By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

FEDERAL WAY--Mount Rainier swimmers and a diver, all seniors, led the Rams this season to the WIAA 4A Girls State Swim And Dive Championships at the King County Aquatic Center pool in Federal Way on Nov. 14-15.

All are fondly liked by coach Chris Veraya, who called this a "special" team after the district meet, after having watched these senior young ladies grow from freshmen to seniors in his last three years coaching the Rams' swim team.

"It is a special year," Veraya had said following the Rams' fourth place finish at districts a couple weekends ago, prior to state happening this past weekend.

The best placement finishes for the Rams at the state meet this season came from Rams senior captain Kristen Lemley. Individually, she notched a fourth place for the 100-yard backstroke in 59.96 seconds and an eighth place for the 200 individual medley in 2:12.32.

"Real excited," said Lemley of her finishes topping off her high school swimming career for the Rams. She does attend Aviation High School, but lives in the Des Moines area, and AVS is a technical high school, with no girls high school swim team. So Lemley can swim, and represent, for the Rams.

Relay swimmers who helped out the Rams to an excitingly dominating senior finish were those who helped the Rams get to both a relay final and a relay consolation final. Those swimmers are Anna Burdine, Darlavanh Long, Erin Ronald and Lemley, who altogether took 1:55.94 to back, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle, through the water in the state meet first event of the evening, the 200 medley relay. They teamed for fifth place in the consolation race and 13th overall combined with placing below the top eight in the final. And that time was nearly a second faster than the prelims time of 1:56.75.

Then the same four seniors, Burdine, Long, Ronald and Lemley swam in the last race at state, the 400 free relay, and they took seventh in the consolation final, 15th overall, in 3:49.91.

Burdine also swam, individually, at state in the 100 breast, not making it to the second day. But getting there was the thing, as only 24 out of hundreds, if not thousands of swimmers reach that level.
So what kind of experience for Burdine was this?

"Amazing," she said. "I can't believe it's over. It was kind of cool to swim with all seniors on that last relay. It was all of our last races. Everyone's thinking the same thing, 'It's all over.'" And so it comes to a close.
"Fun four years swimming for Mount Rainier," said Burdine. "We all gave it all we had in our last race."
Long spoke of her final time in the water with friends, who are seniors, who are done with high school swimming just like her.

"Bittersweet moment," said Long. "I've been swimming my entire life and it's over."
One other swimmer who did well and is the future of Rams swimming is Rachel Beal. She took fifth place in the consolation final of the 500 freestyle in 5:24.03.
She was most happy about what with her race?

"That I finished it," said Beal. She also improved and liked that and she said. "I was 19th last year."
"A lot of butterflies," said Beal. "If you think about it too much, it can mess you up."

And, afterward, nervousness aside, which, can be quite understandable for being a first-time state finalist, Beal's coach, Veraya, said what he liked from his young swimmer, talking about that, and, also, what he saw needing improvement, too, in the offseason.

"He said that he liked my glide, how I put my arms in the water, and my breath control is something I need to work on."

There's also a diving side of things at state where senior Ava Welch and junior Hailey Sagmoen dove well to get to state. At state, Sagmoen was 16th and Welch ninth, just missing making the podium as the top eight stand on it and get medals.

Welch was happy just being here, and, it was a fun experience for her.
"It's exciting," she said. "Once you're here, you're here."

And, for Sagmoen, this was her first year diving. She already has made it to state and qualified for the second day, as divers are pared down from day one on Friday. "Just exciting to be here," said Sagmoen.

Welch scored 335.60 from her 11 dives, which was very close to getting her on the podium for a medal, as the eighth-place finisher, Paige Hirata, from Woodinville, scored 335.85. Sagmoen's total was 293.35.
Todd Wollenweber coaches these two young ladies as he has coached the girls, and, boys programs to much success over the years. He also coaches Highline divers, like Sophia Cassam, who took second place in the 2A state diving competition, to note.

But, of Wollenweber, it was all good about him. Make that, another word. "He's a great coach," said Welch, and Sagmoen agreed with that and expounded. "First year diving, he's taught me a lot," said Sagmoen.
In this state meet, Welch was in the running for a top eight place but of her 11 total dives, the latter ones hurt her podium hopes. "Wasn't the best last three dives," said Wollenweber. Which happens why?
"Adrenaline took over, couldn't control her dives," said Wollenweber. Welch knew she was in a close race?
"She did," said Wollenweber. "But both did really well."

Sagmoen, to state so quickly, just learning how to dive, one might wonder, besides, Wollenweber's good tutelage, why she's state bound already. "I used to be a gymnast and dancer, that's influenced my abilities," said Sagmoen.

Wollenweber added, "Hailey picked it up fast. She has great body awareness, really flexible."
Fast learner?

"Very fast," he said.

Expectations for Sagmoen next season in diving? "Top eight (at state), for sure," he said. "We are going to add some d.d. (degree of difficulty) to her list of dives, show some flexibility."
And, of Welch, Wollenweber liked how she came back from last year, where she did wildcard into state, but, then, just missed qualifying for day two of finals.

"Last year was a struggle for her," said Wollenweber. "She was not liking a lot of her dives, not confident in her dives. But, this season she's improved. She had a good 11-dive meet, the second qualifier, dove really well. Really solid. That was a big boost for her."
Wollenweber likes what both divers have done this season.
"Ava set the school record for the sixth dive and Hailey set it for the 11th," he said.