Eatonville girls swim team triumphs over Steilacoom

The Eatonville High School girls swim team delivered a powerful performance on Senior Night, defeating Steilacoom 91-62 in a meet packed with excitement and emotional moments. The victory was the perfect sendoff for Eatonville’s four seniors — Shyla Brown, Kaylee Bernt, Bella Wolters, and Gracie Forsman — who were honored during the meet.

The Cruisers dominated from the start, consistently finishing 1-2 in several key events. Senior captain Kaylee Bernt led the charge in the 200-yard freestyle, taking first place with a lifetime-best time, while sophomore Jaliah Vinson followed closely to secure second place with her own personal-best, improving by over 10 seconds.

The 200-yard individual medley saw junior captain Annika Howard claim first place with a strong swim, while sophomore Lily Hays took second, contributing to Eatonville’s impressive streak of top finishes.

Howard continued her success in the 100-yard butterfly, where she easily secured first place. Freshman Jane Morrish swam a tight race, narrowly missing out on first but finishing in a strong second place to complete another 1-2 finish for Eatonville.

The most thrilling race of the meet came in the 500-yard freestyle, where Bernt faced off in a rematch against a Steilacoom swimmer who had bested her earlier in the season. In an extremely close race, Bernt came out on top, edging her opponent in the final stretch. Both swimmers achieved lifetime-best times in the race.

In the 100-yard breaststroke, senior captain Gracie Forsman and freshman Jane Morrish dominated the field, taking first and second place, respectively. This 1-2 finish further solidified Eatonville’s lead in the meet.

Eatonville capped off the night with a sweep in the 400-yard freestyle relay, securing the top two spots and sealing their victory over Steilacoom.

With the win, Eatonville continues to build momentum as they head into their final regular-season meet against Foss High School on Oct. 22.