Curtis swims to a second-place finish at the girls 4A state meet

The Curtis girls swimming team just keeps getting better.

In 2017, the Vikings placed 10th at the 4A state swimming and diving championships. Last year, they showed drastic improvement, jumping all the way to a third-place finish. On Saturday, the upward trend continued as the Vikings placed second behind Newport, which won its third consecutive 4A title.

“That’s where we were projected going into the meet,” Curtis head coach Aaron Hughes said. “We knew this year was going to be tough if we wanted to catch up to Newport, but I’m super proud of the girls for battling through some emotions and the weight of the expectations. This is new for Curtis. I’ve been here for three years. We’ve got 10th my first year, third last year and second this year, and we just try to get a little bit better each time.”

The rapid improvement of the Vikings’ swimming program may have coincided with Hughes taking the head coaching job, but he gives much of the credit to the girls.

“It’s the mindset of the athletes,” Hughes said. “Getting out of their minds a little bit and swimming for something greater than themselves. …The only thing we expect on a daily basis is their best effort.”

Now that the Vikings have gotten all the way up to second place, it would seem one of the only things that remains is to overtake the Knights next year for the title, but that won’t be easy.

“They’re a great program and they’re led really well,” Hughes said. “You know you just have to follow your way up as much as you can. Every point matters. In some dual meets, it’s a few athletes that can carry the show, but when you’re going up against Newport, it’s the depth that matters.”

Junior Leigh Lopez-Silvers showed up on the big stage, earning two second-place finishes for the Vikings. She finished second both the 200-yard freestyle (1:51.49) and 100-butterfly (55.79). She edged Hanford junior Regan Geldmacher, who finished in 1:51.50, in the 200-freestyle.

“If Regan from Hanford was not next to me, I would have not gone 1:51,” Lopez-Silvers said of her performance in the 200-freestyle. I’ve really been trying to drop time in that event for a while, so me being able to race her really helped me.”

The Vikings also earned a first-place finish in the first event of the day, the 200-medley relay, finishing with a time of 1:45.88.

“That is a culmination of a whole lot of years of work,” Hughes said. “We knew going Leigh’s freshman year that they had a chance if they kept working and improving to get on top of that podium. …To be able to finish that way was really awesome.”

NOTES

• Steilacoom sophomore Alejandra Ruppe became a two-time champion on Saturday. Ruppe won the 2A 200-IM title with a time of 2:10.67 and later added the 100-backstroke championship, finishing in 58.07.
• Rogers’ junior Heather Hopkins won the 1-meter diving championship in the 4A meet, finishing with a score of 426.40. Kentridge senior Elizabeth McKnight finished second with 389.10.
• Fife senior Taylor Bloedorn won the 2A diving championship with a score of 340.70.
• Sumner senior Marin Wilson finished third in the 500-freestyle, finishing in 5:05.91.