SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

There were a lot of good efforts to like from various Seamount League schools. Like the Highline Pirates' Beth Cate, a sophomore, who was second in the 500 freestyle. Like Rams divers Liz Nugent and Stephanie Chu, both making it to finals. And like the Kennedy Lancers, who had Brianne Lindblad win two events and overall helped the team take third at state for a best ever finish for them.

All this happened at the 3A WIAA Swimming and Diving State Championships at the King County Aquatic Center Nov. 10-11.

"One better than before," said Lancers head coach Marc Stock, who is assisted by Erin Dunn. "We were going for first but didn't end up that way. Bainbridge and Bellevue had more swimmers. We just came to race and you couldn't ask for anything more."

The Lancers took fourth last year so improvement was made and that's all the more reason to forget their not getting their goal of winning state.

"Very well," said Dunn. "They did very well."

"They are great coaches," said Lindblad. "They are always there to support us, always give us updates of how things are going in meets, they are always keeping us pumped up, giving us a lot of motivation."

Doing the very best for the Lancers was the junior Lindblad, who didn't have much motivation for winning state in her events because as a sophomore she won, too. She took first place in the 100 freestyle in 52.1 and the 100 backstroke in 56.1. Teammate Nikki Vetterlein was third in the 100 back in 59.1. Vetterlein was fourth in the 100 back, too, in 55.3.

Lindblad also was on two winning relays teams, the 200 and 400 free, with Allie Vetterlein, Nikkie Vetterlein, Emily Fenster. They had a time of 1:49.90 in the 200 and a time of 3:35.50 in the 400. The Mount Rainier Rams took 10th in 1:56.90, with Meagan Wilson, Molly Larson, Maria Rice and Maggie Caetano on that team.

Cate of Highline was second in the 200 free in 1:53.75 and third in the 500 free in 5:06.

Both were best times. Her 200 free prelim time was 1:54 and her 500 prelim was 5:07, so improvement across the board for her.

Two of Cate's fingers were tied together in a splint of tape and that was something that affected her stroke."It hurt a little bit," she said. "I tried to swim through it."

For the Rams, Molly Larson took 14th in the 200 IM in 2:!5.64 and Allie Vetterlein was sixth in 2:10.62. Kennedy's Emily Fenster was fourth in the 200 free in 1:56.70 and Haley Gansneder was 10th.

Chu took 15th and Nugent, 16th, in diving.

Wilson, Larson, Rice, and Caetano were also in the 200 free relay, taking seventh in the final in 1:43.10. Molly Larson was fifth in the 100 breast to supersede her. Not swimming on the finals day but making it to state for day one competition for the third place Lancers team was junior Casey Jackson and senior Casey Hoffman.