The state girls swim and dive championships will get underway on Friday, with finals to come on Saturday.
Among the participants will be area powerhouses like consistent 4A-placer Jackson, which has finished second, third and fifth as a team in the past three state championships. While “bottlenecks,” as Jackson coach Drew Whorley called them, in the competitive field may prevent the Timberwolves from scoring so highly, there’s reason for the team to be excited. The Timberwolves finished 8-0 in meets during the regular season, and have an area-high 17 entries across all events.
“It’ll be a busy meet with all the girls involved,” Whorley said. “(It’s) always a little bit better for us at least, as opposed to it just being a handful of kids … It gives a lot of our athletes an opportunity to kind of vibe off of each other, support each other.”
The team’s most promising participants are its seasoned seniors in Elissa Anderson, who will be featured in five events, and Julia Song, who will also swim in five competitions. In particular, Whorley could see Anderson overperforming her 10th seed in the 100 butterfly while Song is in a good position at fourth in the 100 freestyle.
Another 4A team with double-digit entries is Glacier Peak at 11. The Grizzlies, who graduated back-to-back champion diver Addy Farman last season, have another favorite in the event this time around in senior No. 1 seed Claire Butler. Butler’s top score of 459.95 is 50 points ahead of the No. 2 seed heading into State.
“The way Claire has been diving, she really has a great shot at State,” Glacier Peak coach John Neff said of the senior’s recent form.
In the typically volatile 50-meter freestyle, GP’s Megan Maley is the second seed and is right in the mix to podium based on her seed time of 24.62 seconds.
Both Whorley and Neff agree that getting solid splits off at Friday’s prelims are going to be crucial in helping each swimmer maximize their potential for the weekend.
“That’s kind of the reward, is the opportunity to compete for a podium spot, the medals, all that stuff,” Whorley said of performing well in the prelims. “(But) to me, the reason swimming well on Friday is important is that now you know you can go fast (at State).”
In the 3A championships, Shorecrest and Edmonds-Woodway lead the way with 12 entries, respectively. Shorecrest’s seventh-place team finish last season was the area’s best mark in 3A competition.
Shorewood is next in line with six entries, as Daniel Buchholz heads into the 50 freestyle as the third seed and is the fifth seed in the 100 freestyle.
Lynnwood senior Vivian Phan is going into the 50-yard freestyle adaptive race as the top seed, as the Royals’ sole representative.
Marysville Pilchuck diver Jill Thomas, seeded second, highlights the 2A championships for the area.
4A State Prelims Area Participants
200 medley relay: No. 7 Jackson (Akari Omichi, Mia Abrigo, Elissa Anderson, Elliana Lam, Krystyna Yefremova, Hanna Fritts, Julia Song, Sakura Gabor); No. 21 Kamiak (Sienna Cordoba, Ella Jafari, Katie Zou, Hanna Kang, Destiny Nguyen, Maya Chirkova, Stephanie Yang, Olivia Griffin).
200 freestyle: No. 5 Julia Song (Jackson); No. 11 Hanna Fritts (Jackson); No. 18 Taylor Thompson (Glacier Peak).
200 individual medley: No. 5 Keelie Sullivan (Glacier Peak); No. 13 Mia Abrigo (Jackson); No. 21 Sakura Gabor (Jackson).
50 freestyle: No. 2 Megan Maley (Glacier Peak); No. 6 Krystyna Yefremova (Jackson); No. 7 Elissa Anderson (Jackson); No. 9 Elliana Lam; No. 10 May Phut (Cascade).
Diving: No. 1 Claire Butler (Glacier Peak); No. 5 Timbre Grevenkamp (Jackson); No. 8 Olivia Conley (Glacier Peak).
100 butterfly: No. 10 Elissa Anderson (Jackson); No. 23 Emily Gesick (Lake Stevens).
