On January 19th, the Gig Harbor Tides made a powerful statement at the annual Swimvitational at Olympic Aquatic Center, delivering dominant performances and unforgettable moments while defending their title.
The meet kicked off with a thrilling victory in the 200 medley relay, as Aiden Hammer (11), Davis Horton (9), Jace Garre (11), and Travis Scott (11) powered through to first place with a state-qualifying time of 1:38.47.
Riding the momentum, Hammer immediately dove back in for the 200 free, securing another win with 1:46.87, while Charles Davis (10) swam a lifetime best of 2:05.19, finishing 6th. Horton followed with an impressive drop of seven seconds in the 200 individual medley, winning in 2:11.78, while Luke Jolisbois (12) also set a personal record with 2:23.88.
The 50 free saw an intense battle, with Scott and Garre finishing 2nd and 3rd, clocking 22.73 and 22.98, respectively. Garre barely had time to catch his breath before diving straight into the 100 butterfly, where he set a lifetime best of 55.92, finishing 2nd. Sam Petrie (10) also set a personal record at 1:07.19, placing 8th.
The 100 free turned into a Tides takeover, with Scott and Michael Yevstifeiev (10) dominating for a 1-2 finish (49.54 and 52.00), while Jolisbois secured 8th place with a personal record of 56.76. Scott reflected, “The best part of the meet for me personally was getting a chance to swim in the 50 and 100 freestyle. I feel that the 100 free was my best event as I finished with a new PR of 49.01 that I know I can improve greatly upon that time.”
Then came the moment that shook the pool, the 500 free, where Aiden Hammer made history. The Washington state record of 4:23.06, set by Wes Oliver of Sammamish High School back in 1995, had stood untouched for 30 years. Hammer shattered it with an astonishing 4:20.14, breaking both the state record and the Gig Harbor High School record, while also earning NISCA All-American Automatic status. Hammer later shared, “My favorite part of the meet was looking into the stands and seeing all the boys cheering for me.” In the same event, Charles Davis finished strong, placing 6th with a time of 5:47.65.
The 200 Free Relay team of Yevstifieiev, Petrie, Jolisbois, and Davis, who all gave a strong performance, finished 2nd with a time of 1:42.35.
Right after the relay, Yevstifieiev earned 2nd place in the 100 Backstroke with a new personal best of 58.55.
Horton, competing in the 100 breaststroke, swam a fast race to secure 2nd place with a season-best time of 1:02.21.
The final race of the Swimvitational was the 400 Free Relay. The team of Scott, Yevstifieiev, Garre, and Hammer finished first with a state qualifying time of 3:16.85. The B team—Jolisbois, Davis, Petrie, and Horton—put together a solid effort, finishing 4th with 3:50.40.
The final scores of the meet placed Gig Harbor first with 291 points and Port Angeles in second place with 208 points. Peninsula came in third with 158 points.
The Tides took home the Swimvitational Championship once again, with Aiden Hammer being named Swimmer of the Meet. Additionally, the team qualified two relays for the State Championship meet.
The Puget Sound League meet will be held on January 31st at the Foss High School pool. Make sure to come out and support your Tide swimmers!