Class 4A: Adrian, Snohomish set up for final day

FEDERAL WAY — The state's fastest high-school swimmer positioned himself Friday night for an assault on state records today, and Snohomish positioned itself for its first boys team championship.

Nathan Adrian, the 6-foot-6 freestyler from Bremerton High School, had the night's best times in preliminary heats for the 100- and 200-yard sprints at the Class 4A swimming and diving meet at the King County Aquatic Center.

Adrian, who will swim for the University of California next season, posted automatic All-American times of 45.74 seconds in the 100 and 1 minute, 38.06 seconds in the 200.

The 200 time was the fourth fastest in state history.

Adrian also had the night's fastest 50 time of 20.71, which he swam as leadoff in the 200 freestyle relay. However, his team didn't advance to tonight's finals. The 20.71 is the fifth-fastest 50 time in state history.

Adrian won the 100 at state as a freshman, then concentrated on club swimming for two years. He swam for both the Tacoma Swim Club and Bremerton High School this season, saying he had missed the fun of high-school swimming and the electricity of the state meet.

Surrounded by a half-dozen reporters after his final event Friday night, Adrian said it was "awesome" to be back at state and noted, "The stands are so crowded."

Regarded as one of the nation's top young swimmers, 17-year-old tonight will go after the 100 all-time record of 43.73 set in 1992 by Newport's Ugur Taner and Taner's 200 mark of 1:37.18.

"I believe I can break them," he said.

Adrian acknowledged that his goal in preliminaries was to swim well but save something for the finals.

No team points are awarded Friday in the qualifying heats, but Snohomish is in position to score in flurries tonight.

The Panthers posted the best times in all three relays. That is significant because double points are awarded in relays, with 40 points for a win. The Panthers have swimmers in the championship heats of five of the eight individual events. In the 100 butterfly, they have four of eight finalists.

The Panthers also will get points from swimmers in the consolation heat of the other three events.

Fifth-year Snohomish coach Rob Serviss said the boys on his team have been pointing to this season for the Panthers' first state title.

"I've known a lot of these guys since they were 7, 8 years old when I was working as a lifeguard," Serviss said.

In addition to Adrian's automatic All-American times, there were six other performances that met the standard.

Senior Shawn Bertrand from Wilson of Tacoma made the mark with a 1:54.53 in the 200 individual medley, and teammate Brian Jack did it with a 21.11 in the 50 free as did Kentridge's Greg Hulse in 21.37. Chris Winchell, a Bothell junior, did in the 500 free in 4:35.51; Jesse Stipek, a Mount Tahoma of Tacoma senior, made the standard in the 100 backstroke with a 51.63; and Jon Hiett, from Todd Beamer of Federal Way, accomplished it in the 100 breaststroke in 58.57.

Notes

• Bob Regan was behind the state-meet microphone again Friday, where he has been every year since 1946 except for time he missed during the Korean War. Regan has been meet director since the 1980s.

• State academic swim champions: 4A, Todd Beamer, 3.65 grade-point average; 3A, Renton, 3.597; 2A, Hockinson of Brush Prairie 3.52.

• Snohomish tonight will try to become the first 4A school since Kentridge in 1994 to win all three relays.