Eatonville Cruiser Swim Team Shines at District Meet, Advances to State

The Eatonville Cruisers swim team made waves at the district meet held Thursday and Friday, Nov. 8-9, at Mt. Tahoma High School, earning multiple top-12 finishes and securing spots at the state meet next week.

"We saw some incredibly fast times across the board," said head coach Andrea Stammen. "The Cruisers swam their hearts out, and it really paid off!"

Eatonville's Gracie Forsman and Kaylee Bernt, both new Eatonville High School record holders pose together for a photo at the district swim meet. Photo: Andrea Stammen

Prelims Recap

The Cruisers ensured their presence in every event with several swimmers advancing to finals. Highlights from Thursday's prelims included:

• 200 Free: Kaylee Bernt shaved 1.67 seconds off her best time to qualify for finals, while Charlotte Stumph posted a lifetime best to finish 23rd.

• 100 Free: Gracie Forsman broke a 24-year-old school record with a time of 58.95, surpassing Amber Frederick's 1999 mark of 59.14. Nicole Tomyn also made finals, cutting 2.17 seconds off her previous best.

• 500 Free: Bernt had another strong swim, dropping 2.32 seconds to reach the finals.

• 400 Freestyle Relay: The relay team of Nicole Tomyn, Annika Howard, Kaylee Bernt, and Gracie Forsman cut an additional 1.26 seconds off their season best to advance.

  
  

Finals Results

On Friday night, the Cruisers continued to excel, with several standout performances:

• 200 Free: Bernt secured 8th place, setting a new school record of 2:13.46. She dropped a total of 7.5 seconds over the past week, an impressive feat after breaking her personal best in the previous league meet.

• 100 Free: Despite a false start disqualification for Forsman, Tomyn took 10th place.

• 500 Free: Bernt clinched 6th place with another strong performance.

• 400 Freestyle Relay: The team finished 4th, automatically qualifying for state. They cut an incredible 7.58 seconds in finals, totaling 18.01 seconds dropped over the past week.

  
  

“Our girls in the 400 Free Relay just blew us away,” Coach Stammen said. “That 4th-place finish came down to pure heart, and I couldn’t be prouder.”

State Qualifiers Announced

The Cruisers will be competing at the state championships next week, Nov. 14-16, at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash. The state-bound athletes include:

• 200 Free: Kaylee Bernt (wildcard)

• 200 Free Relay: Nicole Tomyn, Annika Howard, Kaylee Bernt, and Gracie Forsman (wildcard)

• 400 Free Relay: Same team, qualified with their top-4 finish.

  
  

The alternates who will also be traveling include Bella Wolters, Charlotte Stumph, Lily Hays, and Jane Morrish.

The Eatonville Cruisers are set to bring their momentum to the state meet, where they will look to build on their impressive district performance.