Girls Swimming: Roughriders take 8th, Wolves 21st at state swim meet

By Matthew Nash • November 20, 2024 1:30 am
Photo courtesy Michelle Rhodes Sequim’s girls swim team, from left, coach Sarah Thorson, Ava Shinkle, Melia Nelson, Annie Ellefson, Keira Morey, and coach Cherise Feser stand together at the 1A/2A state swim meet inside the King County Aquatic Center. As a team, Sequim placed 21st out of 40 teams with only four swimmers competing.
Photo courtesy Michelle Rhodes Sequim’s girls swim team, from left, coach Sarah Thorson, Ava Shinkle, Melia Nelson, Annie Ellefson, Keira Morey, and coach Cherise Feser stand together at the 1A/2A state swim meet inside the King County Aquatic Center. As a team, Sequim placed 21st out of 40 teams with only four swimmers competing.

Several Sequim swimmers advanced into the finals at the 1A/2A state swim meet last weekend, with one taking home a medal on Nov. 14-16 in Federal Way’s King County Aquatic Center.

Sequim tied for 21st out of 40 teams with 26 points, while Port Angeles finished eighth (86 points), and Bainbridge Island won the state title with 316 points.

Sequim sophomore Ava Shinkle placed seventh in the 200 IM in 2:21.69, besting her preliminary time and district-qualifying time by more than a second. She also qualified for state in the 100 butterfly and advanced to the finals to finish 11th (1:05.25).

Shinkle also swam with the 200 medley team of Melia Nelson, Annie Ellefson and Keira Morey to place 16th in the 400 free relay (4:17.22), also besting their district’s time by nearly five seconds.

The same swimmers also took 17th in the 200 medley relay (2:10.06) to improve their district’s time by 21-tenths of a second. Ellefson, a junior, also made the finals in the 100 breaststroke to place 15th (1:18.51).

Nelson and Morey are both seniors.

For the state finals, Port Angeles 400 yard free relay team — Lynzee Reid, Amayah Nelson, Brooke St. Luise, and Danika Asgeirsson — swam to a fifth place finish (4:02.72).

The Roughriders’ 200 free team (Lizzy Shaw, Asgeirsson, St. Luise, and Reid) also took seventh in 1:51.44.

Amayah Nelson finished the 200 free finals with a seventh place finish in 2:08.85, and she placed eighth in the 500 free (5:53.84).

In diving, Reid placed 10th with a score of 194.40 while in the 100 backstroke St. Luise took 14th (1:06.78) and Asgeirsson 16th (1:08.87). Shaw swam 27.88 to earn 21st in the 50 free.

Photo courtesy Michelle Rhodes Sophomore Ava Shinkle placed seventh in the 200 IM in 2:21.69 at the 1A/2A state girls swim meet on Nov. 16.

Photo courtesy Michelle Rhodes Sophomore Ava Shinkle placed seventh in the 200 IM in 2:21.69 at the 1A/2A state girls swim meet on Nov. 16.

Photo courtesy Eric Ellefson/ Sequim’s Ava Shinkle swims the backstroke during the West Central III 1A/2A district meet, where she qualified for state in multiple events. She went on to win seventh in the 200 IM last weekend.

Photo courtesy Eric Ellefson/ Sequim’s Ava Shinkle swims the backstroke during the West Central III 1A/2A district meet, where she qualified for state in multiple events. She went on to win seventh in the 200 IM last weekend.

Photo courtesy Eric Ellefson/ Senior Melia Nelson propels herself forward at the West Central III 1A/2A district meet. She qualified for state with two relay teams.

Photo courtesy Eric Ellefson/ Senior Melia Nelson propels herself forward at the West Central III 1A/2A district meet. She qualified for state with two relay teams.

Photo courtesy Eric Ellefson/ Senior Keira Morey, seen here at the West Central III 1A/2A district meet, swam with two relay teams at the state meet last weekend to earn 16th in the 400 free relay (4:17.22), and 17th in the 200 medley relay (2:10.06).

Photo courtesy Eric Ellefson/ Senior Keira Morey, seen here at the West Central III 1A/2A district meet, swam with two relay teams at the state meet last weekend to earn 16th in the 400 free relay (4:17.22), and 17th in the 200 medley relay (2:10.06).

Photo courtesy Eric Ellefson/ Sequim junior Annie Ellefson, pictured swimming at the West Central III 1A/2A district meet, made the state finals last weekend in the 100 breaststroke to place 15th (1:18.51). She also swam with two relay teams to earn 16th in the 400 free relay (4:17.22), and 17th in the 200 medley relay (2:10.06).

Photo courtesy Eric Ellefson/ Sequim junior Annie Ellefson, pictured swimming at the West Central III 1A/2A district meet, made the state finals last weekend in the 100 breaststroke to place 15th (1:18.51). She also swam with two relay teams to earn 16th in the 400 free relay (4:17.22), and 17th in the 200 medley relay (2:10.06).