Girls high school state swim meets kick off winter championships in Colorado

There are plenty of returning champions from a year ago, and there also are several new faces trying to make their mark. From the moment the first swimmers jump into the pool for the 4A meet all the way through the final touch of the 400 freestyle relay in 5A on Feb. 16, the VMAC will be filled with competitive races that will crown the season's first state champions.

Class 5A
Team race: When looking at the team outlook for state, it's important to look at the value of the relay races. Legacy (Broomfield) is the only team with all three relays seeded in the top three. That doesn't necessarily make the Lightning the favorites, but it does put them into contention. Fairview (Boulder), Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) and Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) all have teams seeded high enough that they could earn valuable points. Individual medals, of course, will factor into the team race, and that's where Legacy might truly find its edge this year.

200-yard medley relay: Regis Jesuit (Aurora) comes in as the top seed with a time of 1 minute, 42.72 seconds, which is more than a half-second faster than Fossil Ridge. But the Sabercats, along with Legacy, are all within a second of the Raiders, which will make for an interesting finals race Tuesday.

200 freestyle: This race could go to some of the younger talent as Douglas County (Castle Rock) sophomore Mila Nikanorov enters with a top time of 1:51.99. That's nearly two seconds better than anyone else in the field. Lewis-Palmer (Monument) freshman Abigail Perry is another name to watch. Her qualifying time is 1:54.04, and although this is her first go at state, she could solidify herself as a contender in this event for years to come.

200 individual medley: Defending champion Emma Weber (Regis Jesuit) is back in the field, but winning this time might a tough task. Fossil Ridge's Lucy Bell has already hit a sub-two-minute time this season, and Weber's state championship time last year was 2:01.71. Bell is more than five seconds ahead of any other competitor, as Legacy's Sabrina Rachjaibun has the No. 2 seed time at 2:05.3.

50 freestyle: The sprint is up for grabs as three swimmers have all qualified within a half-second of each other. Legacy's Indigo Armon leads the pack at 23.47 but Mia Waldron of Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins) (23.89) and Cherry Creek's Lawson Ficken (23.91) are within reach. Ficken is the event's top returning finisher as she took second last year.

Diving: Lewis-Palmer brings back defending champion Dahlia Allen, who has an overall qualifying score of 564.15. Arvada West's Geneva Pauly is the only other qualifier with a total score better than 500. She might be one of the few divers who has a shot at taking the championship from Allen.

100 butterfly: Fairview freshman Amelia Mason has the best qualifying time at 55.07 as the event will crown a new champion. Fossil Ridge's Bell won't swim in the butterfly at state this year. Other swimmers such as Mason, Legacy's Sydney Bales or Skylar Brgoch of Cherokee Trail (Aurora) will have the honor of standing atop the podium.

100 freestyle: Armon again leads the pack in this short freestyle race, but at state anything can happen. Fairview's Morgan Lukinac, Rachel Ballard of Columbine (Littleton) and Ana Rojas of Doherty (Colorado Springs) are within two seconds of Armon's 50.98 mark this year. Rojas finished third last year and will give it her all to finish two spots better this go around.

500 freestyle: It's the little things in a distance race that can either keep it close or make it a comfortable win. Rachjaibun's 5:01.53 is about four seconds faster than anyone else, but that cushion isn't insurmountable. Marissa Inouye of Mountain Range (Westminster) and Abigail Gardner of Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch) will each come in with a chance to contend in the longest race of the event.

200 freestyle relay: This team sprint always provides some fireworks, and this year will be no different. Legacy, Fairview, Cherry Creek and Fort Collins are all within three seconds of each other, which is a sign that the end of this race will get the crowd at the VMAC out of their seats.

100 backstroke: Bales is the defending champion in this event but is the No. 2 seed heading in as Rojas is more than a quarter-second better this year. Rojas finished seventh at last year's meet but has every intention of knocking off Bales and taking a gold medal.

100 breaststroke: If the top seeds hold through prelims, this could be a fun race as Lewis-Palmer's Sydney McKenzie and Ryan Johnston of Arapahoe (Centennial) are within two-tenths of a second of each other. But neither should discount Weber as she claimed last year's title and finished the race in under one minute, a mark that neither McKenzie or Johnston broke this season.

