Three days after winning its fourth straight Class 2A championship, the Sehome boys' swim team dominated the first-team selections of the All-Northwest Conference team, which were released on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
The Mariners claimed first-team honors in nine of the 12 events.
In fact the only non-Sehome swimmers selected to the first team by the league's coaches were Squalicum diver Rylan Korby, who finished second at state, and Anacortes' Ian Schleh in the 200 and 500 freestyles.
Sehome swept the first-team selections in the relays. Cole Avery, Patrick Gregory, Andy Small and Allen Cui, who won the 2A state title in the 200 medley relay, earned the first-team nod with a time of 1 minute, 39.90 seconds. Gregory, Isaiah Grambo, Cui and Casey Klipsch, who also won a state title in the 200 freestyle relay, were selected first team in 1:29.90. Avery, Curran Wilbour, Small and Klipsch finished second in Saturday's 400 freestyle relay state final, but they also were selected first-team all-NWC with a time of 3:15.88.
Individually, Avery was selected first team in the 200 individual medley (1:55.87) and 100 backstroke (52.23 seconds). He won state titles in both events as only a freshman.
Gregory also won a state title in the 100 breaststroke, and he earned first-team honors with a time of 58.69.
Klipsch was a double individual first-team selection in the 50 freestyle (22.23 seconds) and 100 freestyle (48.25 seconds) after finishing third at state in both events, while Grambo was the top pick in the 100 butterfly (56.63 seconds) in just his freshman season.
Sehome also had four second-team selections with Wilbour in the 200 freestyle (1:49.54), Small in the 200 individual medley (2:01.49) and 500 freestyle (4:56.38) and Gregory in the 50 freestyle (22.26 seconds). Squalicum's Gus Evans also was a second-team selection in the 100 breaststroke (59.27 seconds).
Whatcom County third-team selections included the Squalicum 200 medley relay team, Cui in the 200 IM and 100 freestyle, Lynden's Moses Kim in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke, Wilbour in the 500 freestyle, Sehome's Will Hutchinson in the 100 backstroke and Squalicum's 400 freestyle relay team.
ALL-NORTHWEST CONFERENCE TEAM
First team
200 medley relay: Sehome (Cole Avery, Patrick Gregory, Andy Small, Allen Cui) 1:39.90; 200 freestyle: Ian Schleh (Anacortes) 1:45.83; 200 individual medley: Cole Avery (Sehome) 1:55.87; 50 freestyle: Casey Klipsch (Sehome) 22.23; Diving: Rylan Korby (Squalicum); 100 butterfly: Isaiah Grambo (Sehome) 56.63; 100 freestyle: Casey Klipsch (Sehome) 48.25; 500 freestyle: Ian Schleh (Anacortes) 4:54.70; 200 freestyle relay: Sehome (Patrick Gregory, Isaiah Grambo, Allen Cui, Casey Klipsch) 1:29.90; 100 backstroke: Cole Avery (Sehome) 52.23; 100 breaststroke: Patrick Gregory (Sehome) 58.69; 400 freestyle relay: Sehome (Cole Avery, Curran Wilbour, Andy Small, Casey Klipsch) 3:15.88.
Second team
200 medley relay: Anacortes (Taylor Beck, Conner Richards, Ian Schleh, Karl Akland) 1:44.99; 200 freestyle: Curran Wilbour (Sehome) 1:49.54; 200 individual medley: Andy Small (Sehome) 2:01.49; 50 freestyle: Patrick Gregory (Sehome) 22.26; Diving: Parker Fisher (Anacortes); 100 butterfly: Kevin Yarrow (Mount Vernon) 56.84; 100 freestyle: Karl Akland (Anacortes) 50.52; 500 freestyle: Andy Small (Sehome) 4:56.38; 200 freestyle relay: Anacortes (Karl Akland, Conner Richards, Michael Bamonte, Evan Akland ) 1:32.76; 100 backstroke: Taylor Beck (Anacortes) 59.43; 100 breaststroke: Gus Evans (Squalicum) 59.27; 400 freestyle relay: Anacortes (Evan Akland, Conner Richards, Michael Bamonte, Ian Schleh) 3:21.51.
Third team
200 medley relay: Squalicum (Mitchell Scott, Gus Evans, Westy Summerton, Hans Kogan) 1:47.75; 200 freestyle: Evan Akland (Anacortes) 1:50.67; 200 individual medley: Allen Cui (Sehome) 2:05.54; 50 freestyle: Karl Akland (Anacortes) 22.59; Diving: Tristen Massey (Anacortes); 100 butterfly: Moses Kim (Lynden) 56.97; 100 freestyle: Allen Cui (Sehome) 50.66; 500 freestyle: Curran Wilbour (Sehome) 4:59.47; 200 freestyle relay: Mount Vernon (David Groesbeck, Simeon BillickJason Yarrow, Kevin Yarrow) 1:37.80; 100 backstroke: Will Hutchinson (Sehome) 1:00.48; 100 breaststroke: Moses Kim (Lynden) 1:05.28; 400 freestyle relay: Squalicum (Mitchell Scott, Westy Summerton, Andi Dekoster, Roy Evans) 3:41.24.
