Oak Harbor swimmer makes a splash and qualifies for state

Oak Harbor swimmer Lola Chargualaf will be competing in two events at the state 3A swim meet.

By NATHAN WHALEN

Special to the News-Times

Oak Harbor swimmer, senior Lola Chargualaf, will be competing in two events at the state 3A swim meet that takes place Nov. 9-11 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.

During the district tournament that finished Nov. 4 at the Snohomish Aquatic Center, Chargualaf placed fourth in both the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard backstroke.

Oak Harbor placed ninth in the district meet comprised of 3A schools from the Northwest and Wesco conferences.

“I’m proud of how hard they worked all year,” coach Amber Craven said of the team.

Teammate Kiersten Tyson placed seventh in the 100 freestyle and eighth in the 100 backstroke, which is short of qualifying for state.

Sophomore Lila Forbes placed 15th in the 100 freestyle and saw a 30-second improvement in her time throughout the meet, Craven said.

Craven noted the performance of Oak Harbor’s relay teams during the district meet.

One team, comprised of Chargualaf, Tyson, Forbes and sophomore Taryn Lucero, placed seventh in the 200-yard freestyle relay and placed ninth in the 200-yard individual medley relay, Craven said.

The 400-yard freestyle relay team placed 14th. The team was comprised of senior Emma Oakes, senior Savannah De La Rosa, junior Indiana Whitley and freshman Tessa Meyer.

In addition to the swimmers’ performances at the District 1 meet, Craven also earned District 1 Coach of the Year honors, Craven said.