What a finale for the Port Angeles swimming seniors.

After a fifth-place finish at the West Central District III meet, the Roughriders weren’t expected to place particularly high at state, but they surprised their competition by finishing sixth in the state for the Riders’ eighth-straight year of a top 8 finish at state.

And this trio of seniors, swimming in their last-ever meet for Port Angeles, had a lot to do with it. Kenzie Johnson finished sixth in the 100 backstroke and eighth in the 100 freestyle to collect 24 points for the Riders. Felicia Che finished fifth in the 200 individual medley and 12th in the 100 freestyle for another 19 points.

But, it was in the relays that the seniors really shined. Johnson, Che and Emma Murray teamed up with freshman Mackenzie DuBois (already an Athlete of the Week this year) to finish third in the 400 freestyle and fourth in the 200 medley, collecting a total of 62 team points. In that 400 freestyle relay, the final race of the day, Johnson, Che, Murray and DuBois earned enough points for Port Angeles to leapfrog four teams ahead of them to finish sixth overall in the state.

And the girls did that without having a home pool to practise in as the William Shore Memorial Pool is being refurbished this year. Congratulations to these seniors for keeping the Roughriders swimming legacy going during a tough season.