The South Puget Sound League 4A North Division girls swim title came down to the last meet of the season, as two undefeated teams – Kentridge and Tahoma – squared off on Tuesday.
Tahoma came out on top, with a 116-70 win, securing the division title for the second year in the row.
“That kind of thing doesn’t happen very often,” Tahoma coach Dave Wright said. “Usually the two best teams swim the middle of the season. The schedule is set up before the season starts so we have this big meet halfway through and then the rest of season is kind of anticlimactic but this was 8 and 0 against 8 and 0. You can’t script it any better than that.”
Wright said he expected the meet to be close.
“I thought that we had slightly more depth than they had so that was our advantage going in, but I had it planned it out to be within 10 points. It was going to be close, so whoever stepped up was going to win and I think we stepped up our team came through. We had best times all over the place.”
More than 150 family members and supporters of both teams packed into the bleachers at the Covington Aquatic Center.
Wright said he enjoyed the atmosphere at the meet.
“It was needed for us, this big meet, because we hadn’t really had one up to this point,” he said. “We have had some meets where they didn’t get excited. It wasn’t this loud. This was standing room only up there. You don’t get that in swimming that often.”
Tahoma senior Ashley Lewis, who won diving in Tuesday’s meet, said the team’s win was emotional. Lewis injured her foot last week but was still able to compete in the meet.
“I haven’t really been able to practice much so that made it even more nerve wracking,” Lewis said. “On top of it being the last meet and being undefeated and going against another undefeated team, it was pretty crazy.”
Kentridge head coach Eric Kress said he knew the meet would be tough.
“I definitely thought we had a chance,” Kress said. “It was the hardest time we had making a lineup, strategically trying to figure out what girls swim what events.”
Last year Kentridge lost to Tahoma and Mount Rainier.
“This year we only lost to Tahoma, so in my book that is a big improvement,” said Kress, who was Kentridge’s assistant coach last year before taking over as head coach this season.
Kress said despite Tuesday’s loss, the season has been a success.
“We’ve had 16 girls qualify for leagues,” he said. “My goal at the beginning of the season was to try to get half our team (qualified). We have 36 swimmers.”
Kress said he hopes at least two more girls will make league times at the qualifying meet this weekend to reach his goal. “We have some girls that are pretty close to getting individual league times,” he said.
Junior Haley Childress, one of the captains for the Kentridge team, said she was pleased with how well the team did this season.
“We told everybody you should be happy because we came so far as a team,” she said.
Childress, who took first place in the 100-yard butterfly and second place in the individual medley, said she is excited to see how the team will do next season.
“We have had so much improvement so far this season, that next year no doubt, it will be really, really good,” she said.
Kentridge freshman Alyssa Miron said she was nervous going into the meet.
“I really wanted to do well, and I was hoping for all of my teammates be able to swim their hearts out,” she said. “I really wanted to get close or win or really just have a good time and I did have a really good time today.”
Miron, who won the 500 freestyle and placed second 100 backstroke, enjoys being a part of the Kentridge team. “It is so much fun,” she said. “It is one of the best decisions I have made to swim here.”
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