Le, Malella, Sternhagen ones to watch at state swimming

The time for every high school swimmer’s dream has come. A crowded King County Aquatic Center will host the swimming state championships on Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14, and Whatcom County teams are eager to show well.

Squalicum is fresh off a Northwest District title, topping powerhouses Anacortes and Sehome. The Storm are led by sophomore Yanran Le, who was a finalist in multiple events at last year’s state championships, and also boast the top-ranked 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams looking to top last year’s runaway state champions Liberty.

Sehome, which finished second at the 2A championships last season, finished third at the district championships and had a 5-1 dual meet record on the year. In Don Helling’s 40th year coaching high school swimming, it would be a great story to see Sehome contend for a title.

Bellingham has six competitors headed to state, including two divers and a relay team, while Lynden has its relay teams and standout Sarah Hollander competing.

Year: Sophomore

School: Squalicum

Events: Relays, individual medley, breaststroke

Le was instrumental in the Storm’s undefeated dual meet season and district title, taking part in Class 2A’s top-ranked 200 medley and district-winning 200 freestyle relays while also winning the 100 breaststroke at districts. She is the top seed in the 200 IM, where she took sixth last year, and the second seed in the breaststroke that she finished third in last season. The talented sophomore could win three titles, two individual, and that would go a long way to helping the Storm win a state title for the first time since 2010.

Year: Junior

School: Sehome

Events: Relays, backstroke, 500 freestyle

Malella has two individual fifth-place finishes under her belt from last year — her first with the Mariners — and could improve on those this season. She’s ranked third in the 500 freestyle and fourth in the 100 backstroke headed into the state championships. She’s a strong swimmer that Sehome will hope to come up in a big way to jump Sehome past Anacortes and Squalicum and into the state title mix. Don Helling always has his teams ready to peak at the state tournament and Malella should be no different.

Year: Senior

School: Bellingham

Events: Diving

With nine of the 24 divers at the state tournament coming from the Northwest Conference, it’s clear the NWC has become a diving powerhouse. Sunni Sternhagen is one of the best. She’s seeded 12th going into the state championships. She has some state meet experience under her belt and will be looking to put her best foot forward in her last event of her high school swim career. Along with Sternhagen, keep an eye on teammate Chloe Roth, Squalicum’s four divers and Sehome’s Maya Helms.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 7:33 PM with the headline "Le, Malella, Sternhagen ones to watch at state swimming."