Tight in the pool — a close-knit duo on dry land.

Friends with eyes barely open at 5 a.m. — best buddies smiling and laughing when school lets out at 1:40 p.m.

That’s what Tiffany Dang and Emily Anthony are all about as they lead the Bothell High swim team through the 4A Kingco season and on to districts and state. Dang, a junior, has already qualified for state in the 100-yard backstroke and is close in the 50-yard freestyle; Anthony, a sophomore, is shooting for state marks in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke.

Last year, the girls were part of the 10th-place 200-yard freestyle relay at state.

“I was just a freshman last year, so it was kind of a cool experience going (to state),” Anthony said. “I was pretty nervous because I had never been to state before: It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, where am I? Look at all these big people … I feel so young.’ It was weird.

“It gave me a little bit more motivation to push me toward going faster, ‘cause Tiffany is a very speedy swimmer,” she added.

Dang, who owns the Bothell 100 back record in 1 minute, 1.47 seconds, placed ninth and 11th, respectively, in the 50 free and 100 back at state last year.

She noted that by swimming at state the last two years, she’s gained insight into the competition and knows what others’ strengths and weaknesses are. It’s a head start to this year’s success, and the Cougar is also on top of her game because as a junior, college coaches could start looking her way to include her in their squads down the road.

“I’m really comfortable in the water — I just try to do my best and hopefully help out Bothell,” she said. “Technique always comes first for me and then speed comes after. I know what I do best and I know what I need to work on, so especially during those morning practices, I know: ‘So I need to work on kicking for backstroke especially in the last 25 (yards).’”

Dang and Anthony’s friendship blossomed when they attended Maywood Hills Elementary together and shared a fifth- and sixth-grade split class. “She was my favorite fifth-grader,” said Dang, who’s been familiar with the Anthony family since she and Emily’s brother, Nick, attended preschool together.

While the early morning practices at Juanita High may be brutal, the friends encourage each other and the rest of the Cougar squad to swim strong and have a positive attitude from start to finish.

“When the mornings get tough, we usually sing a song to try to help people out,” said Dang, noting that Christmas carols work especially well, even in September. “You have to commit to it, and that’s what I think about every time I wake up. I know I don’t wanna wake up at 4:30, especially when you’ve had homework the night before, but you just have to think, ‘I’m going for state’ — that kind of just pushes you forward.”

“I really wanna improve in this event and that event, and I kind of feel I need to (get up early). We’re a pretty small group — anything that helps,” Anthony said of the singing, with a smile that shows off her Bothell blue and University of Washington Husky purple braces.

As if morning practices and meets aren’t enough, both girls also swim for WAVE Aquatics, one of the area’s premier club teams. Dang has been with WAVE for 10 years, while Anthony joined up just one year ago. So, there’s workouts in both the mornings and evenings on most days, but the girls don’t seem to mind at all. As long as they get some swimming in, finish their homework and hopefully fall asleep sometime between 9-10:30 p.m., they’re happy.

“I’m used to the feeling of so many twice-a-days — It doesn’t seem weird anymore. People say, ‘You have two-a-day practices. Wow, that’s a lot of work, even for swimming.’ I guess it is,” Anthony said. “At this point, it’s like, ‘Oh, swim practice, after school, I guess I gotta go to swim practice again — OK, whatever.’”

And just about now, Dang and Anthony are probably in the pool somewhere, doing their thing and singing a song.