Despite having varying levels of experience and ages, and coming off a summer break away from school, Sequim High’s girls swim squad is mixing quite well early, the Wolves’ coaches say.
“They came together really fast,” said Cherise Fezer, who together with Sarah Thorson are co-coaching the swim team for the second consecutive season.
“This is the most motivated I’ve seen [in a team] since I’ve been here,” Thorson said.
Ten of the 16 turning out for the team are returning swimmers for a crew that split their eight Olympic League meets and placed sixth at the West Central District meet in 2023.
The Wolves, who lost just one varsity starter (Natalie Cross) to graduation, get back a number of key swimmers in 2024, including sophomore Ava Shinkle. As a freshman, Shinkle raced to two top-10 finishes at the 1A/2A state meet — sixth in the 200 individual medley, 10th in the 100 butterfly — as SHS placed 20th overall.
Also back is fellow state qualifier Annie Ellefson. As a junior in 2023, she placed 11th in the 100 breaststroke and 22nd in the 200 free at the state meet. Both Shinkle and Ellefson, along with Cross and veteran returner Melisa Nelson, helped Sequim’s 200 medley and 400 free relay teams earn state berths.
Sequim Gazette file photo by Michael Dashiell Sequim’s Annie Ellefson competes in the 100 breaststroke in a 2023 Olympic League meet. Ellefson, a junior, returns to the squad after earning two individual 1A/2A state meet qualifying swims in 2023.
For this fall’s SHS team, Nelson, who placed ninth in the 100 fly and 11th in the 200 free at districts, was named a senior captain alongside Keira Morey, while Ellefson was selected junior captain and Violet Richardson was named the team’s spirit captain.
Joining the returning swimmers are six newcomers, some of whom Thorson expects to improve to district meet-level times by season’s end.
“We have state-level [swimmers] to just learning to swim,” Fezer said.
Sequim opens the season at the “Breezy Jamboree,” a preseason invite at Olympic (Silverdale) on Sept. 11. The Wolves open the league campaign on Sept. 18 at Olympic before hosting rival Port Angeles on Sept. 25.
Fall sports preview: SHS girls swimming
Head co-coaches: Cherise Fezer, Sarah Thorson (second season/combined)
2023 record: 4-4 in Olympic League meets; sixth at West Central District meet; two relays, two athletes (two events each) to state 2A meet
Returning swimmers: Ava Shinkle (so.), Annie Ellefson (jr.), Melia Nelson (sr.), Addison Long (sr.), Keira Morey (sr.), Naomi Beglyakov (jr.), Kate Brouillard (jr.), Tricia Day (sr.), Violet Phillips (jr.), Brooklyn Snyder (so.)
Newcomers: Audrey Cabage (fr.), September Crow (fr.), Ella Luke (fr.), Emma Rhodes (fr.), Ashlyn Sol (fr.), Holly Sol (jr.)
Schedule: Sept. 11 jamboree at Olympic; Sept. 18 at Olympic; Sept. 25 vs. Port Angeles; Oct. 2 at North Kitsap; Oct. 4 vs. Klahowya; Oct. 16 vs. Kingston; Oct. 18 at Bainbridge; Oct. 23 vs. Bremerton; Oct. 26 at Olympic League Divisional meet, Port Angeles.