400 freestyle relay: Fossil Ridge comes in as the No. 2 seed to Fairview, but the Sabercats look like a much different team than last season. The winning relay team had three seniors on it and Bell is the only returning swimmer. Legacy has the No. 3 seed going in, and ,as always, this could be the race that determines the team championship.

Class 4A
Team race: Heritage (Littleton) was dominant in last year's state win and it's hard not to think that it will be equally as dominant this year. Sure they lost standout Anna Shaw to graduation, but the Eagles return a solid core of swimmers that could seize multiple spots in the finals this week. Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) will look to contend for another team championship, and Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) should also be a team to watch.

200 medley relay: Heritage will look to start the meet with a decisive win in the opening event. The Eagles seed time of 1:46.31 is the top time in the field and three seconds better than Cheyenne Mountain, which is seeded second. Dakota Ridge (Littleton) is hopeful of a strong finish as is Pine Creek, which will need to get in the top five to put itself in a good position from a team standpoint.

200 freestyle: Pine Creek freshman Madison Mintenko is coming in as a big favorite as her 1:50.74 seed time is more than four seconds better than anyone else in the field. The No. 2 spot goes to Golden senior Anna Vermeulen at 1:55.05. Durango senior Mckenzie Rion is also looking for a solid finish as she is one of just four swimmers in the field who has gone sub-1:59.

200 individual medley: Cheyenne Mountain's Caroline Bricker knows how it feels to take first in this event as she comes in as the defending champion. Her 2:02.05 seed time is a little more than a second slower than her winning time last year, but she will likely pick up the pace at the VMAC. Grand Junction's Sarah Cook should also be in contention after taking sixth last year. She comes in with the No. 2 seed time of 2:06.43.

50 freestyle: This sprint should be a thriller as Niwot's Mary Codevilla is in the fray after not competing in the event last year. Longmont's Jordan Bindseil comes in with the top time of 24.02, but overall there are nine swimmers who have qualified in less than 25 seconds, which should make this one of the closest races of the day.

Diving: Ivy Buckley of Rampart (Colorado Springs) has a mission to keep diving gold in the family. She came in second last year as older sister Maggie walked away with the title. Her 580.10 cumulative qualifying score is more than 110 points better than anyone else. Ashley Van Milligan of Liberty (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Pueblo West's Hailey Garner will both try to take the diving title from Rampart.

100 butterfly: This will be a significant event in the team race as Heritage has three of the top four qualifying times. The top time goes to Niwot junior Jamieson Legh at 56.72. The next three times belong to the Eagles. Inge Ehm (56.96), Mary Macaulay (57.84) and Amaia Sherman (58.83) have a chance to load the team up with hardware from this one event.

100 freestyle: Bindseil comes in as a favorite for this event, as well, but will have to fight off a couple of veterans to get the victory. Gabrielle Feneide of Silver Creek (Longmont) and Windsor's Nicole Reynolds (both seniors) are within two-tenths of Bindseil's top seed time of 52.78 seconds. It's unlikely that anyone will touch Anna Shaw's record time of 48.24 that was set last year.

500 freestyle: Mintenko could start a run of career titles in this race as her 5:01.31 is more than five seconds better than anyone in the field. Golden's Vermeulen is the closest to her at 5:06.6, but she will have to shave several seconds away if she's going to upend the Pine Creek freshman.

200 freestyle relay: Heritage will have some more experienced swimmers in the race to hopefully build on last year's fourth-place finish. They have the top seed time of 1:36.16. Niwot sits at No. 2 and finished second in last year's final to Mullen (Denver), which is seeded eighth coming into state.

100 backstroke: Macaulay and Legh are the only two swimmers coming in with a seed time of less than 57 seconds, making them the favorites in this race. But Rampart senior Claire Timson put together a great effort last season and finished second. Her seed time might not be the best, but she has shown that she can get herself in championship contention.

100 breaststroke: This could be a thriller as Bricker and Heritage's Sophia Capp could both be in a position to go after the 4A state record of 1:01.4. Capp's qualifying time is less than two seconds outside of that mark while Bricker is within a second. This race could be crucial in an expected tight team race.

400 freestyle relay: If Heritage is ahead by enough, the final race of the meet could simply be a celebratory event. The Eagles' seed time of 3:29.91 is more than eight seconds better than any other team in the field. If it's a tight event, they figure to take aim at the 4A state mark of 3:27.4 (Cheyenne Mountain) and also try to keep Pine Creek at bay.