100 freestyle: No. 4 Julia Song (Jackson); No. 8 Megan Maley (Glacier Peak); No. 19 Jolie Takano (Glacier Peak).
500 freestyle: No. 8 Hanna Fritts (Jackson); No. 18 Heidi Candland (Jackson).
200 freestyle relay: No. 4 Jackson (Elliana Lam, Krystyna Yefremova, Hanna Fritts, Julia Song, Mia Abrigo, Elissa Anderson, Sakura Gabor, Akari Omichi); No. 24 Glacier Peak (Taylor Thompson, Namuun Munkhnasan, Riley Lowell, Brooke Vandehey, Anna Bercerra, Claire Hassell, Nadia Soeung, Reeya Shinde).
100 backstroke: No. 4 Keelie Sullivan (Glacier Peak); No. 14 Taylor Thompson (Glacier Peak).
100 breaststroke: No. 8 Krystyna Yefremova (Jackson); No. 9 Mia Abrigo (Jackson); No. 13 May Phut (Cascade); No. 17 Elliana Lam (Jackson).
400 freestyle relay: No. 4 Jackson (Elissa Anderson, Hanna Fritts, Krystyna Yefremova, Julia Song, Elliana Lam, Mia Abrigo, Sakura Gabor); No. 7 Glacier Peak (Jolie Takano, Taylor Thompson, Keelie Sullivan, Megan Maley, Brooke Vandehey, Libby Yule, Riley Lowell, Aubrey Heinson).
3A State Prelims Area Participants
200 medley relay: No. 6 Edmonds-Woodway (Olivia Garcia, Tatumn Detjen, Zoe MacDonald, Sydney Bates, Sadie Ward, Lauren Tra, Ainsley Reece, Maya Bergan); No. 14 Stanwood (Alora de Vera, Anna Paul, Ryane Wright, Alex Marquis, Sophie Plano, Sarah Veazey, Olivia Otto, Kaelyn Caskey); No. 15 Shorewood (Allie Mae Gallagher, Addison Marx, Olivia Sanchez, Aker Addie, Daniel Buchholz, Addy Falkin, Vivan Foral, Natalia Martin); No. 16 Snohomish (Olivia Huber, Sophia Kuntz, Kaydence Moore, Naomi Davidson, Madison Waters, Lauren Peterson, Anna Goetz, Alaina Arnold); No. 18 Shorecrest (Walker Temme, Avery Leptich, Gigi Garbaccio, Ada Hopper, Ella Luu, Charlotte Phillips, Lauren Reeves, Anna Bendiksen).
200 freestyle: No. 10 Charlotte Phillips (Shorecrest); No. 18 Anna Bendiksen (Shorecrest); No. 20 Katherine Carlson (Marysville Getchell); No. 22 Zoe MacDonald (Edmonds-Woodway).
200 individual medley: No. 15 Sophia Kuntz (Snohomish); No. 17 Anna Paul (Stanwood); No. 19 Alora de Vera (Stanwood).
50 freestyle: No. 3 Daniel Buchholz (Shorewood); No. 16 Ella Luu (Shorecrest); No. 19 Maya Bergan (Edmonds-Woodway); No. 19 Sydney Bates (Edmonds-Woodway.
Diving: No. 6 Brynn Magelsen (Monroe); No. 7 Madelyn Clark (Monroe); No. 9 Maggie Beatty-Witt (Shorecrest); No. 20 Aisha Jallow (Marysville Getchell), No. 21 Sophie Katsilometes (Shorecrest).
100 butterfly: No. 14 Olivia Garcia (Edmonds-Woodway); No. 19 Anna Bendiksen (Shorecrest); No. 21 Alora de Vera (Stanwood); No. 22 Ainsley Reece (Edmonds-Woodway); No. 23 Olivia Sanchez (Shorewood).
100 freestyle: No. 5 Daniel Buchholz (Shorewood); No. 9 Dylan Buechler-Flack (Meadowdale; No. 12 Charlotte Phillips (Shorecrest); No. 23 Tatumn Detjen (Edmonds-Woodway).
