Some good news from the pool, and we needed it.
Four Cougar swimmers put up big times against Fresno State, and after watching the women's basketball team pour on 28 in one quarter, then fade in a second-half loss at Oregon, a clean win in the water is something to hold onto. Kamie Ethridge has a plan, she told us what she saw and what's next after that Oregon loss in Kamie Ethridge on Oregon loss: what she saw and what's next for WSU WBB, but the Cougs who swim just went out and did it. No fade, no second-half stumble. Just times worth posting.
Here's what matters: this isn't a fluke. Fresno State is a solid program, and four swimmers stepping up at once means the depth is real. You don't get four individual bests in the same meet by accident. The women's hoops team showed us how fast a hot quarter can cool off; the swimmers showed us how to keep the heat on from start to finish. That's the difference between a flash and a foundation. We're not saying the pool is suddenly the flagship, but when the rest of the winter schedule gets long and the Palouse gets dark, knowing you've got four Cougs who can race is a good feeling.
The concrete takeaway? Watch the mid-distance freestyle group specifically. Those are the events that build meet momentum, and if even two of these four can replicate that speed against Pac-12 leftovers on the schedule, the team starts looking like a real factor at conference. Not a spoiler. A contender. That's the kind of thing you text a friend: "Swimmers looked legit today. Keep an eye on them."