The Port Angeles girls swim and dive team traveled to Poulsbo for its final meet of the season but came up short against North Kitsap, 102–81.
The hard-fought loss closed out dual-meet competition as the Riders turn their attention to district and state meets next month.
“This was the most competitive meet we’ve had all season,” head coach Sally Cole said.
“North Kitsap raced exceptionally well. They pushed us from start to finish, and our athletes responded with strong performances. The close score made for a great atmosphere and a fun night of swimming.”
Port Angeles opened with a strong medley relay. Lynzee Reid led off the backstroke leg with a personal-best time of 32.36 seconds, about a half-second behind the North Kitsap swimmer. Breaststroker Mia Francis narrowed the gap before handing off to Chloe Kay-Sanders in the butterfly. The Vikings’ butterflyer outsplit Kay-Sanders by 3.5 seconds with an impressive 26.8-second leg. Senior Lizzy Shaw anchored in freestyle to secure a solid second-place finish.
The Riders swept the 200-yard freestyle behind Amayah Nelson’s strong swim. Shaw and Francis added key points with a quick turnaround from the relay, giving PA its first — and only — lead of the meet.
North Kitsap answered with a sweep of the 200 individual medley. Kay-Sanders fought hard but finished just 0.37 seconds off third place. Anaya Tejeda placed fifth.
In the 50 freestyle, Jessique Rodriguez finished third, and Lily Mahaney took fourth with a personal-best 32.98.
Reid led the way in diving with a 146.30 total, Port Angeles’ only first-place finish in an individual event. Senior Lizzy Clark placed fourth. At the conclusion of diving, the Vikings led 37–25.
Back in the pool, Kay-Sanders and Tejeda placed second and third in the 100 butterfly, continuing their season-long duel.
The 100 freestyle saw Mahaney in third, three seconds behind NK. Molly Kussin was fourth, earning PA’s second personal best of the night. After leading by just 0.01 seconds at the halfway mark, Kussin dug deep to outpace her rival on the final lap, dropping 1.71 seconds from her previous best.
“Molly has worked hard to sharpen her freestyle and increase her speed,” Cole said. “Her goal was to swim varsity and earn points for the team. Her effort paid off, and she delivered when it counted.”
North Kitsap took first in the 500 freestyle, but the Riders collected valuable points with Nelson, Lucy Townsend and Mahaney finishing second through fourth. The trio continues to shine in distance events, keeping PA within reach.
The Riders continued to build momentum in the 200 freestyle relay as Tejeda, Francis, Kay-Sanders and Nelson blazed to victory, beating the Vikings by eight seconds. Tejeda’s strong leadoff gave PA a five-second edge, and Nelson closed with a personal best to cut the team deficit to 73–64. It was the closest the Riders would get.
In the 100 backstroke, Reid posted another personal best with a 1:09.87. Karjalainen and Francis followed with second- and third-place finishes in the 100 breaststroke, continuing their standout seasons.
The final race of the night was the tightest, decided by just 0.04 seconds. After strong swims from Tejeda and Reid, Port Angeles sat in third behind both NK relays. Shaw pushed the Riders into second, and Nelson caught the lead Viking relay at the 350-yard mark before being edged at the wall, despite a personal-best split.
“We only won two of 12 events tonight,” Cole said, “but every swimmer who scored in those second- to fifth-place spots helped keep the meet tight. It’s proof that every point — and every swimmer — matters.”
Calendar
Friday
Football: Neah Bay at Tulalip, 5 p.m.; East Jefferson at Kingston, 6:30 p.m.; Sequim at Bainbridge, 7 p.m.; Bremerton at Port Angeles, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Men’s Soccer: Peninsula at Shoreline, 12:30 p.m.
Women’s Soccer: Peninsula at Shoreline, 2:15 p.m.
Football: La Conner at Quilcene, 1 p.m.
