Highlights from all-area swim meet

A lot of stories from the Southern championships swim meet but maybe two of the most noteable tales come from the Arbor Heights 8-& under

Under a relay team that had "vroom, vroom," on their mind -- (plus 17-year-old Jason Lemley zooming to a pool record in an unusual way) there was action for all six area Seattle Summer Swim League teams at the Olympic View pool last week.

Before we go on, the final score was Kent, 402 points for first and Marine Hills second with 294. Arbor Heights was third with 281, Normandy Park fourth with 267 and Olympic View, fifth with 221. Twin Lakes came in sixth.

Well, what about that young group of Arbor Heights relayers?

They wanted to go on a ride. That was their goal all season long, according to one of their coaches, Mariah Crockett, who is a Kennedy swimmer on that traditionally strong swim team and state placer as a junior as well.

Crockett is a senior now, and she's helping out until the season starts this fall in high school with Arbor Heights swimmers. One of the swimmers is her little brother, Sal.

So, what did this group set for goals as this season began and swims got better and better like this one at Southerns where Wyatt Henry, Lucas Richardson, Charles Bruchal and little Crockett flew through the water to a win in the 100 yard medley in 1:30.72. This foursome was also second in the 100 free and although not completely guaranteed a spot at Tuesday, Aug. 3 gala event capping the SSSL -- All City -- it's pretty close. There's a chance that all six teams from the Northern Championships beat out all six Southern times as both times are combined from their competing meets and top six compete on the 3rd.

"They told me, 'Our goal is to get on the bus and ride to All City,'" said Crockett of this AH foursome's goal this season.

Zac Hixson, head coach of AH, was kidding Sal as he was talking about going to All-City.

"You just wanted to ride that bus didn't you," said Hixson, who will have several members likely going on to All City, usually the top two places are more than likely in, but, again, it just depends on the times coming out of the North.

"They (8&under relayers) did awesome," said Hixson, who also mentioned the 14&under boys that won the 200 free relay in 1:44.50, just beating Normandy Park's 1:44.82. Boys on that AH team lilkely off to All City are Sam Cook, Alexander Mackenzie, Derek Billey, and, Nathaniel Williams.

And so that's all good for that swim team and for OV there was Chase Onstot setting a team record in the 50 free, 23.54, and, the 100 free, 51.27, winning his two races, and, NP's Thane Maudslien set a pool record inthe 100 free for 15&over, 47.95, and he's only 15.

But the story to be told is Lemley, who took second in the 15&over boys 50 backstroke in 26.08, as he lost to D'Voreaux Cann, an 18-year-old who is phenomenal for a Federal Way team, Twin Lakes. D'Voreaux Cann will have the opportunity at All City to break not one, but two records, as well as anchor a 200 free relay for TL that may just do some "breakage" too.

Moving past that, Lemley moved past everyone else, including NP's Matt Jude, a top placing state swimmer at 18 and one place behind Lemley in at 26.93, was how Lemley came about to swimming.

"David Lilleness was who had the pool record in the 50 back and he taught me that stroke in private lessons," said Lemley. "It's kind of funny that I broke his record."

Funny and rewarding, and maybe more so for Lilleness than Lemley even. Lilleness, incidentally, was a captain on the Rams' teams back in the early 2000s that won three state AAA state championships, a real rock and anchor on that team.

And, since Cann did beat Lemley, some words of Cann from Lemley.

"He's real good," said Lemley. "It's fun racing with him. He's a top swimmer, it was great swimming next to him because he really pushed me."

One other notable effort was from Normandy Park's 9-10 boys 100 yard medley as they took first in it in 1:12.31 and the free relay won in 2:14.54.

Those guys -- Michael Spitzer, William Loughlin, Anders Hunt and Tyler Goodspeed, were full of talk after their 100 free completed their great day as a team. Individually, these guys were seconds, thirds, even sixths, pausing for one first from Hunt in the 50 back, but as a team they did so well.

"We just got good at the end of the season," said Hunt, and let's note Jack Fenster, too, who swam the free instead of Spitzer. So a good fivesome that got it going just in time for the best, most important part of the season -- the postseason.

They've done what to get better?

"Our coaches were encouraging us, giving us technique tips like breathing and kickinig with our strokes," said Laughlin, whose head coach is Alex Beyer.

Individually, for Normandy Park, Alyx Hastings, at the younger age of 11 in the 11-12 boys 50 fly, won it in 30.73 and Grace Felner, an 8&under girl, took first in the 25 free in 15.33. So she'll be at All City, too.

Other good performances noted would be Gregory Seahurst's Reva Zacharias, first in the 50 butterfly in 29.75. She helped her 11-12 200 free relay team of Carrera Geer, Kit Bruner and Angela Galiardo take home the win in 1:55.42. And Reva's little sister, Emily, took first in the 9-10 50 free in 30.27, and in all likelihood will have a qualifying time for All-City. Emily won the 50 back, too, in 35.51, so, two events for that young lady at All-City it looks like.

Lucian Gauvin, another GS swim club member, took first in the 9-10 boys 50 breaststroke in 41.48.

And, back to Arbor Heights, Ann Webber-Bruya will be on that AH bus, too, as she was one of the few double event winners, getting first in the girls' 13-14 100 individual medley (1:05.89) and she won the 100 free, slashing arms through the water in 58.83.