PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles won 10 of 12 events, swept four individual races and captured first place in all relay events as the Roughriders sank Klahowya 136-27 in a home swim and dive meet at Shore Aquatic Center.
The meet opened with the 200-yard medley relay, in which the Riders’ quartet of Lynzee Reid, Ellie Karjalainen, Amayah Nelson and Lizzy Shaw touched in first at 2 minutes, 10.52 seconds.
Port Angeles’ depth was showcased in the 200 freestyle as Lilly Mahaney, Ana Kay-Sanders and Molly Kusin swept the podium — all of them swimming the event for the first time.
Team captains Lizzy Shaw and Lynzee Reid led the way in the next two events.
Shaw added another dominant performance in the 50 free, finishing first in 28.54, seven seconds ahead of the nearest Eagle.
On the diving board, Reid earned top honors, scoring highest on her backward 1 somersault with 5.5 scores from all judges.
Back in the lap pool, Port Angeles posted three straight individual sweeps.
The 100 butterfly was highlighted by Chloe Kay-Sanders’ winning time of 1:13.51.
Coach Sally Cole praised Kay-Sanders’ growth.
“Chloe has really come into her own this year,” Cole said. “She knows exactly which events she thrives in, and she’s attacking them with confidence and determination. Watching her development over the past four years has been a real highlight.”
Amayah Nelson and Mia Francis followed in second and third, with Francis posting a 4.5-second personal best.
The Riders continued to turn in top performances the remainder of the meet.
Anaya Tejeda powered the Riders to a 100 free sweep, clocking 1:06.22 for the win. Karjalainen and Jessique Rodriguez completed the sweep in second and third.
The 500 free brought more fireworks, with Nelson dropping six seconds to win in 6:09.52.
Lucy Townsend followed in 6:31.87, slashing 15 seconds off her personal best, while Mahaney finished third with a four-second drop from just last week.
Port Angeles teams dominated the 200 freestyle relay.
The A relay of Francis, Shaw, Reid and Nelson won in 1:57.23, while the B relay of Molly Kussin, Tejeda, Mahaney and Townsend finished 11 seconds ahead of the Eagles.
After a quick turnaround from the relay, Francis won the 100 backstroke in 1:22.07, an eight-second personal record and 34 seconds ahead of the nearest Eagle. Peyton Acker added key points with a third-place finish.
The Riders’ lone near-miss came in the 100 breaststroke, where Tejeda fell just 0.92 seconds short of first but grabbed second in 1:24.60.
“To sustain excellence, you need a strong foundation from your underclassmen,” Cole said. “Anaya has made an immediate impact with three district-qualifying times in her first two meets, and I’m excited to see how she builds on that heading into the postseason.”
The Riders closed the meet with a win in the 400 freestyle relay, as Chloe Kay-Sanders, Ellie Karjalainen, Lilly Mahaney and Molly Kussin triumphed.
Three Roughriders also secured new district-qualifying times: Nelson in the 100 fly, Townsend in the 500 free, and Tejeda in the 100 breast.
With their decisive win, the Riders proved they are not only deep but also improving week by week — a strong sign for the meets to come.
The Riders host Bremerton on Wednesday.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@peninsuladaily news.com.
