Hanford's Wertz Hopes to Continue Family Swim Tradition at State Meet

The Hanford swimming program has tapped into a talent pipeline in the Wertz family.

First, there was Maggie Wertz, who was fifth at the state championships in the girls 3A/2A 100-yard breaststroke as a senior in 2002. Then, brother Joe set school records with his third-place finishes in the 3A 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke during his senior season in 2009.

Now there's Will Wertz, building his own sturdy legacy at Hanford.
This season, Wertz helped the Falcons go 8-0 in the CBBN 3A/4A and claim the team district title.

"We knew we were going to be a strong force or team coming into league," Wertz said. "The previous year, we were very good, but Richland nabbed us at the very end. We didn't expect to go undefeated."

The Falcons could put an exclamation point on their season at the state championships today and Saturday in Federal Way, where Wertz will lead the charge.

The sophomore is seeded eighth in the 3A 100 freestyle and ninth in the 200 free. He also will compete with the Falcons in the 200 medley and 400 free relays.

"The races he's swimming are tough races for a sophomore," Hanford/Richland coach Kathy Piper said. "A lot of bigger and older kids are usually seeded higher."

Wertz will go up against a 100 free field that includes Eastmont senior Derek Savage, who beat him this year at the district meet. Also, six of the top 10 seeds in the 200 free are upperclassmen.

But the strength of the competition might be less daunting because Wertz has been here before.

Last year was his introduction to the craziness that is state weekend. He competed in the 100 free and 100 back, as well as in the 200 medley and 200 free relays.

"Everyone's going for the top spot, and it's just a different kind of meet (than club swimming)," Wertz said. "Everyone goes all out to make the finals, and there are college scouts there, so you have to set yourself up well for it."
If Wertz's times keep plummeting -- he has shaved more than 12 seconds in the 200 free since the start of the season -- college swimming is a real possibility, though he doesn't know what school he wants to attend.
When it's time to decide, Wertz will have plenty of support from his older siblings.

Joe is swimming for Seattle University at this week's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships near Los Angeles. Maggie, now a schoolteacher in Houston, competed for Division III Denison University in Ohio.

And they have started dispensing words of wisdom to their younger brother.
When Will went to state for the first time, "I definitely threw out some brotherly advice," said Joe Wertz, who competed in the meet all four years.
"For freshmen, you walk out and the atmosphere is just crazy. It's intimidating. When I was a freshman, I was trembling, I was so nervous. (Will) was a little nervous, but with faster meets comes faster times, and he's developed into a more race-ready swimmer."

That blooming confidence has spiced up friendly competitions between the brothers.

When Joe comes home on holiday breaks, he returns to club swimming and hits the water against Will.

"The first time he beat me, it was a pretty bad moment, and everyone was giving me a bad time, but it's definitely good for him to race his older brother," Joe said.

Will Wertz is slightly disappointed his brother will not be in the stands in Federal Way this weekend.

"I definitely get most nervous when my brother's around, but I also like to show him who's boss," he said with a chuckle.

And if he has his way, he will show the rest of the state, too.

HANFORD LOOKS FOR DISTRICT SWIM TITLE REPEAT

Hanford and Richland both won district boys swimming championships last season and will try to do it again this weekend in Ellensburg.

So far, the odds of repeating look pretty strong.

Hanford, which went 8-0 in league, will be one of three CBBN 3A teams competing Friday and Saturday at the Central Washington University Aquatic Center. The Falcons are led by sophomore Will Wertz, seeded first in the 200-yard freestyle and second in the 100 free, which he won last year.

Hanford's Jeevan Philip will aim to defend his 500 free title, while Andrew Peacock is the top seed in the 100 breaststroke. The Falcons are seeded first in all three relays.

Meanwhile, Richland (6-2) will swim in the 4A ranks.

The Bombers return a slew of district champions, including Nick Connors, Ryan Francis, Andrew Blanchard, Taylor Armstrong and Ashton Pollick, but the competition could be tougher.

Though Walla Walla went 3-5 last year in league, the Blue Devils turned their fortunes around this season under first-year coach Katharine Curles. They knocked off Richland in last Saturday's regular-season finale to finish 7-1.
The Blue Devils will be at a disadvantage in the team standings because they lack divers, but Walla Walla has several experienced district swimmers.

Jonathon Klem, Austin Garrett, Max Troin, Josh Bumgarner, Zach Stauden-maier and Patrick Giedeman were top-five placers last year. Also, freshman Russell Skorina landed the No. 1 seed in the 100 breaststroke.

"Walla Walla's got the edge because they've got a little bit more of the 1-2 depth than we do," Richland/Hanford coach Kathy Piper said.

But with a 5-3 league record this season, Moses Lake can't be ruled out, either. Sophomore Kaelan Connacher and freshmen Brenden Eslick and Zack Johnston are seeded in the top three of their individual events.

With that, Piper is reminding her teams that positioning is key from Day One.
"You've got to finish whether you're 14th, 15th, 16th," Piper said. "All the points count."

Number 1 Area Seeds

3A 200-yard medley relay: Hanford 1:46.68
4A 200 medley relay: Richland 1:45.50
3A 200 freestyle: Will Wertz (Han) 1:49.66
4A 200 free: Nick Connors (Rich) 1:48.49
4A 200 individual medley: Jonathon Klem (WW) 2:04.27
4A 50 free: Austin Garrett (WW) 22.79
4A 100 butterfly: Andrew Blanchard (Rich) 54.82
4A 100 free: Austin Garrett (WW) 50.71
3A 500 free: Jeevan Philip (Han) 5:14.27
4A 500 free: Nick Connors (Rich) 5:01.20
3A 200 free relay: Hanford 1:33.64
4A 200 free relay: Richland 1:32.90
4A 100 backstroke: Ashton Pollick (Rich) 57.09
3A 100 breaststroke: Andrew Peacock (Han) 1:05.68
4A 100 breaststroke: Russell Skorina (WW) 1:04.80
3A 400 free relay: Hanford 3:32.20
4A 400 free relay: Richland 3:28.90