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.

A certain sense of uncertainty surrounded the Hazen High School boys swim team at the beginning of the season.

Without a coach until nearly the last minute, when current coach Jon Graybill agreed to step in, Hazen senior Malcolm Mitchell said he wasn’t sure what to expect of this year’s Highlanders.

By Greg Farrar
Connor Biehl, Liberty High School senior, swims to fifth place with a time of 1 minute, 56.72 seconds in the 200-yard individual medley 3A state championship final.

“It got off to a bumpy start, just because he was hired just a few days before the season,” Mitchell said. “He handled it well, though, and the season was successful.”

It was a success, and the proof is in the half-dozen medals the team earned at the 3A state swimming championship Feb. 22. The Highlanders performed so well, they were less than eight points away from a fourth-place finish and team trophy.

Hazen began the meet with a bang, earning fourth in the 200-yard medley relay, and breaking a school record along the way. The team of Nolan Hoover, Derek Wei, Connor Broughton and Mitchell swam the race in 1 minute, 39.64 seconds.

The mark broke a Hazen school record that had stood since 1977.

“We’ve been looking at those records every year that I’ve been here, and we were close, but we didn’t quite get it,” Mitchell said. “It was nice to finally get that record.”

Mitchell, in the last competition of his high-school career, went on to win three more medals, two of them individuals, in the meet held at Federal Way’s King County Aquatic Center.

He earned two fifth-place medals — one in the 50-yard freestyle and one in the 100-yard butterfly. Mitchell was also a part of the 400-yard freestyle relay team, along with Broughton, Wei and Sergio Licea, that earned sixth place.

“It’s just satisfying seeing all the hard work pay off,” Mitchell said. “I put a lot of hours into it, so it’s nice to see that in the results.”

Licea, a sophomore, also medaled, earning eighth place in the 100-yard butterfly. Additionally, Broughton placed eighth in the 500-yard freestyle.

Liberty wins three medals

The Liberty High School boys swim team competed in its last state meet as a 3A school, before the Patriots jump down to 2A next year, and earned three medals.

Senior Connor Biehl finished his high school career by capturing two individual medals at the 3A meet Feb. 22.

Biehl placed fifth in the 200-yard individual medley and seventh in the 100-yard backstroke.

“It’s great, just pounding the wall and turning and looking to see I got fifth. That was my goal,” he said after the individual medley race.

Junior Nick Klatt also earned a medal, placing sixth in the 500-yard freestyle.