Several members of Vashon’s Seals Swim Team took part in the 25th annual Emerald City Open Water Swim on Lake Washington on Aug. 15.

The Seals swept the girls’ 10 to 12 age group in the half-mile straight-course, open water swim.

Anna Lueck, Hannah Cunningham, Anna Ripley and Tashia Peterson finished in first through fourth place with only a spread of 23 seconds separating the four. Lueck led the pack to finish first with a time of 15 minutes, five seconds.

Tazi Flory easily outdistanced her closest competitor in the girls 13 to 15 age group by one full minute and finished first with a time of 11 minutes, 23 seconds.

In the same age group, Lauren Houston finished third in 13 minutes, 14 seconds, despite missing a ferry and arriving three minutes before the race started. Zoe Sackman took fifth in 13 minutes, 45 seconds, in the same category.

Kate Thomson swam her last event with the Seals in style before leaving for college. She easily took first in the 16 to 19 division in 12 minutes, 49 seconds, nearly two minutes ahead of her nearest competitor.

In the 13 to 15 boys division, Will Macdonald placed third with a time of 13 minutes, 10 seconds, a little over one minute behind the first-place competitor. Charlie Penwick swam his first open water event and placed fifth in the 13 to 15 division with a time of 15 minutes, seven seconds.

Head Coach Lisa MacLeod swam in the masters division and took second place. Seals masters swimmers Lynne Cadigan, who took third, and Kelli Nichols, who placed 11th, competed in their first open water race. Club president Travis Shaw took 10th place in the one-mile race.

There is growing interest in open water swimming across the county. Several Seals, now under the age for open water competition, are excited about getting their first opportunity to swim open water next year.

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