SEATTLE — The Port Angeles-Sequim combined team competed in the WOWI invitational gymnastics meet this weekend in Ballard against gymnasts from 24 other Washington high schools.
Sequim freshman Amelie Martin placed first on the vault in her division, while Sequim Junior Lucy Spelker was first on the floor exercise in her division. She also placed second on vault.
Port Angeles sophomore Ryah Deleon was sixth on the bars and freshman Lexi Possinger seventh on the bars in their respective divisions.
Port Angeles Junior Lillian Sutherland was ninth on the bars and freshman Denise Galvan eighth on the beam. Mya Callis was 10th in the floor exercise.
Port Angeles freshman Mya Callis placed 10th on floor in her division.
The team’s lone home meet is at 11 a.m. Monday at the Klahhane Gymnastics gym.
Boys Swimming
Port Angeles 108, Olympic 73
PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles boys swim team came out of a three-week hiatus over the winter break with a 108-73 win over Olympic.
The Roughriders’ depth and balance worked in their favor, as Port Angeles won just five out of the 12 races. The Riders also notched 10 district-qualifying times. Leading the charge were senior Finn Thompson, junior Edward Gillespie and freshman Miles Van Denburg, all of whom secured qualifying times in two events each.
Thompson qualified in the 200 freestyle (2 minutes, 9.52 seconds) and the 100 butterfly (1:06.80), while Gillespie showcased his versatility in the 50 freestyle (25.33) and the 100 butterfly (1:03.09). Van Denburg continued his rise as a freshman standout, qualifying in the 50 freestyle (24.45) and the 100 backstroke (1:02.97). Sophomore teammates Thomas Jones and Eli Warren both secured qualifying times in the 200 individual medley, and freshman Patrick Ross added another in the 100 freestyle (56.13).
The meet opened on a thrilling note with the Port Angeles 200 medley relay team of Jones, Nolan Medgin, Ross and Thompson narrowly edging out Olympic for first place, finishing a second ahead of the Trojans.
In individual events, Thompson claimed another first-place finish in the 200 freestyle, with Isaac Meek close behind in second, less than a tenth of a second away from his own district time. The 200 individual medley saw Jones dominate with a massive 17.74-second improvement, taking first place, while Warren recorded a personal best for second place with a 3.4-second drop.
Diving proved to be a high point for Port Angeles, with the Riders completing a sweep. Grant Butterworth commanded the spotlight with 177.15 points to lead the way, showcasing his talent with a standout backward 1½ somersault, earning impressive scores of 6.5, 7.5, and 7 from the judges. Liam Nicholson claimed second place, and Hunter Stratford rounded out the podium in third.
In the 100 butterfly, Gillespie earned top honors with a time 10.40 seconds faster than his previous best, while Thompson’s performance earned him third place, just 0.5 seconds shy of second.
The team continued to showcase improvement across the board in the grueling 500 freestyle. Charlie Kasten posted a 24.12-second time drop for a second-place finish.
While Olympic claimed victories in more races, the Riders’ ability to score points across all events proved decisive. The 200 freestyle relay team of Meek, Adrian Osborne, Kason Pittman and Kasten continued to rack up points for the Riders with a solid second-place finish. In the 100 backstroke, Van Denburg, Wolfe and Cliff Hales finished in second through fourth place, while Medgin, Jones and Ross did the same in the 100 breaststroke.
Port Angeles capped the meet with a strong second-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay, with Gillespie, Meek, Van Denburg and Medgin powering through the final event of the day.
“This meet showed the strength of our entire lineup. The guys stepped up, not just with wins but with solid performances. It’s exciting to see so many new qualifying times for districts,” said head coach Sally Cole.
