Bellevue tops all at KingCo championships | Prep boys swim and dive

Bellevue’s quest for a third consecutive state swim title is off to a strong start.

The Bellevue boys swim and dive team bested all competition at the final day of the KingCo championships Saturday at Kamiak High School.

Competing against 16 teams spanning the 2A, 3A and 4A classes, the two-time defending 3A state champion Wolverines won the meet with a team score of 583. Mercer Island was runner-up with a score of 514. Issaquah placed third with 460 points and Skyline was fourth with 459.

“This is gonna sound scary: we’re gonna get faster going forward,” Bellevue coach Andy Hay said. “What these guys are capable of as athletes is remarkable in my opinion.”

Bellevue claimed the top spot in four of Saturday’s 12 events, including all three relays. The group of Mitchell Eggenberger, Andrew Lee, Thomas Eggenberger and Nick Kenny won the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:37.34.

Jackson Dudley, Kenny, Andrew Boden and Thomas Eggenberger won the 200 free relay at 1:27.8. The team of Nathan Shao, Lee, Dudley and Boden won the 400 free relay at 3:14.01.

Kenny was an event winner in the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 48.26. He called Saturday’s win a team effort, saying the Wolverines needed to make the most of every opportunity that came their way.

“I was just impressed to see all the effort our guys put out there,” Kenny said. “I’m really impressed with all the hard work and effort they’ve put throughout the whole season to get to this point.”

“We had guys who had awesome swims today,” said senior captain Ben Smith. “Just getting that confidence and that momentum now … it’s huge.”

Thomas Eggenberger was a runner-up for Bellevue in both the 100 fly (52.79) and the 100 back (54.38). Boden was a runner-up in the 200 free (1:46.82) and Dudley was runner-up in the 500 free (4:50.61).

Lee placed fourth in the 100 free, finishing in 50 seconds flat. Peter Wang was fourth in the 200 IM (2:03.53) and Shao was fifth in the 500 free (5:02.52).

Newport fifth at KingCo

The Newport Knights placed fifth overall at Saturday’s meet with a team score of 427.

Newport’s Henry Newsum won the 100 fly with a time of 52.71. Martin Wu was a runner-up for the Knights in the 200 IM with a time of 2:00.78, finishing nine-hundredths of a second behind Mercer Island’s Killian Riley.

Frank Zhang was runner-up in the 100 breast (1:00.5) and Wu was right behind him placing third (1:01.85). Andrew Wang was third in the 100 free (49.91) while Zhang finished fifth (50.26).

Newport placed third in the 200 medley relay, finishing at 1:44.1. The Knights were fourth in the 400 free relay (3:22.97) and placed sixth in the 200 free relay (1:32.79).

Interlake, Sammamish swimmers place at meet

The Interlake Saints placed 12th and the Sammamish Totems placed 15th at the KingCo championship finals.

Interlake’s Richard Liu was fourth in the 100 breast (1:01.91) and sixth in the 200 IM (2:05.36). Johnathan Cassady placed sixth in the 100 breast for the Saints at 1:02.7.

Sammamish diver Owen Beale placed seventh in the one-meter dive with a score of 275.95

Bellevue’s Nathan Shao competes in the 200 yard freestyle during the KingCo championships. Shao placed seventh with a time of 1:47.99 (Joe Livarchik/staff photo).

Newport’s Martin Wu competes in the 200 IM at the KingCo championships. Wu was runner-up in the event with a time of 2:00.78 (Joe Livarchik/staff photo).

Newport’s Frank Zhang competes in the 100 yard breaststroke at the KingCo championships. Zhang placed second with a time of 1:00.5 (Joe Livarchik/staff photo).