Sports - Sports News

POSTED: Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

PREP GIRLS' SWIMMING: Lynden's Niemela looking for big things at state

The qualifying standard for state may be a little slower this year, but Megan Niemela's standard hasn't changed.

When the Lynden girls' swim program decided it would compete on the Class 2A level this year, it meant the times that swimmers needed to meet or beat in order to earn automatic trips to this weekend's State Swimming Championships would be a little bit higher than what was needed when the Lions competed at 3A a year earlier.

In Niemela's top individual event - the 100 breaststroke - she only needed a time of 1 minute, 16.09 seconds this year, rather than the 1:12.50 required for an automatic berth in 3A.

The junior made the 2A time by more than two seconds, swimming a season best 1:13.63 in the 100 breaststroke finals at the Class 2A Northwest District Meet on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Anacortes' Fidalgo Pool. Even though that has her seeded eighth in the 2A field and is 11/2 seconds faster than the 1:15.35 she swam at last year's 3A state meet, when she finished 20th in the preliminaries, that's not enough for Niemela.

"Last year when I went to the 3A state meet, I went as a wildcard," said Niemela, referring to invitations that are extended to individual swimmers and relay teams in order to fill out the event fields for the state meet after all the state-qualifying meets around the state have been held. "This year I have already made the 2A time, but I really want to prove to myself that I can make that 3A time. It's at 1:12, and I've still got some time drop."

Fortunately, Niemela will get one last chance to make that drop at this weekend's Class 2A State Championships at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. The 2A preliminaries will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13, and the top eight swimmers in each event will advance to the finals, which are slated to begin at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Lynden will get to compete at the 2A level this year because it no longer is operating as a coop team with swimmers from other schools in north Whatcom County that do not have swim programs. Those swimmers - from Nooksack Valley and Blaine - got to represent their own schools during the postseason.

"Overall, we're all real happy to be competing in 2A this year," Niemela said. "We missed being able to compete with those swimmers from Nooksack and Blaine, but it was exciting for them to get to compete for their own schools."

Niemela still will have plenty of teammates in green and gold caps with her this weekend, especially after she decided to forgo competing in a second individual event in favor of swimming on all three relays for the Lions.

As luck would have it, Niemela got sick a few weeks before the district meet, forcing her to miss a week of school and work hard last week just to get back into swimming shape.

"That's definitely not the best time to be out sick, but there's not much you can do about that," Lynden coach Linda Bode said in a phone interview. "It took a week of working at a maintenance level to get her back to where she needed to be, and that went right into her taper. That's a difficult transition when you're coming off sickness, so we didn't know exactly what to expect."

Partially for that reason, Niemela volunteered not to swim the 200 individual medley - one of swimming's most grueling event because of its length and it requires swimming all four strokes - at district.

"We knew the IM would be extremely draining on her," Bode said. "So we decided to take her out of that event and put her on another relay, and I'm glad we did, because she helped get our third relay to state."

Niemela said she was considering volunteering for the move even before she got sick because she wanted to help get as many teammates to state as she possibly could.

"It's fun to complete individually, because you're swimming for yourself, but it's a whole lot more fun being part of a team," Niemela said. "It's a lot of fun when you walk over to the blocks (for the start of a relay) and get to be with all the girls. Then you get to cheer for each other and push each other to swim better during the race. I think they're the most exciting events."

Assuming Lynden fields the same lineups it used in the finals at the district meet, Niemela will be joined by Hannah Hollander, Jasmynne Umbaugh and Michelle Bruncks in the 200 medley relay, Umbaugh, Katlin McKinley and Bruncks in the 200 freestyle relay and McKinley, Stacy De Boer and Hollander in the 400 freestyle relay. Umbaugh also is slated to swim the 100 backstroke at state for Lynden.

"It's been a while since Lynden has had all three relays go to state," Niemela said. "I think it shows all the hard work we put in this year, and getting to this point is a really big deal for us."

The Lions will have their work cut out for them to reach the finals in the relays, as they enter Friday seeded 13th in the 200 medley (2:04.45), 15th in the 200 freestyle (1:51.75) and 12th in the 400 freestyle (4:11.49).

But the Lions do have some experience on their side. Niemela, Umbaugh and Bruncks, along with graduated senior Grace Alspaugh, swam at last year's 3A state meet, finishing 27th in the preliminaries with a time of 1:55.40. They hope that experience helps them to an even stronger finish this year.

"I think it's helped prepare us," said Niemela, who also works as a lifeguard and teaches swim lessons at the Lynden YMCA when she's not competing. "Even the girls who went with us last year but didn't get to compete, it helps just to have experienced it before. I think it opened our eyes to a whole other level of swimming. It's kind of calmed our nerves, because we know what to expect now."

