Zach Alleva, a Redmond resident who swims for Kirkland-based WAVE Aquatics, shined in the pool last weekend at the Pacific Northwest Swimming (PNS) Long Course Championships at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.

Alleva placed sixth in the 100-meter breaststroke (1 minute, 7.66 seconds) to earn a spot at next week’s national competition. He also placed sixth in the 200 breaststroke (2:30.24), but barely missed the qualifying cut for nationals.

Alleva, who swims for Eastlake High School, placed seventh in the state in 4A last February in the 100 breaststroke and also plays varsity soccer for The Bear Creek School, where he will be entering his junior year.

Heather Harper, a home-schooled senior who swims for Redmond High School and PRO Club in Bellevue, also qualified for nationals, clocking a time of 1:13.91 and winning the PNS Women’s 100 breaststroke last weekend. Harper swam on Thursday after the Reporter’s deadline for a chance to qualify in the 200 breaststroke, where she is currently one second off the national qualifying time.

After being crowned 4A state champion in 2008, Harper placed a heartbreaking second in the 100 breaststroke last year at the 4A state championships, missing out on back-to-back gold medals by .02 of a second to Maria Volodkevich of Skyline.

Both Alleva and Harper will head down to Irvine, Calif. Aug. 9-13 for the 2010 Speedo Junior National Championships at the William Woollett Aquatics Center.