With just one meet remaining in the regular season, Todd Beamer boys swim coach Jennifer Larsen knows this postseason will be one of the team’s best yet.
After swimmers picked up more district-qualifying times during a victory over Auburn Tuesday, and another opportunity for more Thursday at Enumclaw, Larsen said the Titans are in good shape entering their last week before the postseason begins.
They will wrap up North Puget Sound League Olympic Division action against Thomas Jefferson at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Federal Way Community Center. Swimmers who have yet to qualify for postseason will have one last chance after that to do so at the NPSL qualifier meet at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 23.
“I’m feeling fantastic,” Larsen said. “This is the most athletes I’ve taken into the postseason.”
She is also pleased to be taking at least one swimmer to state for the first time since she took over as the Titans’ coach in 2013. Freshman Brendan Man qualified for state in the 100-yard butterfly, and, as of Tuesday, he had to shave off two tenths of a second to make it in the 50 freestyle.
Man has actually qualified for the postseason in almost every event but two, the 100 backstroke and the 200 freestyle.
“That’s only because I haven’t had him swim those yet,” Larsen added.
She said the rest of her swimmers show postseason promise in almost every event, with the exception of the 200 free, which is both a distance race and a sprint.
“But we do have kids that are close or made it for the other events,” Larsen said.
While swimmers have a little more input on what events they would like to compete in earlier in the season, Larsen said they are now only racing in the ones in which they show the most promise.
“Otherwise they’d all pick the 50 free,” she said, laughing.
Todd Beamer’s Brendan Man maintains a narrow lead over Auburn’s Ryan Odell in the 100-yard breaststroke in a league meet Tuesday at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. Man, who has already qualified for state in the 100 butterfly, held off Odell to claim first in the event. JESSICA KELLER, the Mirror
