Three individuals and a relay team from Oak Harbor High School qualified for the state swim meet based on their performances at last Saturday’s district meet at Kamiak High School.

As a team the Wildcats placed fourth out of 12 schools with 288 points. Host Kamiak, the defending state champion, captured the team title with 612 points.

The district meet, which features the Western Conference North and South schools, is considered the most competitive in the state. Not only did it produce last year’s state team champion in Kamiak, but racers from Wesco went on to win nine of the 12 state events in 2009.

In the latest published report of the top three times in the 11 swim events among all 4A schools in the state, Western Conference individuals held 17 of those 33 times.

The top three placers in each event at district automatically qualified for the state meet; others earned spots by surpassing state qualifying times. The talent of the district was evident as numerous individuals met the stringent state qualifying times, including an incredible eight in the 100-yard breaststroke and seven in the 200 individual medley and the 50 free.

Since no Oak Harbor swimmer placed higher than fourth, all of those who earned a trip to state did so by meeting the tough state standards. The top 12 in each event earned team points, and Oak Harbor scored in every swim event.

Yale Rosen beat the state qualifying mark in two individual events and with the 200-yard medley relay. He was seventh in both the 50 free (23.28) and the 100 breaststroke (1:03.04) and finished six with Jacob Jepsen, Brandon Vagt and Matt Bolte in the relay (1:42.74).

Price Hu met state qualifying times while placing fourth in the 100-yard butterfly (54.41) and seventh in the 200 individual medley (2:04.17).

Jepsen was right behind Hu in the 200 IM (2:05.79) and also met the state qualifying mark.

Those who scored team points but did not qualify for state included Josh Jepsen, who was fourth in two events (500 free, 5:09.98; 100 backstroke, 57.76) and swam on two scoring relay teams. He joined Bolte, Ben Cardinal and Hu to finish sixth in the 200 free relay (1:34.76) and Devin Schell, Hu, and Jacob Jepsen to get seventh in the 400 free relay (3:30.4).

Vagt grabbed fifth in the 100 breaststroke (56.06), and Schell was ninth in the 200 free (1:58.72).

Bolte added two 10th places in the 50 free (23.81) and the 100 free (52.11).

The state meet is at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 19 and 20.