Eatonville swims past Fife in opener showdown

Eatonville High School’s girls swim team opened its season in dramatic fashion Tuesday night, outlasting rival Fife 92-76 in a home meet that came down to the final relay.

The Eatonville High School swim team stopped to pose for a photo prior to their season opening meet against Fife. Photo: Andrea Stammen

Head coach Andrea Stammen said the win was the perfect way to launch the year.

“The meet vs. Fife was a great opening to our season,” Stammen said. “Fife is our closest matched competitors, so we always know that we will have tough competition, and a very close meet.”

The battle lived up to the billing. The Trojans grabbed the early advantage by winning the opening medley relay, but the Cruisers struck back quickly. Senior captain Annika Howard powered to victory in the 200 individual medley, and sophomore Jane Morrish surged from behind to secure second place, giving Eatonville a decisive 1-2 punch in the event and their first lead of the night.

From there, the score swung back and forth as the teams traded wins. The turning point came in the 100 breaststroke, when Eatonville swept the podium. Freshman Grace King claimed first place, followed by Morrish in second and freshman Clara Forsman in third. The 1-2-3 finish broke the meet open and put the Cruisers firmly in control.

Eatonville still had to hold off a late push from Fife, and the meet came down to the closing 400 freestyle relay. The foursome of senior captains Charlotte Stumph and Nicole Tomyn, freshman Riley Frey, and Howard edged the Trojans by just .08 seconds to seal the victory.

Howard, one of three senior captains, was at the center of Eatonville’s success. In addition to her 200 IM win, she anchored the 200 free relay team — alongside King, Forsman, and freshman Amelia Palfenier — and swam the decisive leg of the 400 free relay.

Other victories for the Cruisers included Tomyn in the 100 backstroke and King in the 100 breaststroke.

The final tally reflected the Cruisers’ depth across events, especially among a mix of experienced seniors and promising freshmen.

Eatonville will look to carry the momentum into next week, when the team hosts Clover Park on Sept. 23 and Steilacoom on Sept. 25 before embarking on a stretch of four straight road meets.