SHORELINE — Catch me if you can.
Shorecrest junior Aydan Sarikaya edged Shorewood freshman Laurin Williams by about an arms length to win the 200-yard freestyle and also won a close 500-yard freestyle Oct. 5 at Shoreline Pool.
Despite Sarikaya’s firsts and a record-setting performance by Shorecrest freshman diver Katrina Young, Shorewood’s depth helped it win the Western Conference South Division meet 109-77.
Young’s score of 291.20 broke her sister Samantha’s school and Shoreline pool dual meet record of 284.45 set in 2005. Despite missing two dives, her degree of difficulty was high enough to accomplish the feat.
“I just love learning new dives and having a challenge,” Young said. “I try to get each one perfected before I learn a new one.”
Shorewood’s Elle MacGeorge finished second with 198.15 points.
The other swimmers gave Sarikaya and Williams the loudest screams of support during their races.
Williams led early in the 200, but Sarikaya, her club teammate at Cascade Swim Club, came on strong at the end to finish in 2 minutes, 0.86 seconds. Williams time was 2:01.23.
Sarikaya finished the 500 in 5:17.34 and Williams came in at 5:20.01.
“She just needed someone to give her a race,” Shorewood coach Susie McDowell said of Williams, who had won all her 500 races easily until facing Sarikaya.
Both swimmers swam state qualifying times earlier in the season but both improved their times during the meet.
“They brought out the best in each other,” Shorecrest coach Bill Murray said.
Sarikaya attributed her strong start this season to staying in shape during a couple weeks off in August by doing crunches, push-ups and jogging.
Shorewood’s Jenny McCall won the 50 freestyle with a time of 25.74 seconds only four-hundreths of a second off a state-qualifying time. She also won the 100 freestyle in 58.26 seconds. Whitney Allen won the 200 individual medley in 2:24.05, Tara McIntyre won the 100 backstroke in 1:05.71 and Liliya Shtikel won the 100 breaststroke with a personal best of 1:16.39.
Shorewood also swept the 200 medley, 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays.
Shorecrest freshman Laura Millet won the 100 butterfly in 1:03.81 and Murray thinks she can trim her time down and qualify for state. Overall, the team made a better showing against Shorewood than it did last year.
“It’s definitely one of the markers of the season that shows we are an improved team,” Murray said.
Meanwhile, Shorewood can’t wait to face Kamiak Oct. 19 at Kamiak’s pool in a meet that will determine the Wesco South champion.
The T-birds are nursing some injuries, notably Julia Gentling (butterfly, backstroke) and Kyah Wilkinson (butterfly) who have shoulder problems. McDowell expects them back at full strength by the Kamiak meet.
“We’re hoping it will all come together by the time we see Kamiak,” she said.
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