Spartans swim to 6 titles to win District 3A crown

By Nicholas Zeller-Singh Kitsap News Group • February 7, 2023 1:30 am
Jason Geddes of Bainbridge competes at state last year. File Photo
Jason Geddes of Bainbridge competes at state last year. File Photo

The Bainbridge boys swim team easily won the West Central District 3A meet at Mount Tahoma High School Feb. 4.

The Spartans scored 371 points; Gig Harbor finished second with 244. Central Kitsap was seventh with 63 points. The teams will return to the pool at state at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way Feb. 16-18.

Jason Nordgren and Curtis Stewart both stood out for Bainbridge, each winning two events. Thomas Witty also won an event, and all three combined with Carter Cox to win the 200-yard medley relay in 1 minute, 37.47 seconds.

Central Kitsap’s Colton Nuss, Jeffrey Scholfield, Declan Spannuth and Kai Boyden finished eighth in the event as the Cougars finished seventh as a team with 63 points.

The Spartans had three qualifiers in the 200 freestyle: Aidan Cole finished third, Stewart fifth and Finn Wenker sixth.

Cox, Sota Inoue and Robbie Nakhuda captured third through fifth in the 200-individual medley for CK.

CK and Bainbridge captured many final spots in the 50 free. Nordgren won with 21.56 seconds, Mathias Bang-Knudsen was third, Jason Geddes fourth and Cash Brooks seventh. Cougar Kainoa Bonsell finished eighth.

Stewart captured his second first-place finish in the 100 butterfly with a time of 53.34 seconds, while Witty finished fourth and Eddie Nakhuda sixth.

Nordgren captured another gold medal in the 100 free, and Bonsell found himself in the finals too, finishing eighth out of 18.

Inoue showed some endurance in the 500 free by finishing third in 5 minutes. 1.9 seconds, while teammates RJ Rossart and Zach Shields finished in the top 10.

The best event for both teams was the 200-free relay. Stewart, Finker, Nakhuda and Bang-Knudsen finished first in a time of 1:29.69, while Cougars Boydon, Nuss, Scholfield and Bonsell finished fourth in 1:36.51.

Cox and Elias Dean shined in the 100 backstroke, finishing second and third with times of 53.82 and 54.59.

The Spartans swept the podium in the 100 breaststroke. Witty finished first in 59.67, Geddes finished second in 59.95, Bang-Knudsen third in 1:01.89 and Nakhuda fifth in 1:05.52.

The final event was the only one in which Bainbridge did not place. But the Cougars placed fourth in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:36.18.