STATE SWIMMING: Kentlake steps up

Movin’ on up.

That was the theme this season for the girls in the Kentlake High swimming pool. That tone continued this past Saturday during the Class 4A state swim and dive meet at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.

Behind a bevy of standout performances from their respective relay teams and continued strong efforts from junior Chelsea Bailey and freshman Emily Tanasse, the Falcons took sixth place at the state meet, garnering a school-record 117 points. The sixth-place finish was a three-spot jump from last year, when the Falcons took ninth.

“A move up to six is an outstanding move for our team,” said Kentlake coach David Beyer. “We’re a pretty small team and it’s pretty nice to be in that top group.”

Skyline cruised to the team title with a whopping 234 points followed considerably by Garfield, which racked up 176. Kentlake finished just nine points behind Todd Beamer (126) of Federal Way.

“I thought sixth was a pretty good standing,” said Tanasse, who blossomed into one of the area’s top swimmers this season. “Our hope was top five.”

Regardless, Kentlake’s sixth-place finish is the program’s best since 2004, when it took fourth with 113 points. It’s the fourth time since the school opened in 1996 that the swim program has placed among the top 10.

As she was last year, Bailey proved to be Kentlake’s top finisher, though she left the meet wanting a bit more.

The junior standout who brought home state gold a year ago delivered a scorching time of 23.95 in the prelims of the 50 free. The time was far and away better than the field. In the finals, however, Bailey’s nerves got the best of her, when she flinched at the starting block. The flinch resulted in a disqualification.

“I was a little nervous, so I was shaking really bad,” admitted Bailey, who won the 100-free title last year with a mesmerizing time of 49.82. “On the starting block, you have to be still. They called that it a false start.

“It was a little disappointing. But I learned some good lessons on how to handle stress.”

Thomas Jefferson’s Amber Cratsenberg went on to win the event with a time of 23.87.

Bailey did, however, get some redemption in the 100 back, where she delivered a fourth-place performance with a time of 57.27. The junior’s final time was slightly off from her prelims (56.13), which would have won it.

Meanwhile, Tanasse turned heads in her first-ever state meet, grabbing sixth-place finishes in the 100 back (59.65) and the 100 butterfly (58.51). Of note, however, was her time in the butterfly. The Kentlake freshman entered the state meet seeded just outside of the top eight.

“It means a lot to me,” said Tanasse. “I definitely exceeded my expectations and it makes me excited for next year.”

Tanasse and Bailey also provided critical legs on Kentlake’s three relay teams, squads that also included Katrina Hetrick, Abby Swanson, Taylor Bouffard, McKenzie Keeling-Garcia and Sarah Dougherty.

The Falcons’ 400-free relay team (Bouffard, Tanasse, Dougherty and Bailey) was particularly impressive, dropping three seconds off its times from prelims. The group clocked out at 3:39.66 compared to 3:42.16 in the prelims.

“There were some really great relay splits,” Beyer noted.

The Falcons did it again in the 200-medley relay (Tanasse, Hetrick, Swanson, Bouffard), bagging a sixth-place finish with a time of 1:53.89. In addition, Kentlake’s 200-free relay team (Keeling-Garcia, Swanson, Dougherty, Bailey) chipped in a seventh-place finish with a time of 1:42.38.

Add it up and it’s no wonder the Falcons made such a big stride this season.

That ascension, however, could very well continue next year. Of the seven Falcons who qualified for state, just one — Katrina Hetrick — is a senior.

“We may not win a team title (next year), but I think we could go top three,” Tanasse said.

• ALSO: Kentwood’s top state performance came from its 200-free relay team (Shannelle Cayetano, Erica Wright, Erika Panzer and Marissa Dyrdahl. The group finished in 12th place with a time of 1:43.45. Kentwood’s 400-free relay team (Panzer, Paige Morris, Dyrdahl and Cayetano) took 14th with a time of 3:49.48. Cayetano also took part in the 50 free, where she touched out in 15th place with a time of 25.60.