FEDERAL WAY – Less than three seconds.
That’s what separated the Spartans from an unprecedented third straight state 3A boys swimming & diving championship.
Actually, 2.67 seconds.
The Bainbridge Spartans ultimately won their third-in-a-row state title Saturday in the final race of the WIAA Boys Swim/Dive by smashing the state and meet record in the 400-yard freestyle relay to claim the crown.
The fantastic foursome of Makai Ingalls, Andrew Witty, Garrett Waite and Jude Wenker beat arch rival Mercer Island with a time of 3:03.95 — which also made the Spartan team automatic All Americans in the event.
Mercer Island led in the race until the final two legs, and the sizable contingent of Bainbridge fans in the stands was euphoric.
Screaming Spartan supporters raised a sign that said it all: “3-Peat.”
It was an achievement that put this Spartan squad into the rarified world of best team ever for BHS, fitted with a distinct dimension of dynasty.
Bainbridge won state titles in eight events, with a number of three-peat victories in some races, as well as notching All American and All American consideration times.
Spartan Coach Kaycee Taylor was also named Coach of the Year, the second time he has won the honor.
Taylor said the Spartans’ three-peat championship run was the first one ever for a Bainbridge team in a WIAA-sanctioned sport.
Across the board, he said, he had no doubt this team had achieved success like no other at BHS.
“It’s absolutely the best,” Taylor said. “We’ve had some standout individuals or in some relays, but to have that many kids at that level…
“It never has happened before. So that’s pretty amazing,” he said.
Taylor was still awestruck as his swimmers and divers hoisted the state trophy, and carried it over to the side of the deck and held it up for the screaming fans in the stands.
“Amazing. Amazing,” Taylor said.
The Spartans entered the season with great expectations, and a return to defend their 3A state crown at the King County Aquatics Center was always more than just a goal.
“Honestly, coming into it all season long with this being the plan, not just the hope or the goal, this is what the plan was. It’s like watching a race — I’m thinking about our relays — where we know we’ve got it staged in away, yeah, we may be behind at the wall or maybe behind even coming in to the end, but we’ve got the strength and the skill that we’re going to finish out on top,” Taylor explained.
And did they ever.
“Staying ahead is important, but finishing ahead is the most important part,” he added.
Bainbridge and Mercer Island traded the lead in total points throughout the meet, and though the Spartans had a high number of No. 1 seeds, Mercer had several races stacked with lower seeds that gave them the advantage in piling up points toward the end of the meet.
But Bainbridge also got big assists from Spartan swimmers racing in the B Finals Saturday, the race-of-eight before the A Finals where swimmers seeded nine through 16 square off.
Others also stepped up who were not No. 1 seeds.
Taylor noted Max Eyrich’s performance in the 100-yard breaststroke, where he came in as the sixth seed but finished fourth — and had the best time in his career.
“That’s the type of stuff. The top performers are going to be there; it’s those guys who are seven [seed] and eight or four and five who bring up the rest of the team.
“You could have No. 1 seeds across the board, but if your opponents are getting second, third and fourth — it doesn’t matter. You get to stand on the podium but you’re not going to take the trophy home,” Taylor said.
Off to the races
The Spartans started the meet with a first-place win in the 200-yard medley relay, with the phenomenal foursome of Waite, Kevin Houseman, Witty and Aidan Wagner claiming the tile.
The victory — in 1:32.72, an automatic All America time — put an exclamation point after the notion that this Spartan relay team was one of the best in 3A history. It was the third win in a row for Bainbridge in the 200-yard medley relay, as the Spartans won the event in 2017 and 2018.
Bainbridge was the top seed coming into Saturday’s final, with a time of 1.34.94 (passing the mark for All American consideration at 1:34.9).
Mercer Island’s A Relay team placed second, in 1:33.38.
The Spartans’ time in the finals nearly topped the state record the relay team set in 2017 (1:32.64).
Bainbridge followed with first place in the next event, the 200-yard freestyle.
