Heading into the final event of the 4A state swim and dive championships Saturday at King County Aquatic Center, a mere five points separated the Skyline girls swim team from the first-place Wenatchee Panthers, as well as from a shot at repeating as state champions.

Fortunately for the Spartans, they had their group of super sophomores to rely on in the final stretch.

The 400 yard freestyle relay team of sophomores Christina Bradley, Stephanie Young, Catherine McRae and Sarah DiMeco took home the group’s second-straight 4A title in the event to lift Skyline to its second straight state championship.

The Spartans won the meet with a team score of 243, 11 points ahead of runner-up Wenatchee. Issaquah placed third, scoring 199.5 and Newport was fourth with 193.5 points.

Bradley, Young, McRae and DiMeco won the 400 free relay with a time of 3:31.6. While the swimmers may have been keen that the meet was close going into the last event, coach Susan Simpkins said she wasn’t telling any of them the actual score. Wenatchee led 208-203.

“They knew it was close point-wise, and they were asking and we weren’t telling,” Simpkins said. “They just had to swim their race.”

Bradley said her team “just knew they needed to swim fast.”

“It was definitely a close call, especially with our prelims time about the same with [Wenatchee’s] prelims time,” she said.

“We just raced and we were like, ‘Alright, we gotta win if we want it,’” said DiMeco, who swam the relay’s anchor leg. “That was our mindset. If we win the relay, we win the meet.”

DiMeco was a state-title winner in two other events for Skyline, winning the 200 free with an All-American consideration time of 1:49.37 and the 500 free with an automatic All-American time of 4:51.

Skyline’s relay team of Bradley, Danika Himes, Lauren Sayles and DiMeco was runner-up in the 200 medley relay. The Spartans finished three tenths of a second behind Jackson High with a time of 1:47.71.

Bradley was runner-up for the Spartans in two events, finishing second in the 200 IM (2:04.89) and second in the 100 free (51.65). Himes placed fifth in both the 200 IM (2:07.67) and the 100 breast (1:05.14).

McRae was sixth in the 200 free (1:55.82). Skyline’s team of Sayles, Himes, McRae and Young placed sixth in the 200 free relay.

Simpkins and her swimmers acknowledged a repeat title at the state meet was anything but assured after finishing runner-up to Newport at the district championships the previous weekend.

“We were uncertain going into state,” Bradley said. “I think now, it hit us and it’s amazing.”

Issaquah, Eastlake swimmers reach medal stand

The Issaquah Eagles had several swimmers make it to the medal stand at Saturday’s meet.

Issaquah’s 200 free relay team of Isabelle Huynh, Natalie Sun, Abigail Paxton and Belle Battistoni placed third with a time of 1:38.84. The 400 free relay team of Huynh, Sun, Jenifer Matsuda and Battistoni placed fourth, registering a time of 3:35.17. Izzy Gonzalez, Alyssa Helgesen, Kira Grebinsky and Paxton placed sixth in the 200 medley relay, finishing at 1:52.55.

Battistoni placed fourth in the 100 breast (1:04.91) and sixth in the 200 IM (2:07.91).

In the dive event, Eastlake’s Kennedy Cribbs placed fourth with a score of 352.1. Issaquah’s Callie Mejia placed 10th with a score of 282.25.

Gonzalez was sixth in the 100 back (1:00.37). Huynh was seventh in the 100 free (53.11) and Helgesen placed eighth in the 100 breast (1:07.6).