GHHS Boys Swim and Dive has a long history of talent and prestige. Backing up a legacy, our own Aiden Hammer (11) broke not one, but several school and state records to date at the State Champion meet! The Boys Swim and Dive season, which began in mid-November, wrapped up on Saturday, February 2. Last week the Tides placed 6th overall in the 3A classification at State with an impressive 155 points. Each swimmer had unique moments of power, but the topic of conversation is the “Swimmer of the Meet” awardee, Aiden Hammer. Of the many highlights from State, Hammer established a new state 3A classification and school record with his 200 Free. Hammer made the distance at 1:35.85, making him the first ever WA high schooler to sub 1:36.00 at State. Another victory occurred in the 200 alongside Hammer, with Travis Scott (11) marking the best time he’s achieved yet as he reached the pool’s end at 1:44.76, gaining him 7th place.
Next up, the boys took their places for the 500 freestyle. The pressure was on with Hammer up next, swimming alongside Ingraham’s Kjell Cady, the champion of the 500 from the previous year. The boys fought neck and neck for the first 450 yards, and to the thrill of GHHS, Hammer pushed ahead and finished the last 50 in 22.78, leaving the crowd in ballistics. GHHS Swim and Dive coach Mike Kelly described the speed as likely to be the fastest last 50 for decades to come. This victory rocketed Hammer in the ranks, with his sharp touch down at 4:26.37 qualifying him for a stunning #1. Aiden Hammer, Jace Garre (11), Michael Yevstifieiev (10), and Travis Scott (11) participated in the 200 Freestyle Relay, and their combined efforts earned them a marvelous success with a season-best time of 1:28.61, qualifying the tides at 5th. To put it into perspective, 2nd place through 6th were separated by a mere .72 seconds.
Hammer proved he wasn’t quite done breaking records yet as the Tides dream team—Hammer, Garre, Yevstifieiev, and Scott—wrapped up the preliminaries with the 400 Freestyle Relay, where Hammer met the wall at 45.35, officially breaking the previous record set by Grant Hudson’s Freestyle Relay from last year’s State. The boys relay time concluded at 3:13.17, qualifying Tides for 4th. Although he narrowly missed breaking his own record in the 200 Freestyle by a close 10 seconds, Hammer chased it by scoring a win that would set a future standard for State swimmers of Washington. A somewhat sanctified event, the crowds had been awaiting the 500 Freestyle with the earlier events of the season in mind. Previously, Hammer had set a state record of 4:20.14 at the Swimvotational in January, and naturally, you can imagine that the audience’s full attention was devoted to the race as he took to the water in hopes of setting a new 3A classification record. The 3A record has been untouched since 2000, when it was established by O’Dea’s Ross Buffington with a time of 4:25.81. Ever a fierce competition, Cady was close on Hammer’s tail through the whole race, setting the audience at the edge of their seats. Hammer touched down at 4:19.95. That was it for the audience, and they were set off in a cacophony of adrenaline-fueled cheering at the sight of Hammer’s victory. A new state 3A classification and a Tides Swim and Dive record! This momentous occasion marked the first time in state meet history where a student athlete broke 4:20.00, and it was broken by our very own Tide! Suffice to say, Hammer and the Boys Swim and Dive community had an unreal day of successes. “Hammer’s 500 freestyle time was an NISCA All-American Automatic qualifying time,” wrote Coach Kelly in a FinalForms overview. A standard set by the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association, his time earned him an “All-American status” for the 2025 State meet, a title that considers him as a top swimmer in his event in the country.
By this time the evening was coming to a close, and before the last swim of the meet, the WIACA “athlete of the meet” award was presented. An athlete qualifies by having earned the most points based on their final performance times. Surprise to none, but victory to all, Aiden Hammer was presented with this prestigious award, to the endless enthusiasm of his team and supporters. Truly a win for the whole GHHS community.
On to the final race, in the height of the evening’s glory, the 400 Freestyle Finals Relay began, swum by Scott, Garre, Yevstifieiev, and Hammer, with Scott at 48.54, Garre at 48.62, Yevstifieiev with 50.43, and Hammer closing the meet with 44.45. “I was incredibly proud of our 4×100 freestyle relay as my teammates and I eclipsed the school record by a couple tenths of a second. We as a team have been striving to break that record all year, and so we were very ecstatic to clinch that at state,” said Hammer. The previous record, 3:12.32, was obliterated by our Tideas this evening at their amazing 3:12.04! With the Tides 155 points overall, they finished 6th at the State Meet, marking the event as one never to be forgotten in GHHS history.
The Boys Swim and Dive team made GHHS proud this season with the work, care, and dedication they put into their sport and upholding a strong swim community of young, passionate individuals. To call the evening eventful would be an understatement, what with the records shattering left and right and our swimmers representing GHHS with their pride in the sport and in each other, including the State star of the evening. “I did expect to break records as my personal bests were well under all the former state records. It was quite an honor to break Nathan Adrian’s record in the 200 Freestyle as he went on to win several Olympic gold medals; it was an incredible feeling to break that one for the Tides,” said Hammer of the wins that claimed the evening. Hammer’s skills are the product of the vigilant work he’s dedicated to swimming, a passion that he has every intention of continuing with. “I am graduating a year early and will be attending classes at the University of Texas, Austin, this fall. I will train and compete with the collegiate team there for the next four years and will be prepping for the Olympic Trials in 2028. After I graduate with a degree in engineering, I hope to go and chase the professional swim route,” said Hammer. Ambition like that is sure to make waves, and Hammer has proved 10 times over that State was only the beginning of a future paved in the professional world. The 2025 State Championship Swim and Dive meet is an event full of historical successes to be proud of forever. If you can think of a better way to go out, I’d like to hear it.