This has been a season of change for the Kentlake girl’s swim team yet it has consistently been successful this season.

For starters, star swimmer Chelsea Bailey was forced to sit out her senior season due to an injury.

Yet the Falcons were able to finish second at the South Puget Sound League meet and came away from the West Central District meet in second place, finishing behind Mount Rainier both times.

“It’s cool that we could still do that without Chelsea,” said junior Taylor Bouffard. “It’s really exciting.”

What Kentlake did was qualify five individuals, including Bouffard in the 50 yard freestyle, as well as all three relay teams for the State Championship Meet this Friday and Saturday at the King County Aquatics Center in Federal Way.

Add to that a new coach, Kati Stanford, as well as sophomore sensation Emily Tanasse coming back from surgery in December 2009 to correct scoliosis as well as Bouffard and junior Annie Benoit battling back injuries, yet Kentlake finds a way to keep swimming fast.

“They’re prepared to do well,” Stanford said. “They have the mindset to do well.”

None of the girls swimming at state for Kentlake are seniors. They hope to do well this year with the idea this is the prequel of what they can accomplish with another year under their belts.

But, that’s a year away, right now the team is focused on the state meet.

“I think we’re going to do good,” Bouffard said. “We’re going to be racking up a lot of points. We’re going to have a really successful year at state.”

Kyndal Phillips, a freshman, is excited for her first experience at state with her high school team.

“It will be a fun experience,” Phillips said. “I’m happy our medley relay was wild carded in because it brought a couple more people in.”

Phillips, who will swim the 200 IM, the 100 fly and will be on the 200 free relay, explained that the team’s biggest strength is its spirit.

Abby Swanson, a junior who will swim on the two freestyle relay teams, said Kentlake is a force to be reckoned with this year.

“I feel really good (about state) because we’ve got more depth,” Swanson said. “We’ve got more individuals this year. With more individuals, we’re hoping to get in the top five. We’re a strong team. We’ll fight for what we want. We won’t give up.”

State this year is particularly meaningful for Sarah Doughterty, a junior who will swim in the 100 backstroke, the 100 free as well as on the 200 medley and 400 free relays.

“Last year I swam two relays,” Dougherty said. “This year I’m swimming two individuals for the first time. I’m pretty excited.”

Being close as a team was something both Bouffard and Dougherty pointed to as a key to the team’s success.

“Our pride has made a difference on our team this year,” Dougherty said. “We’re closer as a team this year.”

And even though these girls swim fast, Dougherty noted that they will all have to swim their fastest in preliminaries.

“We just have to push ourselves and swim hard,” Dougherty said.

State will be familiar yet different for Annie Benoit, who will swim the 500 free as well as the 400 and 200 free relays, because the junior swam at state the previous two years for Kennedy Catholic, a 3A school.

Interestingly enough, Benoit knew the Mount Rainier program all too well as Kennedy used to be in the same league until Mount Rainier moved in the SPSL North this year.

“I’m nervous because I came from a 3A school and there’s not as much depth,” Benoit said. “You don’t want to goof off in the prelims even if you think you’re fast enough. There’s always a chance to make finals. And if we stay close to (Mount Rainier) that would be impressive.”

Sophomores Danielle Brooks and Nichole Reitze are relay alternates but they’re looking forward to the opportunity to stand on the pool deck and cheer on their teammates.

“I’m just excited to make it to state at all, even if it is as an alternate, because I get to be on the deck because otherwise you have to be in the stands and it’s just not as personal,” Brooks said. “I think it’s just going to make me want to make my own event (next year) or be part of a relay more.”

Reitze is excited because she thinks Kentlake has a great deal of potential.

“We did really well at districts so we got a lot of girls to swim at state,” Reitze said. “It’s a huge thing (to be an alternate) because I haven’t been swimming that long. I barely made leagues last year.”

Sophomore Mekena Eha will be swimming the 100 breaststroke and on the 200 medley relay and thinks the Falcons relays are the team’s biggest strength and they’ll do well at state “because we did well at districts and because we got sixth at state last year.”

Meanwhile, Tanasse seems to have stepped into Bailey’s shoes, leading the team into state with some seriously fast times.

It’s almost hard to believe given that less than a year ago she had two titanium rods put in her back to straighten her spine and correct scoliosis, which she was diagnosed with as a fifth grader during a routine screening.

Tanasse said she wasn’t surprised at the diagnosis because her mom and older brother also both have it but less severe cases.

“I had to wear a back brace through middle school and it didn’t work,” Tanasse said. “It was never really painful.”

But, it needed to be fixed.

“My doctor had done this with a lot of other athletes, so, he was confident and reassuring,” Tanasse said. “That was my main concern (getting back in the pool) because my whole life is swimming.”

She was back in the pool in February, though Tanasse said she eased herself in, and over time had to change much of her swimming technique because her muscles were in different places.

Still, she healed faster than many expected, and Tanasse added she has adapted for the most part though it still feels different when she swims.

What she is most excited about, though, heading into state is the fact Kentlake has five swimmers in individual events, which Tanasse said is the most the Falcons have sent in years.

“I’m really excited because I think having more girls will make it more fun this year and having more of a team atmosphere will make it good,” she said. “I definitely appreciate it more since I couldn’t swim for a while. I’m just happy to be able to swim high school because I knew we were going to have a good team.”