4A Swimming | Garfield, Inglemoor finish tied for the title
FEDERAL WAY - Never in state history had a girls state swim meet ended in a tie. Never in 38 years.
Until now.
Inglemoor and Garfield shared the Class 4A title when Vikings anchor-leg swimmer Megan Caylor rallied to overtake the Bulldogs’ Alexandra Ernst and narrowly win the final event - the 400-yard freestyle relay - on Saturday in the finals at the King County Aquatic Center.
Both teams finished with 216 points, marking the second time in state history that boys or girls teams shared a state crown. The boys of Lincoln and Stadium, both of Tacoma, tied for the top spot in 1953.
Inglemoor shared or won the 4A girls title for the fourth year in a row and Garfield brought home the school’s first championship.
“We all worked really hard and everyone told us we couldn’t, but we tied it up,” said Caylor, part of a group of five seniors, along with Jessie Walker, McKenzie Nakamura, Chrissy Baumgartner and Jayme Swalin, who were part of the four titles. “I love swimming the last leg. That’s my favorite.”
If Garfield had won the 400 free relay, the Bulldogs would’ve taken home the title by themselves. Inglemoor earned 40 points in the last event to Garfield’s 34 as the Vikings came in trailing 182-176.
“It’s still a nice way to cap off the year,” said Garfield assistant coach Dalen Guieb. Guieb filled in for Bulldogs coach Emily Weber, who didn’t attend Saturday’s finals after a heated discussion and emotional display with meet officials on Friday after Ernst was disqualified from first in the 200 individual medley prelims.
Weber was given a choice to leave the premises or Garfield would be disqualified from the meet.
Kentwood senior Marley Prothero defended her title in the 200 IM, posting a winning time of 2 minutes, 6.87 seconds. Prothero is coached by her father, Mark, who is retiring.
Juanita sophomore Kelly Tannhauser won the 200 free (1:51.95) to improve upon her second-place finish as a freshman. Tannhauser edged top seed Swalin (1:52.08), who finished fast for second and nearly caught Tannhauser.
Swalin was named 4A Swimmer of the Meet and did her part to help the Vikings earn co-champion status.
“These girls are just phenomenal,” Inglemoor coach Monica Mayes said.
Jackson sophomore Alana Pazevic cruised to victory in the 100 free, posting an automatic All-American time of 51.75 seconds. Roosevelt junior Haley Brunner repeated as 500 free champ by leading from start to finish in an automatic All-American 4:54.03.
Freshman Annemarie Thayer became the first girls swimmer representing Ballard to win an individual state title. Thayer, who attends King’s in Shoreline, edged out Kentlake freshman Chelsea Bailey in the 100 backstroke in a automatic All-American 56.80, beating Bailey by .14 seconds.
Notes
• Inglemoor’s Stacey Luke captured the diving championship after taking third a year ago. Luke finished with 388.75 points to 359.35 for runner-up Nicole Woodworth of Roosevelt.
• Redmond junior Maureen Cardwell turned the tables on defending champion Gabby Guieb of Garfield in winning the 100 butterfly. Cardwell, eighth last year, finished in 57.17 seconds to runner-up Guieb’s 57.76.
• Snohomish sophomore Emily Ferreira had an automatic All-American 1:04.84 in winning the 100 breaststroke.