FEDERAL WAY - The time may not have been what Sehome senior Patrick Gregory was looking for, but the result sure was.

Gregory successfully defended his Class 2A state championship in the 100 breaststroke, winning by nearly two seconds on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the King County Aquatic Center.

Gregory's winning time of 59.12 seconds was actually slower than his record-breaking swim of 58.69 he swam to win the title as a junior, but the medal was exactly the same.

"I was definitely hoping to swim faster," Gregory said. "I'm happy with the win, but you, know, you always want to turn in your best performance."

Part of the reason Gregory may not have turned in his best time was he simply wasn't pushed.

Prosser's Will Burgett finished second in 1:01.05, and was never a serious challenge to Gregory, who had built a body-length lead well before the race reached its halfway point.

The past two years, Gregory and Squalicum's Gus Evans have pushed each other to greatness, as they swapped the title, with Evans winning in 2011 and Gregory bettering him last year. But Evans did not turn out this year, deciding to instead focus on club swimming and preventing a rubber match between the two.

"If Gus was here, I definitely would have gone faster," Gregory said. "But at the same time, if he was here, I don't know for sure that I would have come out on top. We keep going back and forth."

The thing that put Gregory ahead Saturday, he said, was his underwater power pulls.

While the title is his second in the 100 breaststroke, Gregory actually will graduate with six event state titles. He also was part of four relay titles, including Sehome's win in the 200 medley relay earlier in the day.

Reach David Rasbach at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or 360-715-2286.

CLASS 2A 100 BREASTSTROKE CHAMPIONS

Year Swimmer School Time

2009 Austin Fish Sehome 1:00.87

2010 Austin Fish Sehome 59.21

2011 Gus Evans Squalicum 59.62

2012 Patrick Gregory Sehome 58.69

2013 Patrick Gregory Sehome 59.12

Reach DAVID RASBACH at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2271.