South Whidbey swimmer brings home two state titles
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, February 24, 2026
NATHAN WHALEN
Special to The Record
Four years of work paid off for South Whidbey High School’s Jack Hempel.
After two days of competition in the state 1A/2A swim championships, held Feb. 20 and Feb. 21 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Hempel placed first in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle.
“I had some pretty big time drops in preliminaries and finals,” Hempel said.
In the 50 freestyle, Hempel saw his time drop from 21.36 in the preliminary to 21.33 in the finals. In the 100 freestyle, his time dropped from 47.88 in the preliminary to 47.47 in the finals.
“It might not look a lot, but it’s a lot for a sprint,” Hempel said of the time difference.
He competed at the state swim meet in 2025 where he placed second in the 100 freestyle, and fourth in the 50 freestyle. He’s competed at the state tournament every year in high school and placed in the top five in events for the past three years.
A second South Whidbey swimmer, freshman Mason Slattum, competed in the 100-yard breaststroke, but didn’t place.
South Whidbey swim has two swimmers who practice and compete with Kamiak’s swim team, which is in Mukilteo. Hempel said they had a car available on the other side where they could drive from the ferry terminal to Kamiak. They leave school at 1 p.m. during the season to attend practice at Kamiak Monday through Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays, the two South Whidbey students would take a 5 a.m. ferry to Mukilteo for morning practice.
Although the two swimmers wore a South Whidbey cap and competed for the Falcons, Hempel said they felt like part of the Kamiak boys swimming team.
Hempel said he learned to swim through South Whidbey Stingrays Swim Club at Island Athletic Club. He still holds several records in the 14-and-under category – 50 freestyle, 50 butterfly and the 100 individual medley. He is also a lifeguard at Useless Bay Golf and Country Club, and he teaches swim lessons.
As a senior, he is graduating in June and preparing for college. He will soon visit Eckerd College in Florida, which has a search and rescue program, he said.
