Despite its dual meet title, the Shorewood boys swim team entered this week’s Western Conference 4A South Division championships as an underdog.
Runner-up Kamiak owned a 30-point edge over the Thunderbirds in the meet seedings.
“We’ve got some serious ground to make up,” Shorewood coach Bill Murray said.
Alex Fleet has already qualified for state in the 200-yard individual medley and 100 backstroke, Stuart Young qualified in the 100 breaststroke and Shorewood’s 200 freestyle relay team reached the state standard in a non-league win over Cascade Jan. 30.
Shorewood’s other two relays are also closing in on state times, as well as sophomore Garrett Gentling in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke.
The top two finishers in each event and any other participant who meets the state standards qualify for next week’s state championships.
The four seniors on Shorewood’s roster — Fleet, Young, Eric Santroch and diver Mason Park — have helped the T-birds to two straight league titles and a 40-7 dual meet record the past four seasons.
“They had some good success in their four years,” Murray said. “We’re losing a lot of leadership in and out of the pool with that group.”COACHING AWARDS: Longtime Einstein Middle School wrestling coach Paul Turner was named middle school Coach of the Year for 2001-02 at last week’s Wesco 4A South Division sub-regional wrestling tournament.
Turner stepped down at the end of last season but still works as a counselor at Einstein and coaches track and cross country.
The past few seasons have seen Einstein dispatch increasingly larger groups of wrestlers to Shorewood High School.
“It’s been the turnaround at the middle school level that’s really helped our high school programs rebound,” said Shoreline School District athletic director Paul Lesh.
It was also announced at sub-regionals that Everett High School coach Mark Ryder was a repeat selection as the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year.
The Shorecrest graduate has led the Seagulls to a pair of unbeaten seasons and division titles the past two years.HOPPE TO PSU: King’s senior Taylor Hoppe has signed a letter of intent to play football for Portland State University. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound defensive lineman played in just two games for the Knights this season due to academic concerns.
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