Gig Harbor boys swim team triumphs in thrilling finish to win SSC 3A league meet title

The Gig Harbor High School boys swim team won the Class 3A South Sound Conference meet title over the weekend at the Evergreen State College Pool in Olympia. The Tides were in an unfamiliar underdog role and the meet came down to the final relay, the 400-yard freestyle.

Gig Harbor won the meet with 290 points, edging second-place North Thurston, the league favorite, which finished with 289 points.

Going into the relay, Gig Harbor trailed, 263 to 258. Gig Harbor used a relay team of Bryce Barnes, Max Andren, Cannon Coats and Clay Curtis. The Tides won with a season best time of 3 minutes, 33.75 seconds. North Thurston came in a close second at 3:34.55.

“It was truly amazing to watch this victory unfold,” Gig Harbor coach Mike Kelly wrote in an email. “Had it not been for a spectacular effort by so many of the Tides, a shot at the team title would not have even been possible. Scoring out the meet based on entry times and diving results, it appeared that North Thurston had a sizable advantage of 302 points to our 266 points, with Shelton at 260 points. At our team meeting, we talked about our ability to swim well and erase that 36-point advantage.”

Many Gig Harbor swimmers posted season-best times.

“The Tides are the inaugural winners of the conference championship,” Kelly wrote. “This year’s team has solidified their position in the history and culture of Tides Swimming. This team showed their determination and grit, along with their unwillingness to surrender their pride. It was a true team effort. I’m so proud of all of our athletes, they truly surpassed expectations.”

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Gig Harbor boys swim team triumphs in thrilling finish to win SSC 3A league meet title."