For the third straight year, Renton High School has recorded points at the state championship swim meet, all thanks to one swimmer. That swimmer is Sophie Buchan a junior who for the third straight year qualified on her own and recorded points. The first Renton swimmer to record points since 2018, back when she first placed in 2020.

“As a freshman, I made it to state in the 100 yard backstroke, and I was wild-carded,” Buchan said. “I ended up finishing 16th. Sophomore year, I competed in the 200 and 500 yard freestyle, and I finished 12th.”

To achieve this consistently high level of swimming, Buchan has spent countless hours perfecting her craft.

“I do high school and club swim. Most days I go to my high school training which works on technique and drills, and then I go to club practice which works with a lot of yardage and IMs,” Buchan said.

This schedule and work ethic is truly remarkable as Buchan goes to Renton High School, a school that does not have its own pool and is forced to practice at Hazen High School.

Buchan’s coach, Diane Pavelin, was impressed by the growth that Buchan has exhibited as a result of her hard work the past three years.

“She’s more relaxed. It’s funny because she swims in her age group at club, and I’ve had age group swimmers before. They normally come to the state high school meet, and they’re nervous. But Sophie’s gotten comfortable with this program, and that’s something so see,” Pavelin said.

This calmness, even in the heat of fierce competition, was evident in Buchan’s actions and the trust that Pavelin has in her.

“Even with warming up just now, I asked her: ‘when do you think you want to start warming up?’ I told her that I trusted her, because if she was brand new and nervous, I would be right on her telling her when to warm up,” Pavelin said.

Buchan’s driven work ethic and mentality pushed her to another impressive finish at state, this time placing 15th in the 200 backstroke and 16th in the 200 freestyle. Even with these impressive results, Buchan has goals for next year.

“I just want to get back to training and working and look towards placing even higher next year,” Buchan said.

Additionally, Buchan and Pavelin alike hope that Buchan’s individual growth will go beyond just improving her results – they want to see the Renton High School swimming program take off.

“I hope that we can get more people and increase the excitement around swimming at Renton,” Buchan said.

There is no question that Buchan’s work is a step in the right direction, as Pavelin noted how key awareness is for the Renton girls’ swimming program.

“Our boys’ swim team doesn’t struggle as much from this problem since they’re a winter sport – the boys who play sports like tennis in the fall can get their friends to come swim,” Pavelin said.

As the girls swim in the fall, they don’t have this self-marketing. This is reflected in their low numbers and low awareness around Renton High School.

“Since we don’t practice at Renton, I’ve had teachers that I’ve talked to who didn’t even know that we had a swim team,” Pavelin said. “I hope that Sophie doing well can help.”

With one more year left in her high school career, the effects of Buchan’s work will soon be seen.

Buchan swimming in the 200-free race inside the Weyerhaeuser Aquatic Center in Federal Way. Ben Ray / The Reporter