Moses Lake 'under-represented'

Stephanie McFarland gets invite to 200-free

MOSES LAKE - The numbers just aren't their for the Moses Lake swim team.

Feeling a little empty-handed, head coach Tony St. Onge raised the bar heading into the 4A state swim meet Friday and Saturday at the Federal Way Aquatic Center. There were no guarantees the final two weeks heading into the state meet.

St. Onge took seven swimmers and made them qualify for the four spots on the 200-free relay team.

"I guess I was hoping for better, dreaming for better, but you have to roll out of bed in the morning and put the yards in the pool," St. Onge said. "We did not put the yards in the pool."

Moses Lake freshman Stephanie McFarland was a late entry to the state swim meet after a wild card entry in the individual 200-free. McFarland will be one of four freshman competing in the event.

St. Onge said the lack of representation heading into the state was due to the offseason. Only one swimmer out of the seven heading to the state meet swum during the summer, leaving the rest playing catchup, St. Onge added.

"Top swimmers in all of the other Big Nine schools are swimming an average of 25,000 yards per week for 40 weeks of the offseason," St. Onge said. "I believe that other than (Stephanie) McFarland, we have started about a million yards behind everyone else."

With that behind them, the 200-free relay team, which is seeded 18th, will need to drop two spots to make consolation finals and nine spots for championship finals.

On Wednesday, McFarland, Marielle McKean, McKenzie McKean and Angela Noteboom set the top four 50-yard times in practice to establish the relay team for Moses Lake.

St. Onge said it is up to those four to determine how Moses Lake finishes after Saturday.

"We have to have four athletes step up on the blocks and have their best times," St. Onge added. "That is what it takes."