Bokowy claims third and fourth state titles; Bulldog girls third at state

SANDPOINT — There was good news, and weird but welcome news as the Sandpoint swim team trekked south for the Idaho State Swim Championships in Boise last weekend, where the girls team finished third and the boys team finished 10th.

First the good news: Payton Bokowy remained undefeated as a high school swimmer, defending her state titles in both the 50 and 100 freestyle events. Competing against all classifications, Bokowy left the competition in the dust, confirming her unofficial title as the fastest swimmer in the state.

For perspective, it’s the equivalent of winning the 100 and 200 state titles in track, except swimming doesn’t break the fields into classifications, so Bokowy is beating 5As and 1As alike.

It goes without saying that Bokowy owns the SHS school records, and she flirted with a state record in the 50 finals, clocking 24 seconds flat, just half a second off the record.

“She turned a lot of coach’s heads. They came up to me and said ‘wow, you’ve got quite a sprinter,’” said longtime Bulldogs head coach Mike Brosnahan, lauding Bokowy’s perfect stroke mechanics. “She gets herself squared away and swims, gets out in front and hangs on. Beautiful swims.”

Now for the weird but welcome news: Turns out last year’s runner up Bulldog girls team actually won the program’s first-ever state title. A top Wood River swimmer was deemed ineligible, and the state retroactively removed her places and scores from last year’s standings, which then moved Sandpoint into first place.

Last year, just six Bulldog girls went to state, but a bevy of high places ended up yielding a banner, albeit a year later, for Bokowy, Emily Deitz, Kate Matlosz, Madi Contor, Catherine Brenner and Emily Hieronymus.

Brosnahan is hoping to get all six girls to sign the banner, which was awarded after state coaches voted unanimously to award Sandpoint the title. It was sort of anticlimactic, and tough to really celebrate, as Deitz now swims for Coeur d’Alene and Madi Contor is in college.

“It’s a weird deal. I eliminated myself from the vote,” said Brosnahan, noting Bokowy beat the Wood River girl in question again this year. “She’s a wonderful young lady, and they just made a mistake. But rules are rules, and this is our just desserts.”

Bokowy teamed with Matlosz, Hieronymus and Sierra Speakman to finish seventh in the 200 medley relay, and Bokowy, Matlosz, Hieronymus and Ellie McCray teamed up to finish eighth in the 200 free relay, scoring big points.

Only the top 16 places score points at state, and with massive fields of swimmers, it’s no easy task. Speakman was 16th in the 100 fly, the only other girl to score individual points.

Other finishes included Brenner (25th in the 500 free, 27th in 200 free), Hieronymus (36th in both 50 and 100 free), Hanna Kozlowski (23rd in 100 fly), Matlosz (17th in 100 breast), McCray (46th in 50 free) and Speakman (17th in 500 free).

Junior Seth Bamer was 15th in the 200 free to lead the boys team, which finished 10th despite taking only four swimmers. The 400 free relay team of Bamer, brother Garrett Bamer, Miles Luce and Ben Reich made the consolation finals, nearly winning the event after dropping a whopping nine seconds from the prelims.

“The boys were strong and dropped time in close races,” described Brosnahan, as the four will return to lead a boys team that figures to get a lot bigger and faster in the coming years. “It was fun.”

Other finishes included freshman Garrett Bamer (24th in 100 back, 36th in 50 free), Seth Bamer (18th 100 fly), Luce (21st 200 IM, 33rd 100 free) and Reich (23rd 500 free, 36th 100 breast).