FEDERAL WAY — The run continued for Mercer Island on Saturday night.
For the second time in the last two decades, the Islanders boys swim team extended its streak of consecutive state Class 3A boys team swimming and diving championships to at least three years with another dominating performance at King County Aquatic Center. The first time Mercer Island put this kind of run together, it went for six seasons — from 2005-11.
How long this streak will last is anyone’s guess. But on Saturday night, the Islanders raced away from runner-up Lakeside, 285-242.5.
“It’s kind of nice to look up at the board and know you don’t even need this last relay,” Islanders coach Craig Nisgor said. “We just got this great group of guys. Every time we’ve asked, this group has stepped up.”
As it turned out, it’s a good thing the Islanders didn’t need it. Though Mercer Island won the final race of the night easily in 3 minutes 6.68 seconds, it was announced immediately after the race that Lane 5 had been disqualified. Since that was the Islanders, it erased 40 team points.
Nisgor won a title in his first season as Mercer Island’s coach. He took over for Chantelle Johnson this season after spending the last 11 years shepherding Seattle U’s swim programs through the complicated transition to NCAA Division I. He spent two decades coaching at Division I college programs before coming to the Islanders.
“Yeah, it’s been different,” Nisgor said. “I got hired really late. First, it was just learning the rules (in high school).”
The Islanders sent an early message Saturday by posting a time in the first event of the evening, the 200 medley relay, of 1:32.89 to grab the night’s first title after coming into the finals with the second-best prelim time behind Bellevue.
The points just kept accumulating from there.
“We could have won 4A, 2A,” former Lakeside head and now assistant coach Rob Sjoberg said good-naturedly. “Danged Mercer Island every time.”
Sjoberg wasn’t the only one to acknowledge the Islander juggernaut.
“It is kind of demoralizing to look up and see Mercer Island with 200 points,” Bainbridge senior Jason Nordgren said. “But at the same time, I’m doing good. My friends are doing great. We’re having such a good time.”
While the Islanders were busy racking up points with multiple-swimmer finishes across the events, the top of the podium kept its inhabitants to a small club. Of the eight swim events, three guys each won twice.
Nordgren won both sprint freestyles, taking the 50 (20.85) and 100 (45.75). His time in the 50 was the second All-America consideration effort of the weekend. The senior went 20.70 in Friday’s prelims.
O’Dea junior Jack Skarda won the 200 individual medley and 100 breast and was named the Swimmer of the Meet. Then there was Gig Harbor freshman Aiden Hammer.
Hammer held the second and third best prelim times in the 200 and 500 frees. In both cases, he trailed top qualifier Miles Williamson from Mercer Island.
Hammer came from behind to twice beat the Islanders senior. He won both races in All-America consideration or automatic All-America times, 1:39.58 (AAC) in the 200 and 4:28.63 (AAA) in the 500.
In the 500, Hammer stayed just behind Williamson’s hip in second place for the first nearly 400 yards. He stepped up the speed, catching the Mercer Island senior with 75 yards to go and driving past him over the final 50 to become the third double winner.