Chiefs take second at first swim meet

WALLA WALLA — The Moses Lake Chiefs swim team swam out to a quick start to their season Saturday when they won the first event of the Eastern Washington Relay meet on their way to a second-place finish.

The Chiefs won the 200-yard medley relay when Marshall Goodrich, Tamas Toth, Sebastian Weber and Reuben Huddleston won the event in 1:46.40, missing the automatic state-qualifying time by 1.1 seconds.

Moses Lake fell into a first-place tie with Richland after two events when Kord Pauley, Evan McFarland and Tamas Toth finished second in the 150-yard breastroke relay.

Moses Lake head coach Tony St. Onge said his team is on the right track this early in the season.

“We had a great team effort with positive results,” he said. “This is the type of team approach that will be needed to have a successful upcoming season.”

The Chiefs earned another first-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay when Weber, Huddelston, Goodrich and Kyle Reeder swam the event in 3:29.60. The Chiefs missed the automatic state-qualifying time in the event by 2.1 seconds. 

The victory in the 400-yard freestyle relay helped the Chiefs distance themselves from Wenatchee High School for second place overall.

With the season only beginning, St. Onge said his team’s performance Saturday was inspiring.

“Swimming close to several state-standard performances this early should motivate the Chiefs to pay the price in the pool the next few months,” he said.

Moses Lake senior Jay Bowser automatically qualified for the state championship meet in Federal Way following his performance at the dive meet Friday in Wenatchee.

The Chiefs return to the pool Tuesday when they host Wenatchee in Moses Lake’s first Columbia Basin Big Nine Conference duel meet of the season.

Diving events are scheduled to begin at 3:45 p.m. and swimming is scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m.