Chauntelle Johnson

The MIHS Girls Swim and Dive team dominated runner-up Bellevue to earn the State title on Nov. 11, with a score of 314-207. This marks the 16th State win in the program’s history and their second consecutive State win.

Defending their title as State champions, the team displayed their powerful swimmers and supportive team.

“We always see tons of improvement from everyone during the season and we can definitely credit that to our amazing coaches,” senior captain Piper Enge said.

Enge was incredible in the 100-yard breaststroke event with a time of 0:58.95, setting a new State and 3A record and becoming the first person in Washington state history to swim the event in under a minute, demolishing her previous State record of 1:00.44 set in 2021. Enge’s time also marks the fifth fastest breaststroke event in girls’ high school history, an outstanding achievement to add to her high school resume.

“Winning the Girls [Swim and Dive] State title means everything for us as a team,” junior Greta Doroski said. “Right when the season starts, we know we have a good chance to win, so everything until that one weekend is building up to those moments. Executing our goals exactly how we wanted feels amazing.” 

The team showcased incredible skill and synergy in events like the 200-yard freestyle relay, which they completed in 1:36.82 with junior Isabel Peng and sophomores Meg Dahlin, Gracyn Kehoe and anchor Hope Enge. They also crushed the 400-yard freestyle in 3:25.93 with Kehoe, Dahlin, Peng and Piper Enge as the anchor. Both of these events earned AAA marks and show the strength of the swimmers.

The team has worked hard and gained more depth and skill since their State title in 2022 where they broke the State record for the most points ever scored in the competition. This year, the team continued to control individual events while performing even better on relays.

“I’m incredibly proud of how our team has developed since the start of the season,” Enge said. “We definitely had some freshmen who I know coming into the season were scared, and lots of them made great improvement. We even had two freshmen on the State team.” 

“When we started, many girls on the team were unsure of what [swim and dive] was going to mean or if they could do it, and by the end, everyone improved and earned every one of our achievements,” Doroski said. “From having freshmen make the State team to seeing records broken by a senior, the entire team grew by the end of the experience.” 

The MIHS Girls Swim and Dive program continues to produce strong swimmers and establish a supportive environment from the coaches and teammates. Their grind to become better athletes has propelled them to another State title, and hopefully will lead to more in the future.

“The most memorable moment for me was definitely State, not only because of how well we did as a team and how I swam individually, but it was just so great to have my last meet with the team be so special and successful,” Enge said.