Though having a strong showing as a team at the 3A state swim and dive championships, Mercer Island appeared to walk away from the round of finals without winning any individual events. The Islanders were runners-up in the day’s last race, the 400 free relay, finishing seven seconds behind Bellevue and presumably sealing any individual title hopes.
But some things aren’t always as they appear.
A disqualification charged to the Wolverines bumped the Islander team of Oliver Hoff, Ford Witman, Killian Riley and Ben Gore to first place, giving them the 3A state title in the 400 free relay with a winning time of 3:14.69.
As a team, the Islanders placed third overall at Saturday’s meet at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way with a score of 205.5. Bellevue repeated as 3A champions with a score of 349.5, while Bainbridge was second at 288.
The Wolverines won the 200 medley and 200 free relays, as well as the 200 free and 500 free individual races. In the final relay, Bellevue coach Andy Hay said Bellevue’s lead-off swimmer flinched just before the start of the race, causing the disqualification.
“We had no idea Bellevue was DQ’d so we just tried to hold off the other two teams and get second,” said Gore, who swam the last leg of the relay. “It was pretty awesome. The last swim of my high school career and all of a sudden, [we] get first in the 400 free relay.”
The Islanders had a less-than-stellar showing during the preliminaries the day before, which tempered expectations heading into the final day of the state championships. Mercer Island missed having a team in the 200 medley relay finals due to its own disqualification during prelims.
“After our performance yesterday, we knew that we were probably looking at third place, and so our goal was just to go best times and to swim fast,” Mercer Island coach Chris Conroy said. “Some guys who struggled yesterday showed a lot of resiliency and bounced back and swam well today, so it was encouraging. It was a great way to end the season on a real positive note.”
The Islanders competed in five of the day’s final events. Hoff placed second in the 500 free (4:45.5) and was seventh in the 200 free (1:45.36). Ben Dixon was fourth in the diving event (388.15). Mercer Island’s team of Gore, Carson Coe, Conner Vacca and Hoff finished third in the 200 free relay (1:27.99).
Three Islander freshmen advanced to Saturday’s finals and posted strong showings. Jacob Headrick was fifth (4:48.9) and Killian Riley was sixth (4:49.34) in the 500 free, and James Richardson placed eighth in the 100 back (54.25).
Conroy acknowledged having Mercer Island’s younger swimmers participate in the state finals was promising for the program going forward. In a day where moral victories were the expectation, getting one unexpected title win provided a sweet finish to the weekend.
“To see some of those guys go out on top, Ford and Ben are both seniors, so for them to win a state championship in the relay is very exciting,” he said.
Wayte attends 3A finals
Mercer Island’s own 1984 Olympic gold medalist Mary Wayte was in attendance for Saturday’s 3A state championship finals. Wayte was on hand to present family member Emmett Wayte of Roosevelt High School with his third-place medal in the 100 back.
