The Tomahawk swim team took second out of 27 teams when the girls traveled to Federal Way for the Kamiak Invite at the King County Aquatic Center.

“Our goal going in was to be top five this year,” said M-P coach Jaci Legore Hodgins. “This is the highest we have ever placed at this meet.”

Only Mercer Island outscored the Tomahawks.

Depth helped the Tomahawks rise to the top. At least one girl earned points for M-P in every event, with sophomore Jewel LeValley swimming a winning time of 5:27.02 in the 500 freestyle.

She added a personal best 2:03.44 time in the 200 freestyle to finish fourth in that event.

Relays were also critical to the Tomahawks’ success. The team started strong with a sixth-place finish in the 200 medley relay of Melody Travis, Kami Girard, LeValley and Kendall Vincelette. Although the foursome finished about a second short of a state-qualifying time, Vincelette swam a 55.57 seed time and 55.73 for fifth place in the 100 freestyle, both state-qualifying times in the event.

In addition, the 400 freestyle relay of Girard, Megan Shoemaker, LeValley and Vincelette swam another state time to finish in second place, contributing 54 points to the team score. They accomplished the feat for the first time this season earlier in the week against Oak Harbor.

Girard, a senior, also earned the team 21 points as an individual, swimming to a sixth-place finish in the 100 backstroke, one of her state events last year.

M-P might have gotten its biggest point boost of all from diving, however, where all three varsity divers earned points for the team. Out of 29 divers, senior Liz Kuljis took fourth place, junior Sarah Clark sixth and sophomore Marysa Eastman ninth.

“We were the only team there with three divers who all scored points for their team,” Legore Hodgins said. “Our divers, once again, were our secret weapons.”

Perhaps the best illustration of the competition came in the 50 freestyle. In an event that saw 138 girls compete, two Tomahawks earned the team points and a third finished in the 80 percentile. Vincelette finished highest for Marysville with an eighth-place finish while Shoemaker took 20th and Emily Reinig 28th.

The showing at Federal Way capped a week in which M-P remained undefeated, beating Cascade 121-62 and Oak Harbor 106-80.