Piper Enge couldn’t have splashed into her high school swimming career on a higher note. First meet: school record in the 100-yard breaststroke and four state-qualifying times.
In the Mercer Island High School (MIHS) sophomore’s first 3A KingCo contest — a 113-73 win over Newport on Sept. 9 — Enge blazed through the 100 breast in 1:04, breaking the former school record of 1:05.6. Two weeks ago, she left her own record in the dust with a mark of 1:03.3.
Enge has run the table on state-qualifying times with all eight individual events plus three relays and was named a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association athlete of the week for week two.
She didn’t hesitate to note that the 100 breast is her favorite event.
“I focused on it so much in the past that it’s so natural to me. It’s just really fun to race because the way you can shoot forward and just get after it,” said Enge, adding that she was driven by the energy and was ready to prove herself right out of the gate in the first meet.
“It was super cool that I broke that. I was not fully expecting to do that so early in the season and I’m really happy that I did. It’s so cool to be able to do that and have that impact on the team,” she said.
After winning that first meet, MIHS never looked back and has won every contest this season.
Head coach Chauntelle Johnson requires that every swimmer attend each practice in order to compete at meets, and Enge feels that builds team camaraderie and pushes everyone to work their hardest.
The Reporter asked Enge a series of questions to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her life:
What’s your dream vacation spot?
I really want to go to Greece someday. It just looks like a really pretty place that’s far away from here, so it would be a whole new experience.
If you could go to dinner with one person, who would that be?
Speaking as an avid swimmer, I would have to say Katie Ledecky, because she’s just the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). She’s been swimming for so long and done so much that I would love to hear about it and understand what it’s like to compete at her level because that’s just so amazing.
What’s your favorite movie of all time?
As of right now, it’s probably “The Blind Side.”
What’s a hidden talent that you have that maybe somebody wouldn’t know about?
Most swimmers aren’t multi-athletic, they stay in the water. I like to run and I’m pretty good at it. My whole family runs a lot.
What super power would you like to have?
I would love to be able to fly. I feel like that would be really cool to be able to see the world from above.
What special skill would you like to learn?
Something that I’ve actually wanted to do for a long time, my parents just won’t let me, is I want to learn how to ride a unicycle.
