The North Thurston girls swimming team continues to get faster as the season progresses, as the Rams set a handful of personal records during a meet against Silas Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Senior Michelle Ewig is enjoying a breakout start to this season, adding to it with a victory in the 100-yard butterfly and a district-qualifying PR at 1 minute, 14.80 seconds. She was also part of the third-place (2:21.44) 200-yard medley relay team, along with juniors Luna Kresha, Kai Cardwell and Chelsea Watson, who combined to set a PR.
Ewig, sophomore Kylei Allenger, sophomore Lilyana Rivera-Sanders and Cardwell made up the second-place 200-yard freestyle relay team that finished in 2:07.46, a new best time. The 400-yard freestyle relay team, featuring Watson, junior Aspen Bermensolo, Rivera-Sanders and Kresha, also finished in second place at 4:56.70, a 10-second improvement.
“The 400 free relay really showed how our girls work well under pressure,” North Thurston head coach Christy Bermensolo said. “We were trading the lead with Silas’ team in lane one throughout the race. Solid starts and fast turns kept the race close until Luna opened up a 10-second lead on the last leg to place second and score a district time.”
Rivera-Sanders also had a big day against Silas, earning PRs in both the 200-yard freestyle (fifth at 2:56.40) and the 50-yard freestyle (sixth at 34.97 seconds).
Junior Halana Tanabe dropped 15 seconds in the 200-yard individual medley to place third at 3:35.06, and she took sixth in the 100-yard backstroke with a PR time of 1:43.93.
Aspen Bermensolo was North Thurston’s top finisher in the 200-yard freestyle at 2:43.42, narrowly beating her previous PR of 2:43.42. Sophomore Ruth Cheney was the runner-up in the 200-yard individual medley at 3:25.38, and Cardwell finished fourth in the 50-yard freestyle at 32.06 seconds.
Watson set a PR in the 100-yard freestyle, earning a lifetime-best time of 1:11.90 to place third. She also secured her best swim yet in the 100-yard backstroke at a fifth-place time of 1:30.73.
Cheney (fifth at 1:21.11) and Allenger (sixth at 1:22.86) also established PRs in the event.
Silas won the meet 113-48.
“I’m really proud of how our girls swam today,” Christy Bermensolo said. “There was a lot of energy and excitement in the pool, some really fast swims, and you could just tell our swimmers were really having fun out there.”
North Thurston will host Peninsula on Thursday, Oct. 1.
