Ironman Alger leads Decatur past Federal Way

By CASEY OLSON

The Mirror

The Decatur swim team didn’t accomplish its ultimate goal — winning the South Puget Sound League South Division. But the Gators seem primed to make another run in the postseason.

The defending Class 4A state champions finished up their SPSL South regular season schedule Tuesday with a 115-71 victory over the Federal Way Eagles inside the King County Aquatic Center. The win gave Decatur second place in the South with a 6-1 record. Their only loss came to unbeaten and league-champion Curtis Dec. 13.

The most dramatic swims of Tuesday’s meet came from Decatur’s Seamus Alger. The senior needed three state-qualifying times against Federal Way to earn the coveted “Ironman” tag for the second year in a row. “Ironman” means that a swimmer rolls out a state-qualifying time in each of the eight individual events.

Tuesday it came down to the last event for Alger. He had already posted state times in the 50-yard freestyle (22.71) and 100 butterfly (55.64) before swimming the leadoff leg of the 400 freestyle relay.

Alger needed to post a time under 50.20 to automatically qualify in the 100 free, which he did by touching in 49.07.

Decatur also got a pair of individual victories from junior Stephen Sullivan in the 200 free (1:55.68) and 100 free (50.33). Federal Way’s lone victory during the meet came from Eric Ball in the 500 free (5:47.28).

The swimming postseason kicks off Friday and Saturday at the West Central District Meet at Rogers High School in Puyallup. The Class 4A State Championships will run Feb. 17-18 at the King County Aquatic Center.

Sports editor Casey Olson: 925-5565, sports@fedwaymirror.com

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