500 freestyle: No. 10 Lisa Beam (Mountlake Terrace); No. 15 Sophia Kuntz (Snohomish); No. 21 Renee Ridout (Monroe); No. 24 Zoe MacDonald (Edmonds-Woodway).
200 freestyle relay: No. 8 Shorecrest (Lauren Reeves, Anna Bendiksen, Ella Luu, Charlotte Phillips, Walker Temme, Avery Leptich, Ada Hopper, Gigi Garbaccio);
No. 9 Edmonds-Woodway (Tatumn Detjen, Olivia Penaluna, Maya Bergan, Sydney Bates, Ainsley Reece, Alice Stedman, Lauren Tra, Sadie Ward); No. 10 Shorewood (Olivia Sanchez, Vivian Foral, Natalia Martin, Daniel Buchholz, Allie Mae Gallagher, Addison Marx, Elana Bronsther, Aker Addie); No. 20 Stanwood (Alex Marquis, Alora de Vera, Sophie Plano, Anna Paul, Olivia Otto, Ryane Wright, Kaelyn Caskey, Kaitlynn Helphrey).
100 backstroke: No. 6 Dylan Buechler-Flack (Meadowdale); No. 15 Olivia Garcia (Edmonds-Woodway); No. 20 Katherine Carlson (Marysville Getchell); No. 22 Nina Anderson (Meadowdale).
100 breaststroke: No. 11 Tatumn Detjen (Edmonds-Woodway); No. 13 Anna Paul (Stanwood); No. 15 Ella Luu (Shorecrest); No. 16 Avery Leptich (Shorecrest);
400 freestyle relay: No. 9 Shorewood (Allie Mae Gallagher, Vivian Foral, Elana Bronsther, Daniel Buchholz, Aker Addie, Natalia Martin, Addison Marx, Olivia Sanchez); No. 11 Edmonds-Woodway (Maya Bergan, Olivia Penaluna, Zoe MacDonald, Olivia Garcia, Tatumn Detjen, Sadie Ward, Ainsley Reece, Sydney Bates); No. 12 Shorecrest (Anna Bendiksen, Ella Luu, Lauren Reeves, Charlotte Phillips, Gigi Garbaccio, Walker Temme, Avery Leptich, Ada Hopper); No. 18 Stanwood (Alex Marquis, Olivia Otto, Ryane Wright, Sophie Plano, Kaitlynn Helphrey, Anna Paul, Alora de Vera, Kaelyn Caskey); No. 19 Meadowdale (Nina Anderson, Elizabeth Goergen, Leyna Ball, Dylan Buechler-Flack, Maia Blue, Makenna Gross, Sara Determan, Ruby Cretin; No. 20 Mountlake Terrace (Maya Hofmeister, Zoe Nap, Gretta Patterson, Lisa Beam, Daisy Wallace, Mackenzie Rolstad, Marilicia Carbajal, Rain Ho).
50 freestyle adaptive: No. 1 Vivian Phan (Lynnwood); No. 8 Samantha Long (Stanwood); No. 10 Jung McMurray (Stanwood).
50 backstroke adaptive: No. 3 Vivian Phan (Lynnwood); No. 7 Samantha Long (Stanwood); No. 10 Jung McMurray (Stanwood).
2A State Prelims Area Participants
200 freestyle: No. 15 Shelby Chandler (Archbishop Murphy).
200 individual medley: No. 7 Hallie Higgins (Marysville Pilchuck).
Diving: No. 2 Jill Thomas (Marysville Pilchuck).
100 butterfly: No. 11 Hallie Higgins (Marysville Pilchuck).
200 freestyle relay: No. 21 Marysville Pilchuck (Ava Christensen, Vian Nguyen-vo, Zoey Getty, Hallie Higgins, Aries Ovnicek, Dahyun Kang).
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