STATE MEET AT A GLANCE
When: Thursday through Saturday.
Where: King County Aquatic Center, Federal Way.
Times: Thursday – 4A diving prelims (first eight rounds), 7 p.m. Friday – 4A swim prelims, 12:45 p.m.; 3A swim prelims, 5:45 p.m.; 3A diving prelims (first eight rounds), 7:45 p.m. Saturday – 4A swimming and diving finals (combined with the 2A finals), 10:15 a.m.; 3A swimming and diving finals, 5:45 p.m.
Local individuals to watch : 4A – Chelsea Bailey (Kentlake), 100 free, 100 back; Trisha Averill (Auburn), 200 IM, 100 breaststroke; Shawna Jordan (Auburn), 1-meter diving; Amber Cratsenberg (Jefferson), 50 free, 100 free.
Tickets: Single session – Adults $9, students with ASB and senior citizens $7. All-tournament – Adults $15, students with ASB and senior citizens $10.
In the wake: Auburn’s Jordan, a junior, won the Class 3A diving title last year, and took the 4A West Central District crown last weekend, scoring 374.1 points. Last fall at state, Jordan had a scant lead of 6.8 points on Bellevue’s Diana Wilcox, the pre-meet favorite heading into the final round. Then, she went for it all, throwing a 2 1/2-twisting back somersault with a high 2.7 degree of difficulty – and nailed it for scores ranging from 5 to 6 1/2. She scored 45.9 points on the dive, finished with 420.95, and beat Wilcox by 13.1 points. There won’t be a rematch, however, since Bellevue is still 3A while Auburn has moved up to 4A. However, defending 4A champion Stacy Luke of Inglemoor is back. She won state with 388.75 last year, but won the Sea-King District title last Saturday with 411.05. … The last time Auburn senior Averill was in the state pool was in the 2006 Class 3A as a Trojan sophomore. She took second in the 100 breaststroke and fifth in the 200 IM that year. She won both events in the district meet on Nov. 1. Heading into Friday‘s state prelims, Averill is seeded fourth in the IM (2:09.71) and fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.56). … TJ freshman Cratsenberg won the district title in the 50 free, and is seeded second in that event for state at 24.26. The top seed is Alana Pazevic of Jackson at 23.74. Cratsenberg is seeded fifth in the 100 free at 52.54.
In the district finals on Nov. 1 at Rogers High, Kentlake sophomore Bailey won the 100 backstroke title in 54.99 seconds, faster than the current state record of 55.27 set in 2002 by Rebecca Sturdy of Anacortes. Earlier in the meet, Bailey won the 100 free in 50.17, just .01 shy of the current state record set in 2003 by Emily Silver of Bainbridge, who swam in this past summer’s Beijing Olympics. However, a state title is no sure thing in either event. Bailey is top-seeded in the 100 free, but lurking close behind is Skyline junior Andie Taylor at 50.67. In the backstroke, Bailey is actually the second seed with her 54.99. Seeded just in front of her is Ballard’s Annemarie Thayer – also a sophomore – at 54.90. That pair went 1-2 last year, albeit not nearly as fast as they’re going now. Thayer won in 57.62, Bailey was second in 58.11. … Tahoma’s Rachel Reece, yet another sophomore, is seeded fourth in the back at 1:00.59. Reese placed 11th last year. … Kent-Meridian freshman Joanna Wu is seeded 16th in the 50 free at 25.18, which would put her in the points. She’s 17th in the 100 free at 55.35, just five-hundredths of a second away from a spot in consolation finals.
