A grin crept onto the face of North Kitsap junior Ashley Husmoe as she recalled stepping onto the block for her latest 500-yard freestyle race during the team’s Sept. 25 meet against the Kingston Buccaneers.
Perhaps it was the comfort of swimming in the familiar waters of the NK Community Pool or that it was a race she had found success in the year before, going as far as an eighth-place finish in what would be one of her three placing races.
Yet above all that, it was the knowledge that the race was hers and hers alone, all other swimmers watching and cheering from the surface as she cut her way back and forth through the water in a race against time—a race against herself. “It’s an amazing feeling,” she said afterward. “Even Kingston was cheering for me, and this is just a really cool community of swim.”
Her race would end short of her seed time but reached a qualifying time of 5 minutes, 40.92 seconds, which was more than enough to punch her ticket to state in November—the highlight of the Vikings’ duel win vs. Kingston 138-18.
Husmoe nearly qualified for state in the 200 freestyle, touching the wall just 2.2 seconds late at 2:08.20. The time was plenty fast for a district qualification though, and with plenty of season left, she already has a big boost of confidence. “First meets don’t always go great, but I always progress, and as a team, we all got better,” she said. “By the end of the season, I was doing my best times, and I’m already starting much faster at the start of this season.”
Also earning district qualifying times were juniors Carly Yates and Aubrey Hedstrom, sophomore Natalie Ramey, senior Izzy Cera and freshman Estella McVey. A strong last leg from Yates brought her to a first-place finish of 2:28.51 in the 200 individual medley, Ramey coming in second. Yates also scored a first-place time of 1:17.69 in the 100 breastroke, Cera finishing just under two seconds later. Hedstrom secured a win in the 100 backstroke at 1:08.74, and McVey joined her for a one-two finish in the 100 butterfly. Ramey would finish in first in the 100 free in 1:03.23.
Missing was Shosho McLain, last season’s breakout freshman who sped her way to second place in the 50 free, fifth in the 100 free and who anchored the championship 200 free relay at state. Viking coach Greg Braun said she is expected to return.
The Buccaneers, meanwhile, have a smaller and much younger team than in years past. Sophomore Zoe Miller shows early signs of promise in the sprints, clocking 35.91 seconds for fourth place in the 50 free and 1:27.57 for third place in the 100 free. Junior Stella Terry finished right behind her in both races.
