Colorado high school girls swimmers establishing position

Class 5A
Team outlook: The team race in 5A should look similar to most years as Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), Regis Jesuit (Aurora) and Fairview (Boulder) should battle for the team championship. It was the Bruins coming away with last year's title, scoring 430 points to Fairview's 392. Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) could also make its way into the mix after missing out on the team championship for the last three seasons.

200 Medley relay: Legacy (Broomfield) has set the early tone as the team of Abbie Kehmeier, Sabrina Rachjaibun, Sydney Bales and Abigail Zadorozny have the classification's top time of one minute, 48.68 seconds. Teams from Fort Collins and Cherokee Trail (Aurora) are within two seconds of the Lightning and should create a competitive battle through the course of the season.



200 Freestyle: Fossil Ridge's Lucy Bell is looking to cap her senior season with a big win in this event. She currently has a time of 1:56.99, which is just a second behind Legacy's Rachjaibun. Brighton's Mallory O'Keefe is also in the mix as she's within five seconds of the top 5A time.

200 Individual Medley: Fort Collins has a pair of teammates looking to contend in this event as Abbi Crum and Amber Siverts are both in the top three of best times this winter. Crum sits at 2:12.2 and Siverts is 2:12.44, and the internal competition between the two of them should push those times down a few seconds through the course of the winter.

50 Freestyle: Lewis-Palmer (Monument) freshman Abigail Perry is establishing herself as a standout sprinter early in the season. Her 24.3 seconds in the event is the fastest 5A time thus far and is just about a second off last year's state championship time of 23.22. This should be a very competitive event all season as 18 swimmers are all within a second of each other.

100 Butterfly: Cherokee Trail's Skylar Brgochh took ninth in the event last year but currently holds the fastest 5A time in the event this season. Her 56.42 is slightly slower than her time from state last year. Chaparral (Parker) freshman Addison Herl and Brighton junior Emily Aten are both less than three seconds within that time.

100 Freestyle: In what figures to be a wide-open event this year, there are 12 swimmers within three seconds of the time of the state. Cherry Creek's Ella Turken is among them as she sits at 54.28. Turken finished 13th in the event at state and could come in as one of the biggest improvements throughout the entire state meet.

500 Freestyle: There are several returners in the event that should make a push for a championship in February. Cherry Creek junior Haley Ross is one of them, as she notched a top-10 finish last year and has the fourth-best time so far this season at 5:24.16. She still has a few swimmers to contend with and among them is Columbine (Littleton) junior Sophie Porter, who is nearly four seconds faster than Ross so far this season.



200 Freestyle relay: Legacy will be aiming for relay dominance as it also has the top time in the 200 freestyle relay at 1:39.63. Fort Collins, Brighton and Cherry Creek are all within three seconds of that time. The Lightning finished seventh in the event last year, but are putting themselves in a position to come away with gold this season.

100 Backstroke: Grandview (Aurora) freshman Ava Zadigian has set a solid pace in her first varsity season. Her 59.39 is the fastest time in 5A so far, and she is one of just two swimmers to register a sub-one minute time. Columbine's Rachel Ballard is the other with a time of 59.77.

100 Breastsroke: Brighton sophomore Makenna Reiner is one of several swimmer likely to content for this championship. She sits fifth in 5A at 1:08.36, which is less than two seconds behind Cherry Creek's Katie Cohen, who holds the top time in the event at 1:06.5. Behind Cohen are seven swimmers who are within three and a half seconds of that time.

400 Freestyle relay: Cherokee Trail is already five seconds better than the next-best team at 3:38.15. Columbine, Legacy and Cherry Creek are all within 10 seconds of the Cougars. Fossil Ridge and Fairview finished first and second at state, respectively, and could contend in the event despite not having a top time this early in the season.

One-meter diving: Lewis-Palmer's Dahlia Allen has the highest score so far this season (316.95) and she is in a great position to claim a second straight championship in the event. Geneva Pauly of Arvada West notched a top-10 finish last year and has established herself as a top diver with the second-best score at 298.85.
 
