Chiefs take third at district swimming

ELLENSBURG - Moses Lake got three second-place finishes on Saturday, but it wasn't enough to overpower Columbia Basin League rivals Richland and Wenatchee at the 4A district swimming and diving championships.

The Chiefs, who were third behind the Bombers and Panthers during the league dual meet season, wound up in exactly the same spot at Central Washington University's pool. Wenatchee upset Richland for the district title, 483-467, with Moses Lake collecting 404 points to finish well ahead of fourth-place Eisenhower (232).

Marshall Goodrich earned an automatic berth to the state championships on Feb. 15-16 with a second-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley. Goodrich hadn't swam the automatic qualifying time before districts, but is headed to Federal Way after a time of 2 minutes, 6.63 seconds on Saturday, second only to Richland's Tyler Pickett (2:04.39).

Eric Butterfield also got one of the top times in the 100-meter freestyle, finishing in 51.22 seconds, just back of Richland's Anthony Tappin (50.20). In the 200 freestyle relay, the Chiefs had already earned a state berth, but the foursome of Goodrich, Butterfield, Nick Kardong and Jeremy Grant finished in 1:32.64, less than a second back of Wenatchee's first-place team.

Goodrich was third in the 500-yard freestyle race at 4:55.45, with Richland's Nathaniel Weinman and Eric Blanchard earning the two automatic berths. Goodrich had already attained the state-qualifying time in an earlier race.

The Chiefs' 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams - both comprised of the above foursome - will be headed to state along with a trio of divers - Chad Borg, Jay Bowser and Bobby Jackson. Goodrich is competing in two individual events and Butterfield in one.