Boys swimming: Needoba sets school mark in 200 at state meet

Sequim’s boys swim team’s 2019-2020 season ended at the first day of the 2A state swim meet last week in Federal Way — but only by hundredths of a second.

SHS junior Kaleb Needoba came within 0.02 of a second to qualify for the B final in the 200 freestyle, but his Feb. 21 mark of 1:54.89 — more than two seconds better than his seed time — was good enough to top the Sequim High School record he set earlier this season.

Needoba placed 17th in the 200 free, and added an 18th place finish — a little more than a second off qualifying for the B finals — in the 100 butterfly with a 57.60 mark.

The Wolves had relays competing at the state meet and similarly missed out on the Saturday finals. Needoba joined Jesse Bobst, Zen Graham and Myles Tadlock to place 18th in the 200 free relay with a 1:40.72, less than a second off a B final qualifying effort.

The quartet placed 22nd overall in the 400 free relay in 3:48.33.

Sammamish won the boys’ 2A team title, with Anacortes second and Liberty in third.