By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

The Highline/Tyee/Evergreen co-op swim team brought four swimmers to a big meet, and they earned some high places and good finishes, not to mention one big surprise finish that qualified guys on to state, unexpectedly, in the 2A West Central District meet at the Hazen Pool on Saturday.

Port Angeles won districts with 237 points. Steilacoom was second with 224, Liberty third with 203.5, Lindbergh fourth with 139.5, Sammamish fifth with 133 and Highline sixth with 76, beating out Olympic with 68 and Kingston with 61 points. There were 17 teams total from this district.

"We did awesome," said Megan Reynolds, the team's coach. To note, all four swimmers at districts were either from Highline High School or it's preparatory extension school, Aviation West. "Very clean exchanges in two relays. So excited. Going to state in two relays."

Two! Not bad for a team that didn't win any of its dual meets this Seamount League season. And that sixth place, with only four swimmers, that's a "wow" factor, too.

Kodie Frankele, Lucien Gauvin, Nate Williams and Tyler Goodspeed competed, with a first place finish in the consolation final of the 200-yard medley relay, which meant they got a prize, not exactly a color of ribbon that people are accustomed to getting but, nonetheless, a ribbon.

"We all got brown ribbons," said Frankele, a senior captain on the team.

And, that might not sound like much of a feat, an odd color for a ribbon, no doubt. However Gauvin, a sophomore, explained it was a real deal.

After Frankele had said that his team got brown ribbons and also "first time in a long time a relay by Highline is going to state," Gauvin, standing nearby, replied, "It's the first time Highline has done that in a real long time."

And Reynolds echoed that fact.

"I don't know how long it's been since Highline took a team to state," said Reynolds. "Huge drop in time. In the 200 free relay, these guys dropped six seconds. Awesome."

The 200 medley was a do-or-die race, according to Frankele, needing one place and one place only, for hopes of going to the state meet that happens this coming Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20-21, at the King County Acquatic Center in Federal Way.

"We were seeded eighth in the consolation final and we had to get first place, and, we did, meaning we are going to state," said Frankele.

The 200 medley time for this foursome came in at 1:50.30, a full two second drop off its prelims time the day before. And, better yet, as Reynolds noted, in the 200 free relay, that time of 1:38.23 was good for third place in the main final, which was an exact one-second drop off its prelim time the prior day but five seconds improvement over its best swim of that relay during the Seamount season. That includes, the league meet the week before districts. So, good work there for this team, and that's not all.

"We have two going to state in individual events, too, Nate and Tyler," said Reynolds.

Goodspeed swam the 100-yard butterfly, in his first event swam at districts, and, he is a freshman and took fifth place in 56.92. It wasn't his best time, a little off from his prelim time of 56.56, but, still, as a ninth grader, going to state, not bad at all.

"Good, consistent," said Reynolds after Goodspeed's good swim, which he qualified earlier for state in before districts.

And, in Goodspeed's other event, the 100-yard breaststroke, he timed in at 1:06.87 for fourth place overall in the final.

"Not my best time," said Goodspeed, who swims on Normandy Park's swim team for the Seattle Summer Swim League, to note, and that team broke a 30-year record this past summer in the 400 free relay for 13-14 age group swimmers.

So, now Goodspeed is in a new world, swimming against older swimmers -- much older, like, 18-year-olds, experienced seniors, juniors, and he's doing well but shows humility when asked if there's things he can still work on to improve at the state meet.

"There is always something I can do better," said Goodspeed.

What can be worked on?

"I don't know," said Goodspeed. "But, I will ask my coach and do what I need to do to get better for state."
Also individually doing well is Nate Williams, a senior captain on the team, and he swam in the 200-yard IM and the 100 breast.

The 200 IM is Wiliams best event and he swam a 2:11.03 in prelims, so he didn't need to do as much for the finals, where he went a 2:13.09.

"My goal here was just trying to make state," said Williams. "I'm still coming off being a little sick, sinus infection, last week. I will be much faster next week."

Williams' nose infection caused him to need to take antibiotic pills, and that can take a lot out of a guy for swimming.

"It does," said Williams.

Williams' best time in the 200 IM is way faster than he went, a 1:58.8, so the infection really took a lot out of him. In fact, if Williams was at his healthy best for districts, he would have taken first place, time-wise, because the winning swimmer swam a 2:02.

So, on to state, where Williams is planning on doing a lot more.

"Like to make finals this year," said Williams. "Since we drop down to 2A (from 3A), that's definitely doable."

The 100 breast is an event Williams will swim at state in too, getting first place in the consolation final, 1:05.74.

So now it's work hard and get ready for state.

"Now, I need to be at practice every day this week, do some pace work," said Williams. "I need to do some 50s with a stopwatch, fine tuning them. And working on my turns at the wall, make them quick as possible."

Emma Murray helps Reynolds, assisting, as well as serving as manager for the team, and she tries her best to help the Williams.

So Williams did good at districts?

"Today he did," said Murray.

"Oh, thanks for the compliment," said Williams.

Hey, she could have said worse.

"Yes, could have been worse," said Williams, both laughing.

So, what needs work?

"I liked his 200 IM," said Murray, a state quality swimmer who swam at state for the Highline-Tyee-Evergreen girls team. Murray and Williams attend Aviation West High School in SeaTac, which is an extension of Highline High School.

"Yes," said Murray, adding, "He needs to be faster off his backstroke and his breaststroke into the wall needs to be faster. And the turns need to be faster. But, overall, he's doing a good job."

Goodspeed liked what his team did, a nice accomplishment, sixth place.

"With four people, we did awesome," he said.

And, Reynolds summed things up in a super way.

"It was excellent," she said. "These guys pulled out all the stops."