The Richland-Hanford Rivalry Continues: Bomber Win at MCC Champs - By Rylee Morris
Saturday morning, the Richland Girls Swim and Dive team braved the cold for the MCC Championship meet. Only three entries per event and one point scoring relay per team were allotted, making the meet extremely limited and not allowing for all varsity athletes to swim. The previous week, Richland had taken the win against Hanford in the last MCC dual meet, causing a three-way tie for league champions between Richland, Hanford, and Walla Walla. Although the MCC Championship meet has no correlation with the winning league team, all three dominating schools hoped to take the win. Randy Willis, the former head coach of more than 20 years, came to speak to the girls at their practice the Thursday before the meet. He urged the girls to continue the tradition of Richland Swim and to believe in themselves and their ability to win as a team. He vocalized, “You must have a wish before you can have a wish come true.” The Richland Girls headed into the weekend motivated to win and race with everything they’ve got.
 |
| Photo: Luke Tasker |
The meet started off strong with fast 200-yard medley relays from Walla Walla, Hanford, and Richland. Knowing the strength of Walla Walla and Hanford’s medley relays, Richland brushed off their third-place finish. The 200-yard freestyle followed, and Richland showed the strength and depth of their freestylers, going second, sixth, and seventh. Momentum was carried into the following races with solid races in the 200-yard individual medley and 50-yard freestyle, with all 6 Richland swimmers scoring points and placing in the top twelve. Diving commenced with top diver Alice Williams for Richland and newcomer Zoey Schwendiman looking to score. Alice Williams and Delany Rush of Kennewick Swim and Dive kept extremely close throughout the six rounds of diving. Ultimately, Delany Rush finished first with 169.55 points, and Alice Williams was close behind at 168.20 points. With the meet now almost halfway through, Hanford was leading the meet, but not without Richland close behind.
 |
| Photo: Luke Tasker |
The back half of the meet is where Richland made their comeback. Maddie Norris of Richland had strong showings in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard breaststroke, two events she dominated throughout the season. She yet again gave outstanding efforts and placed third and fourth in the two events. Richland’s freestylers in the 100-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle kept consistent in their showings, posting major points. Brooke Posada, Avi McGinnis, and Kait Prigge went first, sixth, and eighth, followed immediately by Shyla Asmus, Rylee Morris, and Alaina Meunks, taking first, seventh, and twelfth. The total team scores became increasingly close between Hanford and Richland. Coaches Nicole Weinmann, Natilee Ruiz, and Kirah Monks lined the edge of the pool, along with team manager Dylan Morris and Randy Willis, taking splits of every Richland swimmer and recording finishes. They collectively kept track of finishes and meticulously added up points. “The atmosphere at the swim meet was intense despite the cold weather. The chilly air added an extra challenge, but I used it as a motivator to get me through my races doing the best to my ability,” said freshman Avi McGinnis. Despite an intense atmosphere, swimmer and diver for Hanford Brooke Vincet, provided an alternate perspective, “Swimming with such close competition didn’t really feel like a rivalry at all. I have so many close friends on Richland, and honestly, it feels like we’re all on the same team. The races were fun and motivating because we were all pushing each other to improve.
 |
| Photo: Luke Tasker |
Richland pushed on, having exceptional performances in the 100-yard backstroke, an obvious highlight of the meet. Brooke Posada, Avi McGinnis, and Krystina Matyas came away with 37 total points in the event, having placed first, fourth, and fifth. It was now the make-or-break moment with the two commencing relays: 200-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle. Richland put up fast and competitive relays, knowing they could not let their competitor, Hanford, outtouch them. The 200 yard freestyle relay was first consisting of Brooke Posada, Kait Prigge, Shyla Asmus, and Maddie Norris. It came with a devastating loss for Richland, only two-tenths of a second behind Hanford! This allowed Hanford to gain 32 points, Richland only scoring 26. It all came down to the 400 freestyle relay. swimmers and coaches alike were exhausted coming into the very last event. Like you were experiencing Deja Vu, Hanford, and Richland were pitted against each other as the fastest seed times. Richland’s team of Brooke Posada, Rylee Morris, Maddie Norris, and Shyla Asmus stood behind lane 2 adjacent to Hanford in lane 3 with Esther Mei, Sarah Mathews, Abby Schroder, and Anikka Peterson. The gun went off, and the first legs dove in, Hanford immediately pulled ahead. Richland’s second and third legs worked to make up yards and pulled ahead. Shyla Asmus, the anchoring leg, dove in with Annika Peterson close behind. The two swimmers flipped at the 75-yard mark nearly together. The sidelines and spectators roared. The two opposing teams’ coaching staff stood side by side in an almost hostile environment, apprehensive about which swimmer would touch the wall first. The tension rose as they neared the wall, and it dropped when Richland swimmer Shyla Asmus pulled ahead and touched the wall first. It was a gratifying win and finish to the meet.
Total scores were added, and the Richland Girls had their wish come true. Despite other league members doubting their ability to win and faulting their dual meet win against Hanford to a sick, injured, and weakened team, the Richland Bombers had not only won the league but added the cherry on top with the MCC Championship win. Through unwavering determination, the Richland Girls defied odds and skepticism with their drive to win. They knew coming into the meet was exactly what they needed to do: get their hand on the wall. At the end of the day, it comes down to who wants it more, and on that frigid Saturday day, the Richland Girls Swim and Dive wanted it the most. With a win at the MCC Championships under their belt, the Richland girls pivot and streamline their focus to winning 4A District Championships—a feat they haven't achieved since 2014.
