Steilacoom’s Alejandra Ruppe wins pair of titles at 2A state swim meet
Alejandra Ruppe did all she could.
While Steilacoom didn’t possess the numbers to contend for a team title at the Class 2A state girls swimming championships on Saturday morning, Ruppe made sure the Sentinels didn’t return home from the King County Aquatic Center empty-handed. The senior won two individual titles to add to the school’s trophy case.
“It’s been hard, because of Covid,” Steilacoom coach Kathy Casey said. “But she has never quit. She’s never stopped. She’s never given up. We’re just making the best of it we can.”
Ruppe pulled away from the field in the first individual event of the day, winning the 200-yard freestyle by more than two seconds over nearest competitors Caelee Truong of Lindbergh (1:58.85) and Poppy Edge of Pullman (1:59.26). Ruppe finished in 1:55.87.
“I wouldn’t call it cruising,” Ruppe said. “I definitely try to get out fast and make my mark, I guess. I was really nervous for the last 100 because I’m more of a front-halfer. The girl next to me in Lane 3 is a distance swimmer, so I was afraid she was going to catch up to me.”
That swimmer was Edge, who along with her Greyhound teammates certainly didn’t go home unhappy. Pullman out-paced Sammamish to win the 2A team title, 330-223.
Saturday marked the first girls swimming championships since 2019, when Liberty (Renton) won the team championship. The Patriots have since moved to 3A. The 2020 state meet was erased by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ruppe waited through most of the rest of the meet before adding the 100-yard backstroke title, the second to last individual event, in 57.30 seconds. Ruppe took more than a second and a half off her Friday preliminary time of 58.96 to beat second-place Anna Wersland (1:01.27) of Cle Elum by just .03 less than four seconds to finish her high school career.
It’s been an odyssey, with titles two years ago followed by the lost junior year thanks to the pandemic. At least Ruppe got to swim at one more state.
“It’s definitely something I’ve been looking forward to, I’d say, since state 2019,” Ruppe said. “I was really sad it was canceled last year, but I’m so happy to be back.”
Ruppe finished her high school career as the two-time champion in the 100 back. She also won the 200 individual medley as a sophomore in 2019, giving her four individual championships for her career.
“I told her mom, I was not even thinking about it being her last, until it was the last,” Casey said. “That’s too hard to face.”
Those first two titles came just a year after Ruppe finished second in the consolation finals in both events.
“She was watching the podium for the 200 IM after the event as a freshman,” Casey said. “And she turned to me and told me she was going to be there next year. I knew she would, too. When athletes tell you that, you know they’re going to work to get it.”
Where Ruppe goes from here, she doesn’t know yet. Casey said her star hopes to swim in college, but hasn’t made a choice on destination as of yet.
Ruppe was one of three double winners at the 2A meet. Joining her were Sammamish sophomore Ava Gruner (200 IM, 100 Butterfly) and Pullman’s Mya Reed (50 and 100 frees). Reed was the only swimmer to stand atop the podium four times (even though there was no actual podium at this year’s championships), as she swam legs on both the 200 and 400 free relay winners for the Greyhounds.
This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 11:18 AM.