PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles boys swim team came away with a commanding 116-66 nonleague victory over Kingston this weekend, winning 11 out of 12 events and adding five new district-qualifying times.
Senior standout Finn Thompson led the way, posting district times in both the 50 freestyle (24.32) and the 100 freestyle (53.89).
Thomas Jones secured his district berth in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:04.28, while Miles Van Denburg punched his ticket in the 500 freestyle, finishing in 5:30.17. Isaac Meek rounded out the district qualifiers with a strong swim in the 100 backstroke (1:11.45).
The meet began with a victory for the Roughriders’ 200 medley relay team of Jones, Nolan Medgin, Van Denburg and Thompson, touching the wall a full six seconds ahead of Kingston. Jones carried that momentum into his individual 200 freestyle event, claiming first place, while teammate Meek narrowly secured second.
One of the meet’s most electrifying moments came in the 200 individual medley. Van Denburg and Kingston’s Josh VanHuis were stroke-for-stroke the entire race as both swimmers exchanged leads across each leg, setting up an intense final 50 yards. Van Denburg edged out VanHuis at the wall by a razor-thin margin of 0.2 seconds, stopping the clock at 2:16.82.
Thompson was dominant throughout the sprint events, earning decisive wins in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, while Patrick Ross added another first-place finish for Port Angeles in the 100 butterfly.
In the 500 freestyle, Van Denburg claimed the top spot, with Jensen Wolfe delivering a huge performance for second place. Wolfe clocked in at 6:15.74 — improving his time by an impressive 4.5 seconds from earlier this week.
Port Angeles maintained its edge in the relays, taking the 200 freestyle relay in convincing fashion as the squad of Ross, Jones, Medgin and Thompson finished a full seven seconds ahead of Kingston. The 400 freestyle relay team of Jones, Ross, Van Denburg and Medgin capped off the meet with another dominant win, finishing a staggering 22.72 seconds ahead of their competition.
The Roughriders swept the 100 backstroke, showcasing depth and speed with Meek taking first, Wolfe second and Cliff Hales third, all with personal-best times.
In diving, Jack Root shined with a standout performance, earning first place with a score of 119.40 — an improvement of over eight points from earlier in the week.
Up next, Port Angeles faces a major test Wednesday as the Roughriders travel to Bainbridge Island to take on the powerhouse Spartans.
