The District meet took place Nov. 1 and 2 at Central Washington University, where the Wenatchee girls swim team dominated over 4A teams from Richland, Walla Walla, Eastmont, Moses Lake, Eisenhower, and Davis. Last year, Richland won Districts, but this year they settled for second, 112 points behind Wenatchee with a score of 473.  Wenatchee won the meet with a score of 585, winning two relays and four individual events.

“Winning the District meet is always one of our goals at the start of the season,” said Coach James Elwyn. “This year it was even more so after last season’s 13-point loss to Richland.”

The Panthers 200 medley relay, made up of senior Hannah Bruggman, senior Katherine Robinson, freshman Jessica Wierzbicki, and senior Rachel Wilt, broke a school record, as did the 400 free relay team, made up of freshman Isabelle Dressel, sophomore Audrey Parrish, sophomore Tori Peterson, and Bruggman.

Prior to Districts, the team had several meets, and dominated in all of them.

On Oct. 10, the Panthers beat Moses Lake 137-48, and placed first in all events.

On Oct. 17, they won nine out of 12 events against Eastmont in a home meet and won 126-60.

On Oct. 22, the Panthers hosted  a meet with Eisenhower, Davis, and Sunnyside. Wenatchee beat Eisenhower 142-42, and won seven individual events and all three relays.  Wenatchee beat Davis 152-20, placing ahead of them in all 12 events. Wenatchee beat Sunnyside, 147-27 and took first in all 12 events.

The Panthers also crushed both Richland and Hanford on Oct. 26, beating Richland 118-68, with Bruggman, Brandt, Wierzbicki, sophomore Kayli Elwyn, and senior Abbi Milner all placing first. All three relays won as well.  They beat Hanford 130-56, with all three relays taking first. Senior Annie Stefanides also placed first against Hanford.

Elwyn thinks that the team has been successful this season and that there are several reasons for the victories. “The league is not as strong as it has been in the past, and we are better this year with three very strong freshmen,” said Elwyn. “We definitely have the strongest lineup, maybe the strongest lineup we’ve ever had.”

Elwyn said that he is particularly proud of two things from this season: a relay team made up of Dressel, Parrish, Wilt and Bruggman breaking the 400 free relay record of 3 minutes, 43.99 seconds, which was set in 2011, and sophomore diver Ali Brandt going to State, the first State diver since 2008. Brandt has placed first in almost every meet, and qualified for State with a score of 324.85 on Oct. 18 at WHS. Brandt is proud to be going to State, and attributes her success this season to the extra workouts.

The team will be sending Elwyn, Bruggman, Parrish, Wilt, Dressel, Brandt, and Wierzbicki to State as well as their 200 medleyrelay, 200 freestylerelay and 400 freestyle relay.

The State meet will take place at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way on Nov. 15 and 16.