The Mid-Columbia could very well continue its development as an underestimated threat in the watery lanes, which should lead to many familiar names on the psych sheets for this year's state meet scheduled Nov. 11-13 at King Co. Aquatic Center in Federal Way.
On the 4A side, Richland could make a bigger splash at state, with returning 2009 state-qualifying sophomores Mackenzie Ruby (18th, 200 IM; 15th, 100 back), Nicole Weinman (13th, 500 free; 18th, 200 free) and Hannah Pickett (24th, 500 free).
Meanwhile, Moses Lake returns juniors Courtney Schwiesow (19th, 200 IM; 12th, 100 breast) and Sammy Hendrickson (20th, diving) and sophomore Amber Garrett (22nd, 200 free).
Walla Walla's depth and experience will make it a contender, with returning district finalists Victoria Jones (fifth, 200 IM; fifth, 100 back) and Jessica Hutton (second, 100 free), both senior Blue Devils.
Hanford finished fifth at the 3A state finals last season and should stack up SQs. Leading the Falcons will be seniors Christine Tixier (sixth, 100 breast; fifth, 100 fly) and Kristen Bennett (fifth, 200 IM; second, 500 free), juniors Melissa Merrill (10th, 200 IM; 16th, 100 back) and Taylor Burnight (14th, 50 free) and sophomore Stephanie Tixier (10th, 100 fly; 23rd, 100 free).
And Hanford/Richland coach Kathy Piper said via e-mail that she expects the realignment of the 3A, with the inclusion of Eastmont, Kennewick, Kamiakin and Southridge, will "make for a more competitive district meet."
Prosser finished eighth in the state 2A state competition last year and could finish even better this season under coach Kerry Warden, who started the Mustangs' girls program in 2000, and senior Mackenzie Gant (fourth, 100 fly; sixth, 100 back) and sophomore Hailey Rankin (fourth, 200 IM; sixth, 100 breast), both of whom were on 2009's fourth-placing 200 medley relay team.
"We've got returning state qualifiers (Gant and Rankin) along with a great looking bunch of underclassmen that we're expecting great things out of," Warden said.
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Richland's Bratton comes through state prelims
Richland's Bratton comes through state prelims
FEDERAL WAY -- Lisa Bratton turned on the jets in a big way Friday.
Now, the Richland sophomore sits in prime position for hardware today at the state swimming and diving championships in Federal Way.
Bratton entered the Class 4A 200-yard individual medley preliminaries as the No. 1 seed and didn't budge from the top spot. She slashed to an All-America consideration time of 2 minutes, 5.54 seconds, 35 hundredths of a second faster than her qualifying time.
State-qualifying swim times heating up
State-qualifying swim times heating up
Looking at the times of Mid-Columbia swimmers less than a week into the season, one might think the girls state championships in Federal Way were just around the corner, not two months away.
At Saturday's Eastern Washington Jamboree in Prosser, Hailey Rankin of the host Mustangs swam the 100-yard butterfly in a state-qualifying time of 1 minute, 2.32 seconds.
That night, more state qualifiers rolled in at the Richland Twilight Jamboree. Hanford senior Melissa Merrill qualified on her own in the 50 freestyle, then helped the Falcons achieve state-qualifying times in the 400 free and 200 medley relays.
Othello's Ruiz sets district swim marks
Othello's Ruiz sets district swim marks
Othello senior Natilee Ruiz got a pair of Class 2A district records on the first day of the District 5/6/7 swimming championships in Ellensburg.
Ruiz entered Friday as the district-record holder in the 50-yard freestyle, 200 free, 500 free and 100 backstroke. She added her name to the record books in the 100 free (54.85 seconds) and 200 individual medley (2 minutes, 11.85 seconds).
Prosser junior Hailey Rankin broke former teammate Mackenzie Gant's district record in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:00.96. Rankin also achieved a state-qualifying time of 5:35.79 in the 500 free. But her district record in the 100 breaststroke fell when Ellensburg freshman Taylor Wilson clocked in at 1:09.68.
2011 Mid-Columbia girls swimming district qualifiers
2011 Mid-Columbia girls swimming district qualifiers
Here are the top seeds for the 2011 girls swimming district meet in the Mid-Columbia:
Class 4A
(Top seeds are in bold)
Richland swimmer Connors leads Bombers by example
Richland swimmer Connors leads Bombers by example
After three years of competing with -- and against -- some of the best swimmers to come through the Richland program, Nick Connors has reached the head of the class.
With that role comes responsibility, and the senior co-captain, who helped the Bombers finish third at state last season, has a few goals in mind for his teammates.
"I want us to be at the pool, work hard and have fun," he said.
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