The Richland Bombers put themselves in good position for another top-5 finish during Friday’s preliminary events at the 4A State Swimming and Diving Competition at King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.

Luke Jackson, a Bombers’ freshman, qualified second in the 500 free, and Ashton Pollick qualified third in the 100 backstroke.

In the 3A competition, William Werz of Hanford qualified for the finals in the 100 free and 200 free. The Falcons junior nearly posted the top time of the day in the 200 free, touching the wall in 1:42.99 — just over half a second behind leader Todd McCarthy of Bellevue, who finished in 1:42.42.

“I’m pretty nervous, actually. This is the first time I’ve ever been seeded second,” Werz said. “The race between me and (McCarthy) will be pretty intense.”

Werz also finished sixth in the 200 free with a time 47.95, nearly two seconds behind top qualifier Tommy Thatch of Kennedy (46.06).

Hanford’s 400 free relay team of James Bennett, Jeevan Philip, Werz and Parker Schumacher just missed a spot in the final, finishing in ninth with a time of 3:22.42, just 33 hundredths of a second behind eighth-place finisher Hazen.

Prosser’s Will Burgett also put himself in a position for a possible state championship, finishing second in the 50 free style and third in the 100 breaststroke.

Burgett was .31 seconds off the leading pace of Alec Barnard of Archbishop Murphy in the 50 free and finished the 100 breast in 1:03.38, nearly four seconds behind leader Patric Gregory of Sehome.

King County Aquatic Center, Federal Way

Preliminaries, top 8 to today’s finals

Top qualifier plus local finishers

Class 3A

200 medley relay—1, Bellevue 1:37.90; 14, Hanford (James Bennett, Tanner Collins, Jake Douglas, Jordan Hendry) 1:43.06. 200 free—1, Todd McCarthy (Bellevue) 1:42.42; 2, William Werz (Hanford) 1:42.99; 18, Bennett (Hanford) 1:52.79. 200 IM—1, Tommy Thatch (Kennedy) 1:52.87; 22, Jeevan Philip (Hanford) 2:06.64. 50 free—1, Andrew Weiss (Mercer Island) 21.43. Diving—1, Aaron Moss (Shorecrest) 513.85; 17, Sam Hart (Hanford) 264.20. 100 fly—1, Grant Neil (O’Dea) 51.24; 12, Douglas (Hanford) 54.78; 16, Philip (Hanford) 55.19. 100 free—1, Thatch (Kennedy) 46.06; 6, Werz (Hanford) 47.95. 500 free—1, Nick Klatt (Liberty) 4:38.64; 20, Douglas (Hanford) 5:08.36; 21, Karl Kintner-Meyer (Hanford) 5:14.72. 200 free relay—1, Mercer Island 1:28.22; 19, Hanford (Andrew Peacock, Parker Schumacher, Braeden Welsch, Philip) 1:33.77. 100 back—1, Todd McCarthy (Bellevue) 50.31; 24, James Bennett (Hanford) 58.97. 100 breast—1, Raymond Ha (Liberty) 58.59; 14, Peacock (Hanford) 1:03.27; 20, Tanner Collins (Hanford) 1:04.36. 400 free relay—1, Mercer Island 3:13.92; 9, Hanford (Bennett, Philip, Werz, Schumacher) 3:22.42.

Class 2A

200 medley relay—1, Sehome 1:42.46; 20; Grandview, (Mitchel Wagner, Micah Binfet, Jared Churchill, Brendon Lynch) 1:59.66. 200 free—1, Ian Schleh (Anacortes) 1:46.58. 200 IM—1, Stephen Boden (Archbishop Murphy) 2:01.21. 50 free—1, Alec Barnard (Archbishop Murphy) 21.92; 2, Will Burgett (Prosser) 22.23. Diving—1, Steve Kane (Arch. Murphy) 167.15. 100 fly—1, Alec Barnard (Arch. Murphy) 52.03. 100 free—1, Hunter Cosgrove (Arch. Murphy) 48.44. 500 free—1, Austin Barnard (Arch. Murphy) 4:45.94. 200 free relay—1, Archbishop Murphy 1:32.22; 12, Prosser (Tim Bowen, Caleb Albrecht, Sam Kawakami, Burgett) 1:38.80. 100 back—1, Benjamin Scott (Steilacoom) 53.15. 100 breast—1, Patric Gregory (Sehome) 59.42; 3, Burgett (Prosser) 1:03.38. 400 free relay—1, Archbishop Murphy 3:21.79.