Sequim swimmers make a splash

All season long, Sequim head coach Linda Moats emphasized this season is all about having fun.

All season long, Sequim head coach Linda Moats emphasized this season is all about having fun.

This team may be having enough fun to make it all the way to state.

Sequim posted two more district meet-qualifying swims at the Olympic

League meet on Oct. 29 in Port Angeles and will take five of its seven swimmers to the West Central District meet this Friday (Nov. 6).

Sequim saw its third relay team, the 200 medley squad of Autumn Kessinger, Anna Mittmann, Rachel Hughes and Rachel Hardy qualify for districts with a time of 2:27.

Hughes posted her third individual district qualifier and trimmed three seconds off her 100 butterfly time.

Hughes also took first place overall in the 200 free, improving her time by more than a second and nearly qualifying for districts.

Natalie McMurray improved her 50 free time by two seconds while teammates Serena Okamoto and Ellie Hubbard also saw improvements in the same event.

Mittmann, a freshman, trimmed eight seconds off her 100 free personal best while McMurray and Okamoto each saw improvements in the 100 breaststroke by at least five seconds.

Already qualified for districts, Sequim’s 200 free relay team (Hardy, Hubbard, Hughes, Kessinger) improved its best time by six seconds, to 2:08.

"It was a good day for most of the girls," Moats said. "They had fun and many swam best times."

The top-two individual swimmers or relay teams in each event at districts – or those who have posted state meet-qualifying times during the season – earn berths at the class 2A state meet, set for Nov. 12-14 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.

Reach Michael Dashiell at miked@sequimgazette.com.