A strong finish to the season is exactly what Niemela and her teammates are hoping for this weekend.

"Just for us getting down there and doing our best to drop some time, that would be great for us this year," Niemela said. "Even if we don't place this year, I think this will help push us to finish even stronger next year."

Reach David Rasbach at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or 715-2271.

STATE SWIMMING

CLASS 2A STATE MEET

Site: King County Aquatic Center, Federal Way

Preliminaries: 10 a.m., Friday, Nov. 13

Finals: 10:15 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 14

CLASS 3A STATE MEET

Site: King Country Aquatic Center, Federal Way

Preliminaries: 1:45 p.m., Friday, Nov. 13

Finals: 10:15 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 14

WHATCOM COUNTY STATE SWIMMERS

CLASS 2A

BELLINGHAM Event Sd. Time

Jennifer Rodgers 200 individual medley 15 2:36.04

Lindsay Seefried 50 freestyle 14 26.47

100 freestyle 11 57.75

LYNDEN Event Sd. Time

Michelle Bruncks 200 medley relay 13 2:04.45

200 freestyle relay 15 1:51.75

Stacy De Boer 400 freestyle relay 12 4:11.49

Hannah Hollander 200 medley relay 13 2:04.45

400 freestyle relay 12 4:11.49

Katlin McKinley 200 freestyle relay 15 1:51.75

400 freestyle relay 12 4:11.49

Megan Niemela 200 medley relay 13 2:04.45

200 freestyle relay 15 1:51.75

100 breaststroke 8 1:13.63

400 freestyle relay 12 4:11.49

Jasmynne Umbaugh 200 medley relay 13 2:04.45

200 freestyle relay 15 1:51.75

100 backstroke 14 1:11.87

SEHOME Event Sd. Time

Emily Blatter 200 medley relay 8 2:02.09

Katie Davis Diving 15 NP

Katherine Delgado 200 medley relay 8 2:02.09

Ali Fisher 50 freestyle 1 25.12

100 freestyle 3 54.56

200 freestyle relay 3 1:46.30

400 freestyle relay 2 3:52.04

Michelle Lam 50 freestyle 4 25.72

100 backstroke 4 1:03.46

Julie Maurer 200 freestyle 12 2:10.92

500 freestyle 9 5:58.97

200 freestyle relay 3 1:46.30

400 freestyle relay 2 3:52.04

Megan McGuire 200 freestyle 5 2:03.76

500 freestyle 2 5:32.85

200 freestyle relay 3 1:46.30

400 freestyle relay 2 3:52.04

Anastasia Miksovsky 200 freestyle 11 2:10.35

100 freestyle 14 58.82

200 freestyle relay 3 1:46.30

400 freestyle relay 2 3:52.04

Zoe Sheinkopf 200 medley relay 8 2:02.09

Julie Siegfried 200 medley relay 8 2:02.09

SQUALICUM Event Sd. Time

Marissa Abbott 200 freestyle relay 4 1:46.72

400 freestyle relay 3 3:52.36

Carlee Bock 200 medley relay 1 1:56.07

100 freestyle 5 55.06

100 backstroke 3 1:02.94

400 freestyle relay 3 3:52.36

Tori Frazen Diving 13 NP

Cheyenne Galindo Diving 16 NP

Anna Hawes Diving 14 NP

Danielle Lilleston 200 freestyle relay 4 1:46.72

Camorah King 200 medley relay 1 1:56.07

200 individual medley 4 2:20.28

100 breaststroke 4 1:09.65

400 freestyle relay 3 3:52.36

Rylie Martin 200 medley relay 1 1:56.07

200 freestyle 3 2:03.53

500 freestyle 3 5:32.85

400 freestyle relay 3 3:52.36

Kelli Morones 200 freestyle relay 4 1:46.72

Leah Strickling 200 medley relay 1 1:56.07

Diving 7 NP

200 freestyle relay 4 1:46.72

CLASS 3A

FERNDALE Event Sd. Time

Greta Gustafson 400 freestyle relay 22 3:58.71

Inga Holmdahl 200 medley relay 21 2:01.89

100 freestyle 22 58.71

400 freestyle relay 22 3:58.71

Maggie McLaurin 200 medley relay 21 2:01.89

400 freestyle relay 22 3:58.71

Erin Parkinson 200 medley relay 21 2:01.89

200 individual medley 19 2:21.39

100 breaststroke 13 1:11.94

400 freestyle relay 22 3:58.71

Mandy Wittmier 200 medley relay 21 2:01.89

NOTE: Relay lineups based on relays used in Class 3A Northwest District finals and may not reflect the lineup that will be used at state or the one that set the seed time.

SOURCE: WIAA