Class 4A girls swimming: Inglemoor wins first team championship

FEDERAL WAY — As a swimmer dedicated to taking names off record boards, Oak Harbor senior Missy McIntyre was mildly disappointed at falling short yesterday at the King County Aquatic Center.

On the bright side, the name that survived on the board at the Class 4A state swimming and diving championships was hers.

"I left with a smile, so I'm happy," McIntyre said after winning two more individual championships to increase her career haul to seven state titles.

McIntyre, bound for USC next fall, won the 50-yard freestyle for the third straight year, in 23.28 seconds. She then completed a four-year sweep of the 100 breaststroke with a win in 1:02.80 as USC coach Mark Schubert looked on.

That time failed to surpass the state record of 1:02.39 McIntyre set a year ago. Still, in a meet that featured four wins by Gig Harbor junior Krissy Forelli, two more by Kentwood junior Courtney Eronemo and the first team title by the Inglemoor girls, McIntyre's final awards ceremony was a veritable lovefest.

The pool announcer had the finishers in the 100 breaststroke remain on the awards stand as he recounted her four-year run. Afterward, she was presented with her second straight Washington Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association Class 4A swimmer-of-the-year award.

As her mother, Sharon McIntyre, approached her after the ceremony, Cascade junior Brittney Thompson gushed, "Your daughter made me cry."

Forelli, who skipped high-school swimming a year ago to qualify for and compete in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, won the 200 freestyle (1:51.35) and 500 freestyle (4:58.35), then anchored the Tides to victory in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

The last relay win, in the final meet of the season, nearly gave Gig Harbor its first state title since winning in 1997. But it wasn't enough to overtake Inglemoor, which claimed its first girls swimming championship without winning an event.

Inglemoor tallied 168.5 points to Gig Harbor's 150. Kamiak was third with 142 and Kentlake fourth with 113. Two-time defending champion Rogers of Puyallup was fifth with 109 points.

"We're a deep team, that's for sure," said Inglemoor coach Monica Mayes, whose squad was led by runner-up efforts from junior diver Danica Brace and the 200 medley relay team. "I don't know if they thought it was going to happen, but obviously they're very deserving."

Eronemo, a two-time winner at last year's state meet, did not defend her titles in the 100 butterfly or 500 freestyle yesterday. Instead, she changed events and walked off with crowns in both the 200 individual medley (2:03.40) and 100 backstroke (57.24).

Including her part in Kentwood's 200 freestyle relay win in 2003, Eronemo has five state championships in as many events.

"A lot of people can defend their state titles," said Eronemo. "I want to get a lot of different titles."

Roosevelt senior Kim Kripps won the 100 butterfly in an automatic All-American time of 56.81. Kripps, third in the event a year ago, won by more than 1-1/2 seconds over Jesika Heidloff of Rogers.

Notes

• Despite losing three members of its record-setting 200 medley relay team to graduation, Rogers won the meet-opening event in 1:52.40. Heidloff, a senior, was the lone returning member of the quartet that set the state mark of 1:45.77 at last year's meet. Her younger sister, freshman Jena Heidloff, swam the clinching 50-yard anchor leg after swimmers from the top four teams entered the water at virtually the same time.

• Mariesa Cloud, a Tahoma sophomore appearing in the diving finals for the first time, scored 407.85 points to dominate a veteran field that included returning medal winners Brace (second, 343.65), Jenna Marshall of Auburn Riverside (fourth, 327.45) and Emily Martens of Kamiak (sixth, 322.75).

• The 100 freestyle final did not include any seniors. South Kitsap sophomore Madison Rousell won the event in 52.35.

• Defending 100 backstroke champion Rikka Brunner of Kamiak settled for third behind Eronemo and Cassie Hamilton of Southridge despite posting an automatic All-American qualifying time of 57.89.

• Garfield's 200 freestyle relay team was runner-up in that event for the second straight year.