Class 4A
Team outlook: Heritage (Littleton) rode an emotional wave to claim last year's championship. Anna Shaw provided a big spark in that run as she took down records previously owned by the legendary Missy Franklin. The Eagles have a lot of talent back this season and hope to find a way to repeat as champions, but will have to get through several tough programs like Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs), Mullen (Denver) and Niwot to hoist a trophy for a second straight season.

200 Medley relay: No Shaw, no problem for Heritage in the 200 medley relay. Faith Leitel, Isabella Cole, Kenzie Myco and Elise Ramsden hold a time of 1:51.52, which is more than five seconds faster than any other team. The two teams right behind them are Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) (1:56.32) and Cheyenne Mountain (1:56.62).



200 Freestyle: The early times indicate this event will be very competitive throughout the season. Loveland's Mackenzie Nedom is the only swimmer to break the two-minute mark so far, but four swimmers, including Gabrielle Feneide of Silver Creek (Longmont) and Lauren McLean of Wheat Ridge are within four seconds of that top time of 1:58.13.

200 Individual Medley: Cheyenne Mountain junior Caroline Bricker is back with the Red-Tailed Hawks after winning the event last year, but she seems focused on other events potentially leaving the door open . Heritage's Sophia Capp has the fastest time in the event at 2:07.08 and her teammate Aislyn Barnett sits at 2:10.15 after finishing third last year.

50 Freestyle: Four of the top five finishers from last year are gone, opening the field for this season. Pine Creek's Madison Mintenko and Longmont's Jordan Bindseil should also be in the championship mix this season, with Bricker.

100 Butterfly: This is an event that Bricker looks to be sticking with this season and should win again given her early results. Her time of 55.81 is the fastest in the classification so far, and the only other swimmer close to that is Heritage's Inge Ehm at 57.81.

100 Freestyle: This is another race which should be wide open considering the number of top seniors who graduated. Among the swimmers that are looking to claim the title is Highlands Ranch's Renee Burton, who has a time of 54.34. Heritage's Chapp has the top time of 53.28.

500 Freestyle: There are a few top finishers back this season and searching for the top distance title at state. Wheat Ridge's McLean finished third last year and has the second-best time in the classification this season at 5:20.40. Mintenko has the best time at 5:07.52, and Heritage's Elizabeth Dimig is No. 3 at 5:23.88. By the time the state meet rolls around, these times should be better and the event should be very competitive.



200 Freestyle: This race should be fun to watch through the course of the season and one of the best events at state considering that several top teams that will be vying for this gold medal. Pine Creek's 1:42.05 is the top time in the class, with Heritage and Cheyenne Mountain all within a few seconds of that mark.

100 Backstroke: Only Claire Timson of Rampart (Colorado Springs) has broken a minute in this race this season. She still needs to shave a few seconds to get closer to her time from her second-place finish at state. There are six swimmers who are within 2.5 seconds of her time this season, which should create an eventful finish to the season.

100 Breaststroke: Broomfield's Ellianne Effland has put herself in early contention with a time of 1:07.8, which is less than two seconds behind Bricker. Heritage's Barnett is the defending champion in the event and has a time of 1:07.54 this season and should have a legitimate shot at defending her title.

400 Freestyle relay: Heritage won the event last winter to solidify their team championship, and it has the best time this season at 3:42.96. That's nearly eight seconds better than Pine Creek and more than 10 seconds better than Broomfield.

One-meter diving: Durango's Alexis Behn is looking to make a name for herself on the diving board. She has the best overall score of any diver this season, and that includes Ashley Van Milligan of Liberty (Colorado Springs), who finished in the top 15 of the event last season.

