POULSBO — The Port Angeles boys swim team made waves on Wednesday during their meet in Poulsbo, dominating North Kitsap with a decisive 115-71 victory. The Riders secured first place in six individual events and swept all three relays.
The PA boys also celebrated six new district-qualifying times, highlighted by standout performances from Jensen Wolfe in the 500-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke, Miles Van Denburg and Isaac Meek in the 200 freestyle, Edward Gillespie in the 200 individual medley and Thomas Jones in the 100 back.
“I’m proud of the way our team competed today,” Port Angeles coach Sally Cole said. “Even when racing against each other, they pushed one another to be their best. There’s a real sense of camaraderie here — each swimmer is focused on their own improvement but also on lifting up their teammates. It’s this balance of competition and support that will make us stronger as the season progresses.”
The meet opened with a thrilling showdown in the 200 medley relay. Jones kicked things off in the backstroke, keeping the Riders in the race but trailing North Kitsap by a second at the first exchange. Nolan Medgin surged through the breaststroke leg, erasing the deficit to bring the race to even. Van Denburg then delivered a powerful butterfly leg, giving the Riders a two-second lead. With the pressure on, anchor swimmer Finn Thompson sealed the victory with an impressive freestyle split of 23.43.
The Riders touched the wall three seconds ahead of North Kitsap at 1:49.90, breaking the elusive 1:50.00 mark for the first time this season and inching within 1.6 seconds of a state-qualifying time.
Port Angeles swept the 200 freestyle in impressive fashion with a tight contest between teammates Van Denburg and Jones for the top spot. The two were neck-and-neck the entire race, with Van Denburg just out-touching Jones to claim first in 1:58.32, while Jones finished in second at 1:58.88. Meek followed up in 3rd, finishing 13 seconds ahead of any Viking with a time of 2:10.13.
The 200 IM was a nail-biter, with PA once again trailing North Kitsap early in the race. After the butterfly and backstroke legs, Patrick Ross found himself four seconds behind the leading Viking. Undeterred, Ross unleashed a remarkable comeback in the breaststroke, cutting the gap to just 0.29 seconds heading into the final freestyle leg. The two swimmers powered to the finish, stroke for stroke in a grueling battle. Ross gave it everything he had, touching the wall just a second behind the Viking with a time of 2:21.35—a stunning 9.5-second improvement on his season best. Gillespie, swimming the event for the first time, placed third with 2:25.51, while Eli Warren took fourth, improving by three seconds.
Patrick Ross then earned a victory in the 100 butterfly, clocking 1:03.92, with Eli Warren securing third in 1:13.54, a personal best by four seconds.
In the 100-free, Thompson delivered a strong performance, securing second place with a time of 52.94, a razor-thin .17 seconds behind NK. Teammate Meek then made a statement of his own, breaking the 1-minute barrier for the first time with a time of 58.23, earning fourth place and shaving an impressive two seconds off his personal best.
Van Denburg put on a dominant performance in the demanding 500 free, finishing 41 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor with a time of 5:18.92, an impressive eight-second improvement. Wolfe followed in third at 6:10.86.
Teammates face off
The 100 back featured a friendly rivalry between teammates Jones and Thompson. Neck-and-neck the entire way, the two pushed each other to their limits. In the end, Jones edged out Thompson to take first with a time of 1:00.98, while Thompson touched in just behind at 1:01.80.
Medgin delivered a standout performance in the 100 breast, clinching first with a personal record of 1:10.04. Waknitz finished third with a time of 1:14.11, narrowly ahead of Gillespie, who improved by four seconds to touch in 1:14.49.
Diver Grant Butterworth was in a league of his own, finishing first with 176.65 points, an impressive 30.8-point margin.
“He wowed judges with his inward 1½ somersault (earning straight sixes) and a back somersault that scored 6.5s and a 5,” Cole said.
The Riders’ dominance carried through the relays. The 200 free relay team of Gillespie, Ross, Jones and Thompson triumphed with a six-second margin, while the team of Van Denburg, Ross, Meek and Medgin capped the meet with a commanding win in the 400-free relay, finishing a full 11 seconds ahead of the Vikings.
Port Angeles hosts Bremerton on Jan. 24.
