Kentridge swimmer hopes experience propels him through postseason

Nolan Cleary hopes a year of experience under his belt will help him find victory in the pool this postseason.

The Kentridge High School sophomore placed in last year’s Class 4A South Puget Sound League and 4A West Central District swim meets and qualified for the 4A state meet.

“Last year it was all first experiences, so it was a lot of looking and oohing and awing because everything was new, a new experience,” Cleary said about going to state as a freshman. “But this year, I kind of knew what to expect.

“Last year, I put this weird pressure on myself because this was all new, and I wanted to do good my first time coming. Since this is my second time and I have already been here, I am focusing on swimming and it is not as much of a surreal experience. Now I can really focus, where as last year I was a lot more flustered by the competition.”

Last season, Cleary won the 100-yard butterfly at the league meet, took ninth in the event in districts and finished fourth in the 500 freestyle at the district meet. While he did not make the finals in either event at the state meet, Cleary was part of the 200 medley relay team that finished 10th.

Last Saturday, the postseason kicked off with the league meet at Hazen Pool in Renton. Kentridge is one of 16 schools in the new 4A North Puget Sound League. The Chargers won the Cascade Division of the league with a 7-0 dual meet record, and took the NPSL title with a win at Saturday’s meet, edging out Kennedy Catholic 209.5 to 204.

Going in to the league meet, Cleary said he hoped his team would be the first to capture the title in the newly formed league.

“With the NPSL that is brand new, there are a whole lot of teams that we didn’t get to swim up against so I don’t really know how everyone is,” he said. “It is really fun because it is a lot more of a challenge since everyone’s new and everyone is trying to be the first to get first.”

Cleary took second place in the 100 butterfly with a time of 55.08 seconds and finished third in the 100 backstroke (59.4). He swam the butterfly leg of the 100 medley relay, which placed second, and was the anchor leg of the fifth-place 400 free relay team.

Up next for Cleary and the Chargers, is the district meet this weekend at Curtis High School in University Place. The state meet is Feb. 17-18 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.

While Cleary wants to do well at districts and state, he also wants to see his teammates succeed.

“For this postseason specifically, I would like see a lot of the guys who were alternates on the relays – I really want to if I can help them out – I really want to see them get spots on the relays this year, not just be alternates, and get their time to shine and show that they are good,” he said.

Cleary started swimming in fourth grade for Chinook Aquatic Club after trying different sports.

“Eventually, one of my friends suggested swimming because she was on the swim team, and I was taking swim lessons at the time,” he said. “Out of jealously, I wanted to be on the swim team with her because I didn’t think it was fair that I wasn’t on the swim team. It was kind of competition with myself to try to get on to the team.”

The team and individual aspects of swimming appeal to Cleary.

“During practice, I have all my friends and we are talking and laughing and then when it comes to the meet … once I hit the water it is solely up to me,” Cleary said. “It is really nice it being solely up to me and not having to rely on everybody else to do their part. I know that I have prepared for it and I didn’t have to worry about how the other people prepared.”

Cleary is proud of how his team has done so far this season.

“We have had a lot of close meets this year but we’ve pulled it out,” he said.

He credits his coaches with the team’s success.

“Even when there were some meets where we kind of came in, not really with an arrogance, but a feeling of we’ve got this no matter what, “he said. “They always tried to get us down to a level of this isn’t just for fun, go out there and still try. So even if we thought it was for fun they got us to think this meet matters they got us to think every meet matters. So we were dedicated throughout the whole season.”

Coach Michael Dobner enjoys having Cleary on the team and looks forward to continuing to coach him in the next few years.

“He has a good work ethic, good attitude, always laughing, always having a good time,” Dobner said. “I know he knows what our program is all about.”

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Kentridge league meet results

Top finishers for Kentridge at the league meet included:

• Kevin Liu, junior, fifth place 200-yard freestyle (1:59.63); seventh place 100 butterfly (59.3)

• Sean Gilman, senior, sixth place 200 free (1:59.8); 12th place 100 free (53.52)

• Milo Anderson, sophomore, seventh place 200 free (2:00.06)

• Jake Davies, sr., first place 200 IM (2:01.67); second place 100 free (49.38)

• Nic Celebrado, jr., seventh place 200 IM (2:16.26); fifth place 100 breaststroke (1:05.52)

• Hans Erickson, soph., sixth place 50 free (23.59); ninth place (tie) 100 free (52.37)

• Milo Andersen, soph., third place 500 free (5:29.03)

• Koji Yoshiyama, soph., sixth place 100 backstroke (1:04.7)

• Koby Ly, jr., 12th place 100 breaststroke (1:11.54)