Sharks fare well at Inland Empire swim meet
<p>Pictured from left to right are Sandpoint swimmers Kate Bokowy, Emily Deitz, Payton Bokowy, Emily Hieronymus, Seth Bamer and Garrett Bamer at a big meet in Wenatchee recently. (Courtesy photo)</p>
SANDPOINT — Demonstrating that they’re among the fastest youth swimmers in the Northwest, Payton Bokowy and Emily Deitz each won events at the 2014 Inland Empire Long Course Championships recently at the Wenatchee City Pool.
Bokowy, 14, dominated the sprints, winning the 50, 100 and 200 free, while showing her versatility with a 6th place finish in the 200 individual medley and a 7th place finish in the 100 fly.
Deitz, 14, won the 100 back, was second by fractions of a second to Bokowy in the 50 free, and was 3rd in the 100 free and fourth in the 200 back.
Six Sandpoint Sharks were competing as the best swimmers from all over the region were on hand to race in an Olympic-sized, 10-lane, 50-meter pool, twice as long as what the Sandpoint swimmers are used to.
“They’re not used to swimming in that, where a lot of these kids train in those pools. You have to qualify for the meet, it’s a big deal,” said Sharks coach Mike Brosnahan, who was sitting next to friend and former Olympic champion and world-record holder Tom Jaeger. “He watched Emily and was just in awe of her backstroke.”
Deitz and Bokowy will step up another notch in competition soon at the Western Zone Championship Meet in Federal Way, Wash., which features swimmers from all over the western United States.
Other Sharks in action included Seth Bamer, 15, who finished 6th in the 200 free and 8th in the 200 fly, Garrett Bamer, 13, who finished 12th in the 50 free and 15th in the 100 fly, Kate Bokowy, 11, who was 12th in the 50 back and 13th in the 50 free and 100 breast, and Emily Hieronymus, 15, who finished 16th in the 100 breast.