RENTON — The Port Angeles boys finished sixth and Sequim finished eighth at the West Central District III swim and dive championships held at Hazen High School this weekend.
The WCD III is an especially tough district as four out of the top 10 swim and dive teams from the state competed in this year’s district meet, including defending state champion Olympic High School.
Port Angeles finished tied with Fife with 95 points while Sequim had 59. Steilacoom won with 225 points while Lindbergh was second at 202, Olympic third at 170, North Kitsap fourth (150) and Kingston fifth (110).
Six out of the top eight teams at district were from the Olympic League.
The best individual showing among local swimmers was by Port Angeles’ Josh Gavin. He finished third in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5 minutes 17.35 seconds, shaving nearly 9 seconds off his preliminary time. Gavin was also fifth in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:12.04. His two finishes gained the Roughriders 22 team points.
Gavin’s teammate Taylor Martin was fourth in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 59.36. Fellow Rider Alex Hertzog was fifth in the same event at 1:00.43.
The Sequim 200 freestyle relay team of Zen Graham, Myles Tadlock, Jesse Bobst and Kaleb Needoba had the best relay finish among area teams, coming in fourth place with a time of 1:43.20, gaining 20 points.
Needoba picked up 18 more points for the Wolves as an individual swimmer, as he was sixth in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:56.96 and sixth in the 100 butterfly at 58.55.
Port Angeles’ best relay was in the 400-yard freestyle. The Roughriders team of Josh Krzyiak, Alex Hertzog, Martin and Gavin finished fifth with a time of 3:40.59, gaining 18 points.
In other events, local finishes included:
Boys 200 medley relay — Port Angeles (Hertzog, Carter Droz, Henry Shaw, Alex Che), seventh, 1:53.63.
200 individual medley — Rowan Powell, Chimacum, 12th, 2:28.89.
50 freestyle — Krzysiak, PA, seventh, 24.05; Deven Biehler, eighth, Sequim, 24.35.
100 freestyle — Krzysiak, PA, seventh, 53.14.
The full heat sheets of swimmers invited to the state swim meet, taking into account qualifying times, district placements and then adding a few allocations from each district, are usually posted late Sunday or Monday by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association after press deadline.
The state boys swim and dive meet will be held Friday and Saturday at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.