Wenker, the top-seeded Spartan in the 200 free, won the A Final in 1:39.93. The state title in the race included an All American consideration time for the BHS junior.
Sam Chapman, racing in the B Final for Bainbridge, came in fourth in the
200 free (for 12th place overall in 3A), with a time of 1:45.89, an improvement over his time of 1:46.02 in Friday’s preliminaries.
In the 200-yard individual medley, two Spartan sophomores swam in the B Final.
Tyler Stewart won, with a time of 1:56.56, to claim ninth place overall.
Teammate Ian Lipton followed to finish in 11th place, in 1:58.17
In the A Final for the
200-yard individual medley, and a chance to finish on the medal winner’s platform, Waite and Witty represented Bainbridge.
Waite won in 1:50.68, an All American consideration time.
The victory marked three-in-a-row for the Spartan senior, who has signed to swim for North Carolina State in the fall.
“I’m just soaking it in. This is the last time that I’ll be here with a high school state championship and that feeling … just being here and hearing, ‘Bainbridge Island, the winners,’” Waite said. “I’m just trying to soak it in.”
Witty won fourth place for BHS in the event, touching the wall at 1:54.05 — an improvement over his prelims time of 1:56.10.
Bainbridge locked up third and fourth places in Saturday’s finals for the 50-yard freestyle.
Ingalls claimed third (21.31), while Aidan Wagner was sixth (21.86).
Still in front
After the first four races, Bainbridge continued to cling to a four-point lead for first place in team rankings with 144 points over Mercer Island’s 140.
Bainbridge got a big boost, though, in 1-meter diving.
Kiernan Liberman successfully defended his 3A state crown, winning with a finals score of 443.00.
Isaac Poole of Shorewood was second in diving, with a finals score of 410.45.
Bainbridge also boasted the state’s next best 3A diver, with Brian Taylor, a sophomore, taking third place with 382.00.
Henry Sauermann, a Spartan freshman, added to Bainbridge’s point total by claiming 16th place.
Liberman wasn’t a lock to repeat and retain his title as the 3A state champ diver.
Coach Taylor recalled how the Spartan standout was actually in second place, when the leading diver in the competition threw the wrong dive during his rotation and sank in the standings.
“We were expecting to get second, when the kid did the wrong dive. All of a sudden, Kiernan’s first.
“I’ve never seen something like that happen before, when you’re at that level,” he added. “I feel badly for the kid. It was an advantage for us, obviously.”
Liberman said he knew another state title wasn’t guaranteed going into the meet.
“I knew going in that it was going to be really close with my other competitors, so I just knew I needed to focus on myself and not the competition, really. And that really helped.”
“I’m just overwhelmed,” Liberman added. “It was a great meet. I knew it was going to be really close going into it, so I just brought everything I could. I worked super hard this season, and so did all of the other divers,” he said. “And the swimmers, too. So I’m glad we all just pulled together and went as hard as we could.”
Liberman was also quick to praise the team’s two newcomers to diving, Sauermann and Ben Chapman.
“They both did amazing this season, and I’m super proud of their growth.
“My teammate Brian Taylor, he did amazing. Third place is awesome — and only as a sophomore,” Liberman said. “I’m amazed at everyone’s work this season.”
Pair of fly guys
Bainbridge had two swimmers in Saturday’s finals for the 100-yard butterfly.
Ben Cohen advanced from Friday’s prelims with a time of 54.04, and came in 16th in Saturday’s B Final.
In the main event, Ingalls claimed third place (50.28) in a race that saw James Richardson break the meet record of 49.12 with an All American time of 48.55.
Wenker followed with a first-place finish in the
100-yard freestyle, which saw the Spartans finish one-two in the race.
Wenker, a junior, had a finals mark of 45.60, an All American consideration time.
Waite was second, in 46.16.
The meet’s longest individual race, the 500-yard freestyle, saw the Spartans starting with top-seeded Sam Chapman.
