Hazen finds the podium, Liberty swimmers medal
March 5, 2015
By Christina Corrales-Toy
The Hazen High School boys swim and dive team didn’t win a single event at the 2015 3A state swimming championship Feb. 20-21.
By Greg Farrar
Derek Wei, Hazen High School junior, seem to be airborne as he strokes through the water his 100-yard butterfly race, winning in 53.17 seconds Jan. 20 against Liberty.
Yet, the Highlanders’ top-to-bottom depth ensured the team had a spot on the podium when the meet came to a close Feb. 21 at Federal Way’s King County Aquatic Center.
Hazen swimmers collected personal bests on the way to the squad’s fourth-place finish, edging out league-rival Kennedy by four points to win a team trophy.
Senior Connor Broughton was the Highlanders’ top finisher, earning a second-place medal in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4 minutes, 40.07 seconds. Broughton picked up another individual medal after finishing sixth in the 200-yard individual medley.
Hazen junior Sergio Licea also won two individual medals, placing eighth in the 200-yard freestyle and third in the 100-yard butterfly. Teammate Derek Wei also placed fifth in the 100-yard butterfly.
Broughton, Licea, Wei and senior Nolan Hoover teamed up to take fourth in the 200-yard medley relay and fifth in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Hoover did not pick up a medal, but did win the consolation finals in the 100-yard backstroke. Wei also won the consolation final of the 100-yard breaststroke.
Liberty’s Nick Klatt is a state champion
By Greg Farrar
Nick Klatt, Liberty High School senior, swims his 500-yard freestyle race during the state 2A swim championships Feb. 21 in Federal Way. Klatt won the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1 minute, 42.12 seconds, and took third in the 500 with a time of 4:41.60.
Liberty senior Nick Klatt ended his high school swimming career as a state champion, winning the 2A 200-yard freestyle Feb. 21.
Klatt finished third in preliminaries the day before, but surged to the top spot in the finals with a time of 1:42.12. He also picked up a medal in the 500-yard freestyle (third, 4:41.60).
All three of the Patriots’ relay teams earned medals.
Klatt, Joel Tinseth, Andy DeVogel and Russell Fitzgerald opened the meet with an eighth-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay; Tinseth, Fitzgerald, Jacob Winter and Brian Duffner took seventh in the 200-yard freestyle relay; and Klatt, Winter, Fitzgerald and Kyle Larson finished eighth in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Fitzgerald also finished seventh in the consolation final of the 50-yard freestyle, while freshman Jacob Hepp took seventh in the consolation final of the 500-yard freestyle.
Overall, Liberty finished 10th in the 2A team standings.
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