Class 3A
Team outlook: Evergreen has a tough task ahead as it looks to claim a fourth straight 3A girls championship. This isn't necessarily because of anything the Cougars have lost but rather based on how much some other teams are bringing back. St. Mary's Academy (Englewood) has a large, veteran squad that is looking to make some noise, and there is always going to be threats from other teams such as Aspen, Glenwood Springs and Holy Family (Broomfield). As of this week, St. Mary's Academy holds the top 3A times in four events, making it a team that everyone should be paying attention to this season.



200 Medley Relay: St. Mary's Academy is currently in the top spot of this event with a time of 1:55.42. The team has both senior leadership from Kalie Linden and Charlotte Gaudet and young talent in sophomore Caitlin Crysel and freshman Riley Mills. Holy Family and Salida both have teams that sit under that two-minute mark.

200 Freestyle: Last year's top two finishers have graduated, opening the door for a new champion. Denver North's Tuva Siegel finished third at 1:58.28 but has yet to register a time in the event this season. St. Mary's Academy's Mills is currently the only 3A swimmer under two minutes at 1:58.79 and Liberty Common (Fort Collins) sophomore Elsa Fullerton is within two seconds of that time.

200 Individual Medley: Denver North's Siegel is the early-season favorite in this event. She sits at 2:13.24, which is about seven seconds slower than last year's state championship time, but with the season still very young there are plenty of opportunities for that number to come down. Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) freshman Madison Wagner is among those who will look to contend as she sits at 2:15.06. Holy Family's Cate Chapman and Glenwood Springs' Amelie Ogilby are also about two seconds outside of Siegel's time.

50 Freestyle: Ellie Durkin of D'Evelyn (Denver) started the year with a jaw-dropping time in the 50 freestyle. Her 21.39 is over three seconds better than last year's swim from St. Mary's Academy's Linden time of 24.52 which won her the state championship. In fact, it was faster than any 50 freestyle swim at any state meet from last year. Linden's fastest time this season is nearly five seconds slower thus far. La Junta's Aurora Baiardi also sits in that same range, making her someone aiming to make the podium in February.

100 Butterfly: Defending champion Kayla Tehrani (Aspen) is hovering just over her state championship time from last year with a 1:00.07 this winter. She will have to fend off tough competition from Denver North's Siegel and St. Mary's Academy's Mills, who has the top time in the classification at 59.32.

100 Freestyle: Siegel again looks like a strong contender in this race as she leads all 3A swimmers with a top time of 53.88. Glenwood Springs senior Amy Madsen and La Junta's Baiardi also figure to compete for first place in this event.



500 Freestyle: Glenwood Springs' Ogilby was less than a second behind last year's championship time and is the top returning swimmer from that position. Her top time, so far, this year is 5:22.89 which is just three seconds behind Liberty Common's Fullerton. They're the only two swimmers that have completed the race at under 5:30.

200 Freestyle Relay: St. Mary's Academy, Discovery Canyon and Glenwood Springs all have teams within four seconds of each other, setting up a potential thriller at state. It was the Wildcats who claimed the state title in this race last season and they only difference in their lineup is Mills.

100 Backstroke: Holy Family's Chapman is the only swimmer thus far to record a time under a minute. She finished tied for fourth in this event at state last season, and with two swimmers ahead (or tied with her) departed seniors, she'll take aim at a gold medal in the event.

100 Breaststroke: Conifer's Rachel Ley is right in the mix as her 1:10.74 is second in the classification at this point. Berthoud freshman Corinne Roberts has also put herself in the mix with a time of 1:11.19. Siegel currently has the top time in the classification at 1:10.29.

400 Freestyle: Liberty Common's team of Marilyn Sherick, Addison Jones, Lily Morrison and Elsa Fullerton have the top time in the classification at 3:54.63. Relay teams from Holy Family and Discovery Canyon are within three seconds of the Eagles and should provide some tough competition through the course of the season.

One-meter diving: Last year's top-two finishers are back looking for repeat performances. Discovery Canyon's Victoria Sanders has the top score with 306.65 so far this season. Holy Family's Mary Cavanaugh is right behind her at 274. They finished and first and second, respectively, in last year's event and should be the top contenders again this February.