FEDERAL WAY – Not too long after the Class 4A state swimming and diving championships came to an end last winter, Christian Barrett made a decision.

He wanted to focus on swimming year-round, so the Rogers High School junior joined the Tacoma Swim Club and backed away from water polo, a sport in which he excelled.

“This whole year, I worked pretty hard with them,” Barrett said.

It paid off.

Barrett, the only representative from the Rams’ program at the King County Aquatic Center, reached the consolation finals in both individual events after Friday’s preliminary heats. He’ll enter Saturday’s competition with the ninth-fastest time in the 200-yard freestyle – 1 minute, 47.32 seconds – and 16th fastest in the 500 free (5:03.40).

Barrett finished 11th in the 500 free last year. At that time, though, he didn’t have to deal with both long-distance events. He went out a little too fast in the first 100 yards of the longer of the two races on Friday and faded down the stretch.

“The 500 is pretty murderous,” he said. “Personally, I don’t like it at all, but I’m good at it.”

Barrett said he plans to focus on the 200 free and the 100 butterfly as a senior next year.

But before he gets there, he’s got some unfinished business to complete on Saturday. He missed the championship final in the 200 free by less than a second, so he hopes he can win the consolation group.

“I knew I was going to be right there on the edge,” he said. “I’m happy with it, though, because I wasn’t at this point last year. I wish I could have been in the A final, but I’ll take it.”