Hanford back on top as Class 3A district swim champ
The Hanford Falcons are Class 3A district swim and dive champions once again.
Maddie Elliott and Megan Gelston, both sophomores, and freshman Kayla Burck claimed individual titles Saturday night in Moses Lake, while the Falcons won all three relays to power Hanford to its seventh district championship in eight years.
The Falcons scored 176 points, while last year’s winner, Kamiakin, finished with 146. The Braves missed a chance to narrow the gap after their 400-yard freestyle relay was disqualified in Thursday’s preliminaries.
“It was really exciting for me to watch them do it,” Hanford coach Randy Willis said of the Falcons’ championship. “There were a bunch of freshmen last year that were coming in, and for the seniors graduating, it was the first year they had known something other than winning. While it was a little disappointing for the freshmen, to them, it was, ‘We want to win that next year. We’ve got to get it back here.’ ”
District winners were guaranteed berths in the Nov. 13-14 state meet in Federal Way. Wild-card recipients in all classifications will be announced next weekend.
In the 100 breaststroke, Elliott won in a state-qualifying time of 1 minute, 9.53 seconds. Defending district champion Alexis Murphy of Kennewick was the runner-up in 1:09.72, one-tenth of a second below her state cut from October’s Mukilteo Invitational.
Elliott also retained her title in the 500 freestyle. She touched the wall in 5:42.50, 18 seconds ahead of the next two finishers.
Burck won the 200 free, and Gelston beat out 2014 champ Madison Thurber of Kamiakin in the 100 backstroke. Gelston was six-hundredths of a second under the state time standard of 1:01.90.
Thurber did not come away empty-handed, repeating as the champion in the 200 individual medley. Her teammate Saige Polanik won the diving competition with an 11-dive score of 379.75.
Kennewick’s Murphy sisters each went home with a district title — Alexis in the 100 butterfly and Blair in the 50 free. Southridge freshman Hilary Petersen won the 100 free in a state-qualifying time of 55.71 seconds.
In the 2A meet, where three state allocations per event were available, Prosser’s Becky Wildman finished third in the 100 breast and will make her second consecutive state appearance in the event. The Mustangs took third in the 200 and 400 free relays on the way to placing fourth in the team standings.
DISTRICT 5/6/7 FINALS
Saturday at Moses Lake High School
Class 3A
Winner advances to state
Team scores: 1, Hanford 176; 2, Kamiakin 146; 3, Southridge 78; 4, Kennewick 72; 200 medley relay: 1, Hanford A (Megan Gelston, Annie Shen, Emma Pope, Kayla Burck) 1:59.01; 200 freestyle: 1, Burck (Han) 2:06.43; 200 individual medley: 1, Madison Thurber (Kam) 2:21.36; 50 freestyle: 1, Blair Murphy (Ken) 25.54; Diving: 1, Saige Polanik (Kam) 379.75 (SQ); 100 butterfly: 1, Alexis Murphy (Ken) 1:01.08; 100 freestyle: 1, Hilary Petersen (Sou) 55.71 (SQ); 500 freestyle: 1, Maddie Elliott (Han) 5:42.50; 200 freestyle relay: 1, Hanford A (Burck, Shelby Schumacher, Sophie Gourley, Elliott) 1:46.25; 100 backstroke: 1, Gelston (Han) 1:01.84 (SQ); 100 breaststroke: 1, Elliott (Han) 1:09.53 (SQ); 400 freestyle relay: 1, Hanford A (Gelston, Shen, Gourley, Elliott) 3:52.98.
Class 2A
Top three advance to state
Team scores: 1, Pullman 401; 2, Ellensburg 354; 3, Cheney 225; 4, Prosser 213; 5, Selah 198; 6, Zillah 140; 7, Toppenish 137; 8, Grandview 107; 9, Clarkston 97; 10, Wapato 65; 11, Naches Valley 40; 12, Mabton 3; 200 medley relay: 1, Pullman A (Taylor McCoy, Isobel Gleason, Adeline Thayer, Caroline Brock) 1:59.96 (SQ); 2, Ellensburg A 2:00.98 (SQ); 3, Toppenish A 2:04.96; 200 freestyle: 1, Ella Van Troba (Naches Valley) 1:56.54 (SQ); 2, Krista Wilson (Ell) 2:00.67 (SQ); 3, Brock (Pul) 2:04.10 (SQ); 200 individual medley: 1, McCoy (Pul) 2:08.96 (SQ); 2, Alexis Schmidt (Che) 2:19.46 (SQ); 3, Jesse Rees (Selah) 2:35.09; 50 freestyle: 1, Makenzie Norman (Che) 25.07 (SQ); 2, Alicia Hummel (Ell) 26.08 (SQ); 3, Katrina Johnson (Top) 26.27; Diving: No winner; 100 butterfly: 1, Schmidt (Che) 1:01.98 (SQ); 2, Erin Herzog (Sel) 1:08.84; 3, Rees (Sel) 1:09.31; 100 freestyle: 1, Norman (Che) 54.14 (SQ); 2, Wilson (Ell) 56.01 (SQ); 3, Johnson (Top) 57.73 (SQ); 500 freestyle: 1, Van Troba (Nac) 5:12.12 (SQ, meet record); 2, Brock (Pul) 5:28.95 (SQ); 3, Samantha Denison (Ell) 5:36.04 (SQ); 200 freestyle relay: 1, Ellensburg A (Hummel, Kelsey Powell, Denison, Wilson) 1:47.72 (SQ); 2, Cheney A 1:48.12 (SQ); 3, Prosser A (Anette Eriksen, Kaylyn Sanders, Ali Cox, Becky Wildman) 1:48.77; 100 backstroke: 1, McCoy (Pul) 56.98 (SQ, meet record); 2, Hummel (Ell) 1:04.40 (SQ); 3, Janelle Calaway (Ell) 1:09.66; 100 breaststroke: 1, Gleason (Pul) 1:14.99; 2, Britney Zyph (Top) 1:16.39; 3, Wildman (Pro) 1:17.03; 400 freestyle relay: 1, Pullman A (Thayer, Emma Horstkamp, Brock, McCoy) 3:57.85 (SQ); 2, Cheney A 4:02.28; 3, Prosser A (Cox, Eriksen, Brittney Smith, Sanders) 4:11.08.
This story was originally published November 1, 2015 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Hanford back on top as Class 3A district swim champ."