The race went to Jacob Headrick of Mercer Island, who shaved nearly 6 seconds off his preliminary time, to place first in 4:36.56.
Second place’s Alex Edwards of MI also shredded his prelim time, swimming almost 7 seconds faster, to finish in 4:37.33.
Chapman claimed third for the Spartans with 4:38.31.
Tyler Steward finished in 15th overall for Bainbridge. He finished with a time of 4:55.99 in Saturday’s B Final (4:56.96 prelim).
The Bainbridge relay team of Oskar Bannister, Wagner, Ingalls and Wenker took the 3A title in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
It was another race won by the Spartans in automatic All American-qualifying time (1:24.91).
Wagner said it was an amazing meet; the camaraderie, the cheering fans, the suspenseful finish.
“I don’t think there’s any way I m going to forget any of this,” Wagner said.
With Mercer Island winning second place in the relay race, however, MI moved in front of BHS in team scores; 317-293.
In the following race, the 100-yard backstroke, Mercer Island moved further in front with a first place and a meet record time of 48.43 by Richardson.
Witty picked up third place in 50.79.
MI led 351-320 going into the final two races.
Momentum shift
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Bainbridge picked up points in the B Final with Wagner nabbing 10th place overall. Clocking in at 58.67, the time would have won him seventh place had he been in the final eight.
The A Final for the 100 breast proved to be the turnaround moment for the Spartans.
Houseman won the state crown with a meet record, and new state record, of 53.43.
It was an automatic All American time, and surpassed the previous best in the event set by Pat Fowler of Seattle Prep in 1998 (53.66).
It was also a three-peat for Houseman, who won the 100 breaststroke in 2017 and 2018.
Max Eyrich powered his way to third, 57.65, while Carter Hall finished eighth for BHS in 59.18.
“The breaststrokers, they came through,” Waite said, and recalled how their performances set the Spartans up to take the title.
The Spartans led MI 374-366 going into the final race.
A first-place finish in the 400-yard free relay would mean 40 points and the state trophy.
“We’re just like, OK, we’re not going to DQ (disqualify); safe starts and we should be fine.
“We have a superb relay and we were all just super fired up and just wanted to finish off strong,” he added. “And Makai: That was going to be his last race ever. And I’ve been swimming with him for 12 years.
The end of the meet was a flashback of sorts to the last race of the 2018 state championships, where Bainbridge won the crown with a win in the 400 free relay.
That was a bit of a surprise, however, given that Bainbridge swam stronger in the preliminaries this year than last.
“Coming in and having nine of the top 12 finishers — I didn’t think it would be that close,” Taylor said. “I thought a couple of our guys who were seeded one would probably hold onto it.
“Even though they had personal bests, that maybe they would slip down to two or three.
“So and when the 500 freestyle came and we were down by 31, yeah, the coaches are like, yeah, OK, let’s keep checking the results,” Taylor said.
Taylor recalled his talk with the relay team before the race, when Wenker asked how strong of a finish the Spartans needed to secure.
“Jude said, ‘So we need to break a new record?’
“I said, ‘No, just win.’
“And my God, did they ever,” Taylor said.
“We all knew it was really close and that could decide it,” Ingalls said.
“We were all telling each other right before that we needed to have very safe starts so we wouldn’t get disqualified — that would mean we would lose it all.”
Pressure? Not really, Waite said.
“It was, ‘OK, guys, we got this.’ We set ourselves up well. And from the Bainbridge Island perspective, it was, ‘Let’s go and take this,’” Waite said.
For Ingalls, the finish was especially sweet. He wasn’t sure that he was going to come back to the swim team this season, but he did for one last hurrah.
“It’s amazing to me. Especially since I’m a senior, this is it. It’s a poetic way to end the season. I know it’s the same for some of the other guys.
“Just being able to know that our team was part of it, that we were the first make a three-peat. Our team worked incredibly hard the whole season to achieve this. I’m just amazed at how we all pulled together to do it,” Ingalls said.