Class 3A
Team race: Evergreen has a great chance of continuing its dominance of 3A swimming. The Cougars have won the past three state titles and appear to have the swimmers capable of winning a fourth. There will be plenty of competition to deal with as Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) and St. Mary's Academy (Englewood) each come in with strong squads aiming to dethrone the Cougars. All three teams have highly seeded relay squads and should be battling each other from the very first event all the way through to the final lap of the 400 freestyle relay.

200 medley relay: The Cougars take the top seed in the first event of the meet as they come in at 1:48.85, which is just less than three seconds faster than St. Mary's Academy. The Wildcats are grouped in with the Thunder and with Pueblo County, and the battle for positioning will be essential to each team's desire at team gold.

200 freestyle: This should be a tight race as three medalists return to better their positions from last year. Denver North's Tuva Siegel finished third last year and has the top seed with a time of 1:56.44. Evergreen's Taylor Jacobson and Glenwood Springs' Amelie Ogilby each finished in the top seven and are within two seconds of Siegel's time.

200 individual medley: Discovery Canyon freshman Madison Wagner is looking to unseat defending champion Caitlin Crysel (St. Mary's Academy) in her first shot at state. Wagner's top seed time of 2:09.19 is the only time to be under 2:12, making her a favorite in the event. Conifer's Rachel Ley could also contend for this championship as her seed time of 2:13.39 is certainly within reach of Wagner.

50 freestyle: St. Mary's Academy's Kalie Linden is the defending champion and will try to cap her senior year with another sprinting title. Her seed time of 24.87 seconds is second to Discovery Canyon's Julia Thomas. There are four swimmers in this event that have gone sub-25 seconds, including Natalia Evans of Kent Denver (Cherry Hills Village).

Diving: The top of the diving standings should look very similar to last year. Discovery Canyon's Victoria Sanders cruised to a record score of 479.35. That was more than 40 points better than Mary Kate Cavanaugh of Holy Family (Broomfield), who will be back and looking for redemption this year.

100 butterfly: Aspen's Kayla Tehrani claimed the championship last year and is in a good position to repeat. Her seed time of 57.03 is No. 2 heading into state, and her preliminary time should give her a middle lane in finals. Among those looking to take the title from her is Salida's Emma Diesslin, who should get the Spartans a chance at a great finish after they didn't make a final in this race last year.

100 freestyle: Some of the same favorites in the 50 freestyle should be in play for this race as well. Thomas has the top seed time of 53.19 seconds, and Siegel is also a strong contender here as she won the state title last year. La Junta's Aurora Baiardi is within two seconds of Thomas and will try to earn the Tigers some individual hardware.

500 freestyle: The graduation of some top placers will provide a new champion and it should be a fun battle. Ogilby finished third last year and has the top seed time of 5:13.69. Elsa Fullerton of Liberty Common (Fort Collins) wasn't far behind Ogilby and has the No. 2 seed time at 5:19.26, giving those two swimmers the only seed times under 5:20.

200 freestyle relay: St. Mary's Academy and Aspen finished in the top two spots last year and they enter state with the two best qualifying times this season. This will be a significant race for team points as Aspen, Discovery Canyon and Evergreen are all within four-tenths of a second of each other. Eaton will also be in play for a medal here after not qualifying for a final in the event last year.

100 backstroke: Two of last year's top three finishers are back in the field this year as Evergreen's Finley Anderson and Holy Family's Abigail Philipsen are each seeded in the top three. If Holy Family is in contention for a team trophy, this race could help it as Phillipsen and Cate Chapman are two of the only three swimmers to qualify in less than a minute, with Anderson being the other.

100 backstroke: Evergreen has two of the top four qualifiers in Riley Rains and last year's runner-up Alyssa Cook. This will be a competitive showdown as Rains, Cook, Conifer's Emilie Coleman and Aspen's Tehrani are all within 1.1 seconds of each other. Delta's Jillian Carlson, the third-place finisher last year, rounds out the top five qualifiers and she will be looking for a different color medal this go around.

400 freestyle relay: This race could be for all the marbles. Looking at the way the meet will shape up, Discovery Canyon, St. Mary's Academy and Evergreen will be in contention for the team championship. They're also the top three qualifiers for the 400 relay with the Thunder holding the top seed time of 3:39.55, just under three seconds better than the others.