Colorado boys state swim meets to keep action confined under one roof

There will be no split sites this year. The boys state swimming and dive meets in both Class 5A and 4A will convene under one roof and championships will be handed out at the VMAC in Thornton on Friday and Saturday.

The boys swim meets coincide with the state track and field championships, making this week one of the busiest prep weekends of the year in Colorado.

With both classes set to determine their state champions, here is an overview of what to expect when the athletes hit the pool beginning Thursday.
Class 5A
The hunt for the big-school team title figures to be highlighted by Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) in 5A. The Bruins are coming off a third-place finish in 2018. The team title narrowly went to Regis Jesuit (Aurora), with Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins, Colo.) coming in second by just three and a half points.

If Cherry Creek can start the meet off with a winning performance in the 200-yard medley relay, it can create a wave of momentum that the Bruins hope can carry through the two-day event. Jake Russell, Spencer Smith, Brendan Eckerman and Bryce Ortanes come into the race with the top qualifying time of 1 minute, 33.93 seconds.

Eckerman is also looking to get Cherry Creek points in the freestyle sprints as he's seeded in the top three in both the 50 and the 100.

Even as perceived favorites, however, the Bruins have a lot of work cut out for them if they are going to hold off the Raiders and the Sabercats this go around.

Lukas Miller of Legacy (Broomfield) is looking to win a championship for the Lightning early in the event. His 1:35.62 time in the 200 freestyle is nearly 8 seconds ahead of anyone else in the state this year. Cobi Wood of Grandview (Aurora) and Gavin Olson of Columbine (Littleton) look to be near the front of the pack, but taking down Miller is a notable challenge for each swimmer in the event. Miller is also the top seed in the 500 freestyle.

Regis Jesuit senior William Goodwin comes into the meet with a time of 1:50.38 in the 200 IM and is aiming to improve one spot from his second-place finish last year. Goodwin also comes in as the favorite in the 100 breaststroke.

Arapahoe (Centennial) sophomore Fletcher Hayes can't be counted out of the 200 IM at all. He finished sixth in his first go at the state meet and has ambitions of being at or near the top of the podium in 2019. Hayes will also try to knock of Miller in the 500 freestyle as his qualifying time is within 2 seconds of what the Legacy junior has done this year.

The 200 freestyle relay team out of Fossil Ridge has a chance to hold off Cherry Creek and earn crucial points. Jonah Holt, Christian Conrady, Zach Bartel and Josh Pales are a half-second better than the Bruins this year with a time of 1:26.52.

Boulder (Boulder, Colo.) has a an even narrower edge over the Bruins in the 400 freestyle relay. CJ Turf, Luke Stapleton, Grant Freeman and Max Kreidl finished the race in 3:10.55 at the Mustangs Invite in Thornton on April 13.

Nathan Griffin of Ponderosa (Parker) and Nicholas Fox of Ralston Valley (Arvada) are each within 1.5 seconds of Olson's top time of 49.34 in the 100 backstroke.

Class 4A
Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) is looking avenge a shocking second-place finish from a year ago. The Thunder's 400-freestyle relay team was disqualified during the 2018 meet because of a uniform violation.

Unable to compete in the race, the Thunder watched at Windsor picked up enough points to clinch its first boys swimming title. The Wizards don't look as strong heading into this year's meet, but if Discovery Canyon is looking to win a title it will have to fend off strong challengers in Silver Creek (Longmont) and Greeley West.

It's the Thunder's depth that will be key in racking points throughout the event. Both Braden Whitmarsh and Brian Hobbs are seeded in the top 10 of the 200 freestyle. Whitmarsh is also one of the top seeds heading into the 500 freestyle, as is teammate Chance Ricca.

Freshman Quintin McCarty leads the pack heading into the 100 backstroke with a time of 51.11, just a third of a second better than Glenwood Springs' Shea Card. Windsor's Andrew Scoggin is also within a second of McCarty's time.

Broomfield brings a talented group down to the 4A level this year and has a chance to bookend the meet with a couple of relay teams. Harrison Lierz, Sam Anderson, Sam Hahn and Jon Kim swam the best 200 medley relay time in the class just last week at the Northern Conference Championships. At 1:36.30, the team is more than a half-second better than Windsor and more than a second better than Greeley West.

That same foursome for Broomfield will look to hold off a Discovery Canyon 400 freestyle relay team that is undoubtedly on a mission this year. Whitmarsh, McCarty, Andrew McGill and Tommy Rauchut are within a second of Broomfield's time in the event and have every intention of closing that gap.

Wheat Ridge's Ryan Peterson should be a regular on the podium this week as he comes in as a favorite in several events. His 1:41.45 time in the 200 freestyle is almost a second better than his closest competitor and the same can be said for his time in the 100 freestyle (45.88).

Cayden Christianson of Montrose showed his breakout speed in the 200 IM with a time of 1:53.68. Discovery Canyon's Whitmarsh is the next-fastest time of the board, but is off Christianson's pace by nearly 3 seconds.

The 50 freestyle is shaping up to be a battle as Pueblo County's John Plutt looks to hold off Discovery Canyon's McCarty and William Chavez of Mullen (Denver).

Plutt is also looking to take gold in the 100 butterfly as he holds the top time this year at 49.82. Windsor's Josh Dodrill is just a hair under two and a half seconds behind.