Seven Oak Harbor High School swimmers qualified for state and helped the Wildcats place second in the district meet at the Snohomish Aquatic Center Saturday, Nov. 8.
Four Wildcats qualified for state in individual events and the three others will help fill out the three relay teams which earned state berths.
The top three finishers in each event at district qualified for state.
Shorewood won the title in the 12-team meet with 462 points; Oak Harbor tallied 406, 65 points ahead of third-place Edmonds-Woodway.
Senior Mollie Briddell and junior Marissa Morris will return to state for the third time.
Morris was the only individual district champion, placing first in the 200-yard freestyle (2:03.67). She also swam on the winning 200 freestyle relay team with Jillian Pape, Lauren Vagt and Taliah Black.
Morris also qualified for state in the 500 freestyle and in the 400 free relay. She placed third in the 500 (5:28.12), one spot behind teammate Molly Vagt, who qualified for state by finishing second (5:23.1).
Morris joined Briddell, Erica Sugatan and Molly Vagt to place second in the 400 freestyle relay (3:51.97).
Briddell placed second in two individual events (100 freestyle, 56.85; 100 backstroke, 1:03.93) and in two relays.
In addition to the 400 free relay, she was second in the 200 medley relay (1:56.72) with Black, Lauren Vagt and Molly Vagt.
Black claimed the other state individual slot by placing third in the 100 breaststroke (1:12.77).
Oak Harbor had a few near misses. Lauren Vagt finished fourth in the 50 free (26.69) by .05 of a second. Molly Vagt missed third in the 100 butterfly (1:01.05) by .16 of a second.
“Districts was definitely a team effort,” first-year coach Erin Bull said. “I am especially proud of the girls effort on qualifying in all three relays. They not only dropped time in each relay, but they conquered first through third in all three, which is a major accomplishment.”
The state meet is Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14 and 15, at the Weyerhaeuser King Country Aquatic Center in Federal Way.
Other Oak Harbor results at district:
Sophie Dickinson: 17, 200 free, 2:24.54; 13, 500 free, 6:31.21.
Black: 5, 200 individual medley, 2:26.11.
Sugatan: 7, 200 IM, 2:26.58; 5, 100 back, 1:06.34.
Mariel Empinado: 9, 200 IM, 2:33.17; 10, 100 fly, 1:08.82.
Pape: 6, diving, 283.3; 9, 100 fly, 1:05.25.
Lauren Vagt: 6, 100 fly, 1:05.85.
Baelee Whitinger: 13, 100 back, 1:10.31.
Elise Still: 10, 100 breast, 1:23.02.
Anna Kate Fahey: 16, 100 breast, 1:26.56.
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(District qualifiers for the Oak Harbor High School swim team: left to right, Molly Vagt, Mariel Empinado, Erica Sugatan, Marissa Morris, Sophie Dickinson, Jillian Pape, Elise Still, Taliah Black, Baelee Whitinger, Anna Kate Fahey, Grace Korsmo, Mollie Briddell and Lauren Vagt. Photo courtesy of Erin Bull.)
