51; 7, Wilson, 3:46.41; 8, Gig Harbor, 3:46.50.
9, Garfield, 3:46.87; 10, Thomas Jeffeson, 3:47.67; 11, Kentlake, 3:47.50; 12, Kentridge, 3:47.90; 13, Decatur, 3:48.17; 14, Inglemoor, 3:48.40; 15, Eisenhower, 3:48.56; 16, Kentwood, 3:49.22.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.