South Whidbey junior Jack Hempel wins 50- and 100-yard freestyle titles

South Whidbey High School junior Jack Hempel captured two individual state championships, winning the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle at the WIAA 1A/2A boys swimming meet held Feb. 20-21, 2026 at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.

The state meet brought 1A and 2A competitors to the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, where Hempel took the sprint crown in the 50-yard freestyle and followed with the 100-yard freestyle title over the two-day competition on Feb. 20 and Feb. 21, 2026. Those two victories marked Hempel’s contributions as an individual champion for South Whidbey at the state level.

Hempel’s double title is recorded for South Whidbey High School in Island County; he did so while listed as a junior on the school roster. The WIAA 1A/2A boys swimming meet in Federal Way served as the state championship platform where Hempel claimed both the sprint and the longer sprint events for individual honors.

The championships returned to the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way for the Feb. 20-21, 2026 schedule, and Hempel’s wins in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle will be logged in the meet results as two individual state titles for a South Whidbey swimmer. As a junior, Hempel will bring those state championships back to South Whidbey High School when the team reconvenes after the state meet.

Hempel’s performance at the WIAA 1A/2A meet on Feb. 20-21, 2026 stands as a notable individual achievement for South Whidbey High School at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way and will figure into the program’s record of state-level success.