Tearing out a page of the record book: Kentlake swimmer is golden at state competition

During Friday’s state girls swimming preliminaries, Chelsea Bailey’s swimsuit tore just before she started one of her races.

Adorned in a new suit for Saturday morning’s finals, the Kentlake High sophomore tore through the water at the King County Aquatic Center and in so doing, tore a page out of the record book.

Bailey became the first girl in state history to break the 50-second mark in the 100-yard freestyle, stopping the watches in 49.82. That was fast enough to win the Class 4A championship and fast enough to eclipse the old record of 50.16, set in 2003 by former Bainbridge star and 2008 U.S. Olympic swimmer Emily Silver.

“I was happy – and a bit surprised,” said Bailey, who later placed second in the 100 backstroke, and also helped Kentlake take third in the 200 free relay. “After district, when I was able to go a 50-low (Bailey won the West Central crown in 50.17), I was like, ‘Hmm, I wonder if I can break 50?’

Ironically, Bailey, who said her previous best time prior to this year was in the 52s, had more breathing room on the state record – 34 hundredths of a second – than she had on runner-up Andie Taylor. The Skyline junior, a four-time Class 3A state champion in multiple events before the school moved up to 4A this year, actually became the second girl to break 50 seconds in the 100 free. She did it 15 hundredths of a second after Bailey did, touching in 49.97.

“Andie was right behind me, so I was happy for her, too,” Bailey said of her club swimming teammate.

Bailey was hoping to make it a gold-medal double on Saturday, but fell just short of defending champion Annemarie Thayer of Ballard in the backstroke finals. Thayer, a sophomore like Bailey, went the distance in 53.95. Bailey was second in 54.84.

That was a repeat of last year’s order of finish, although this one was much faster. Thayer won the 2007 crown in 56.80; Bailey was second in 56.94.

Bailey’s bid for the backstroke title came just a few minutes after she teamed with Abby Swanson, Taylor Bouffard and Katrina Hetrick for a bronze medal in the 200 free relay in 1:40.90.

“I had just swum the relay, so I was kind of hurting,” Bailey said. “But I was still fired up to go out there and get a best time.”

She did so in a swimsuit that stayed in one piece. It was just moments before the start of the 100 back prelims on Friday that Bailey’s suit tore.

“It was an older suit. I had gone a few fast races in it, and I made my Olympic trials cut (in the 50-meter free) in that suit,” Bailey said. “When I took my mark on the blocks, I felt it rip. I was thinking, ‘I hope no one saw anything.’

“Fortunately,” she said with a laugh, “I was on my back.”

Kentlake took ninth in the team standings with 87 points.

IN THE WAKE

The same Falcon foursome – Bailey, Swanson, Bouffard and Hetrick – won the consolation final of the 200 medley relay in 1:53.91, giving them ninth place in that event. … Kent-Meridian freshman Joanna Wu, the school’s first state qualifier since 2002, took 16th in the 50 free, clocking 25.58. In that same event, Kentridge freshman Emily Mohr was 13th in 25.15. … Mohr joined with three senior teammates – Mallary Flatley, Stephanie Giralmo and Megan Sandall – to take 15th in the 400 free relay in 3:55.25. The KR crew of seniors Megan Vermilion, Kari Keller, Sandall and freshman Mohr took 13th in the 200 medley relay in 1:56.14. Keller later placed 14th in the 100 breaststroke. … Tahoma sophomore Rachel Reese took sixth in the 100 back in 1:00.00. That was a big jump from last year, when Reese placed 11th. … Kentwood senior Elizabeth Molloy was 15th in the 100 back in 1:03.99. … For aquatic trivia buffs: Kentlake’s Bailey and Skyline’s Taylor broke the 50-second barrier in the 100 free in the 39th year of state girls swimming. The boys needed almost as many years to do it. A boys state championship has been around in some form since 1934. It was in 1969 – the 36th boys state meet – when Wilson’s Kurt Knipher pulled it off, winning in 49.40.