Blaine swimmer Hailey Ferrell wins 1A/2A state championship

For the second time in three seasons, Blaine junior swimmer Hailey Ferrell has won a state championship.

Ferrell won the 1A/2A 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:22.59, beating some of the best swimmers in Washington state in a field of 16 1A/2A finalists. The state championship took place at the King Aquatic Center in Federal Way on November 16.

“The most rewarding thing is definitely the outcome, and getting to race,” Ferrell said. “It doesn’t even matter where the meet is, but just being able to race and see your results come up when you look at the clock.”

Ferrell not only won the final, but won by a wide margin, beating the next runner up (Bellingham’s Peyton Acord) by nearly five seconds. According to the Blaine school district, Ferrell’s 5:22.29 time set a personal record for the third-year swimmer.

Ferrell also finished fifth in the 200-yard individual medley race, which featured a 50-yard lap of all four swim strokes, with a time of 2:17.39.

“Her versatility across events underscores her skill and adaptability in the pool,” a Blaine Athletics press release stated after Ferrell’s victory. “Ferrell’s accomplishments are a testament to her hard work, dedication, and the support of her team and community.”

Ferrell now holds Blaine’s two most recent state championships in swim and dive, and showed that despite the Blaine swim team not having its own home pool to practice and host events in (the Blaine swimmers train and compete with Squalicum High School in Bellingham), Blaine is more than punching above its weight in terms of talent.

Not only does Ferrell have to travel south to Bellingham to train, but the 1A/2A combination in the state championships meant that Ferrell competes against schools with enrollments up to 899 students, according to Blaine Athletics. Blaine has an enrollment of roughly 540 high school students, according to district data.

After the events were over, Ferrell’s individual accomplishments were enough to earn Blaine the “team” ranking of 20th out of 40 1A/2A classification teams.

“Congratulations Hailey! You’re an outstanding competitor and a shining example of Borderite pride,” a social media post by the Blaine school district read.

Along with her high school swimming, Ferrell also competes for the Bellingham Bay Swim Team, a club team featuring some of the best swimmers in and around Whatcom County. Ferrell said many of the Northwest Conference competitors at the 1A/2A state meet are club teammates, so while the competition was fierce, it was also filled with camaraderie.

“I was really proud because the girls that came second and third [Acord and Sehome’s Elsa Ethelbah] are some of my closest friends and I was really excited for them to place on the podium,” Ferrell said.

Once off the starting block in the 500-yard freestyle, Ferrell said her pre-race jitters were washed away by the intense competition and raucous excitement from the crowd.

While in the water, Ferrell focused on counting laps and staying apace with the pack. But during Saturday’s 500-yard freestyle, she checked her left and right, only to see all of her opponents far behind her.

“Before, I was the one doing the chasing,” Ferrell said through a chuckle. “But right now I’m doing the running. I just don’t want to be caught.”

Ferrell said that while she has seen the most success with the 500-yard freestyle, she is always looking to get better in every possible aspect of her game.

“I don’t think [500-yard freestyle] is my specialty,” Ferrell said. “I feel like I’m a pretty well-rounded swimmer, but it’s definitely one of the races I enjoy a lot. I enjoy the 50, I like the 100, I like the 200, so I guess I’m versatile.”

Hailey’s extended family made the trip to Federal Way to cheer her on, along with Blaine teammate Eden Shields, athletic director Chas Kok and a group of friends Ferrell referred to as “a wall of girls.”

“It’s really exciting,” Ferrell said of competing in front of so many friends and family. “It’s more like, I don’t want to let them down, so I’m really going to push it.”

Years of three-a-day swim practices – 5 a.m. wakeups for morning practice and then two after school – seem to be paying off. Ferrell has been competing in swim since seven years old, and said she is setting her sights on swimming at the collegiate level – but the junior isn’t settled on a specific school yet.

When looking back on her years of dedication to swim, she specifically wanted to thank her mom, Christine Ferrell, for driving her to early morning and late night practices, meets in the U.S. and Canada, and supporting her every step of the way.

“She would help me with my schedule and she would drive me to every single practice, day and night, up early in the morning and staying up late at night just to get me where I needed to be,” Ferrell said. “She’s a real trooper for that.”