For fervent fans of Western Conference swimmers bound for this week’s Class 4A boys swimming and diving championships at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, the news is both good and bad.
On the positive side, if the most highly touted of the Wesco athletes grind through Friday’s preliminaries with their seven No. 1 seeds intact, parents may finally learn what the lads have been listening to on their iPod’s while allegedly doing homework.
The minor drawback for the elders may be a Saturday night spent listening to these bone-jarring ditties being played at a decibel level certain to make the family dog happy to be home sleeping.
In keeping with long-standing tradition, swimmers earning top seeds for the championship finals pick the introduction music blasted over the public address system before each event.
In seven of the 12 events the fastest times statewide have been recorded by individuals and relay teams from Wesco and the conference boasts numerous swimmers with second and third seeds expected to vie for top spots come Saturday.
“Oh gosh, we’re deep,” Kamiak coach Chris Erickson said of the abundant talent in Wesco.
It’s not clear if Snohomish has the horses to win a third straight team title — a feat that would match the Snohomish girl’s run of 1998-2000 — but, the Panthers and the Kamiak Knights may both figure in the top-four medal mix.
“Snohomish is probably going to be there,” Erickson said. “And we’d like to be there too.”
Shorewood, expected to shuffle its formidable relay lineup somewhat for state, and Marysville-Pilchuck — with diving strength, all three relays and 11 athletes state-qualified — could bid for the top 10.
Last weekend newly minted district champion Kamiak grabbed the No. 1 state seed in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a searing time of 1 minute, 29.77 seconds, a fiery effort that would have earned the Knights first place at state in 2007.
Curtis is seeded No. 2 ahead of Snohomish and Shorewood in the event.
Snohomish is seeded No.1 in the 200-yard medley relay followed by Kamiak.
Shorewood and Marysville-Pilchuck are Nos. 6 and 7, respectively.
At district the Panthers coasted to first in the 400 freestyle relay with a time (3:17.74) slightly faster than traditional power Inglemoor (3:18.73) put up to edge Garfield for the Sea-King district title.
Wesco’s prowess extends to the individual events, including the 100 breaststroke where Garren Riechel of Snohomish is the defending state champion and owns a state-best time of 56.94 seconds this year. Kamiak’s Chris Lynch and Riechel’s teammate Cory Coxen are ranked in the top five in the event.
Cascade’s Sean Nesheim (1:42.86) leads the 200 freestyle entrants, which include Shorewood’s Bryan Michaels (1:43.21). Both swam All-American consideration times at district. Logan Goodman of Snohomish is seeded No. 7.
Nesheim, John Hu of Oak Harbor, Jimmy Rogers (Jackson) and Eric Pedack (Snohomish) are all legitimate threats to win the 100 backstroke.
Riechel, who led a group of four Wesco swimmers in the top six by placing third at state in the 200 individual medley in 2007, bettered his best time this year with a sparkling 1:58.31 at district.
Still, that was not good enough to catch Oak Harbor’s Hu, who was more than two seconds faster (1:56.16) and, seeded No. 1, appears to be on a mission in the IM after placing fifth at state last year.
“I’m hoping to win the breaststroke,” Riechel said. “But, in the IM John Hu is pretty fast … and he (recently) went 1:55 at a club meet.”
Riechel, talented M-P junior Trevor LeValley — fourth at state in 2007 — and Stanwood freshman Matt Roe are seeded Nos. 3, 5 and 8, respectively.
Shorewood’s Michaels and Roe are the top seeds in the grueling 500 freestyle, and LeValley is No. 6.
“A lot of these (Wesco) guys are right at the top so it’s going to come right down to the wire,” said Jackson’s Rogers, who is also seeded No. 3 in the 100 freestyle. “We’ve got to represent Wesco well … we’re all friends so we’ll also root for each other and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
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