Cheney High School’s girls’ swimming team placed fourth overall at districts, with numerous swimmers advancing to the state competition later this month.
The district championships where held in Ellensburg, Wash. at Central Washington University Nov. 1 and 2. The state championships are set to take place in Federal Way, Wash. Nov. 15-16.
“This year was really, really good,” head coach Jennifer Hochwalt said.
The team started with a number of novice swimmers, who either had no experience or just under a month from the previous season.
“We had a lot of girls who didn’t know how to do all four strokes,” Hochwalt said.
That inexperience, however, led to some great strides throughout the season. Some swimmers saw their initial times improved by 25 percent by the end of the regular season.
The 200 medley team of Makenzie Norman, Kaylie Geschke, Alexis Schmidt and Brittany Meyer took third place, and moved on to state with a time of 2:05.22.
Schmidt also qualified for state in the 200 free. In the 50 free, Norman placed for state. She also won the 100 free, moving on to state.
The 200 free relay team of Norman, Meyer, Schmidt and Kaylie Watters won in 1:52.82 and advanced to state. Watters also qualified in the 100 breaststroke.
Looking forward to the state competition, Hochwalt said there were some events where the Blackhawks could place in the top 16 or top eight.
“Every year it’s a bit different, so we’ll see how it goes,” she said.
James Eik can be reached at james@cheneyfreepress.com.
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