The Thomas Jefferson Raiders were well represented in their home pool, Feb. 18, for the 4A state swimming and diving championships at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.

The Raiders swam in six events in the preliminary heats on Feb. 17, and they made it to the finals in three events on Feb. 18. Jefferson had swimmers compete for a state championship in the 200 medley relay, the 100-meter butterfly and 100-meter backstroke.

The Raiders’ common denominator in all three finals events was freshman Aaron Nguyen. Nguyen knocked out the preliminary races to earn his spot on the final day of state. Individually, Nguyen placed 11th in the 100-meter backstroke, 12th in the 100 butterfly and was the leadoff man for the Raiders’ 200 relay team that took 15th.

“Aaron did awesome at state,” Jefferson coach Wendy Neely said. “He came onto the team as a freshman, not really knowing what to expect, and Aaron set goals to have fun and qualify for state. The team had camaraderie and enthusiasm throughout the season. It was the right blend of kids to have two relays get to the state meet.”

Elsewhere, the Todd Beamer Titans were represented on the diving platform by freshman Nicholas Gunn. Gunn finished eighth after his finals dive gave him 347.25 points.