File photo by Matt Daniels
It is generally expected that
Regis Jesuit (Aurora) will run away with the Class 5A boys swimming title this weekend. But that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of intrigue — particularly on the individual front — in the two-day event (Friday and Saturday, Veterans Memorial Aquatics Center).
A peek at the top times from the regular season reveals that the individual podium could be represented by athletes from several different schools. Swimmers such as
Douglas County/Castle View's J.P. Beach,
Cherry Creek's (Greenwood Village, Colo.) Jake Markham and
Loveland's Ryan Ball all will make their push.
And the team race, after Regis Jesuit, figures to be compelling.
Highlands Ranch, which edged Regis in the Continental League Championships last week, is one of those that will vie for a lofty finish.
"Winning the Continental League was amazing for the boys. I'm so proud of all of them, and for the first time in several years, we have a diver (
Connor May) joining us on the state team," Falcons coach Christina Kwon said. "Although we only have 11 swimmers and one diver going to state, the boys are fired up and ready to have some great performances."
The Falcons are aiming to improve on last season's seventh-place finish, and will be amidst a mix of teams including
Fairview (Boulder),
Boulder,
Lewis-Palmer (Monument) and Cherry Creek with the firepower for a commendable finish.
Highlands Ranch's ace in the hole is senior
Nathan Mueller, who has posted the top time in the 200 freestyle this season at 1:41.66.
"I believe that Nathan is prepared to win the 200 free," Kown said. "He is extremely competitive and hates to lose, so the team is looking forward to his swim — especially after finishing second and third in the 500 and 200 free the last two years.
"He does have some competition for the title. They are all familiar with each other, so it should be a great race to watch."
Among many additional standouts to watch are Regis Jesuit's
Stuart Hennessey,
Pomona's (Arvada) Keegan Foulke,
Fort Collins' Maxwell Holter and
Cherokee Trail's (Aurora) Josh Bedford.
Relay teams from Regis, Grandview, Fairview and Boulder also have torn up the scene this season. Regis also will benefit from the diving prowess of
Kyle Goodwin and
Matthew Mauser.
On the individual front, it will be tough to find a more captivating story than Beach.
The senior, who swims for the co-op Douglas County/Castle View team, is the top seed in the 50 and 100 free. This comes one year after passing out in the locker room days before state and needing roughly 30 stitches, an unfortunate incident that prevented him from competing.
"It was because of over-training mostly," Beach told the Castle Rock News-Press. "I got the stomach flu and I didn't know it. I was in the bathroom before practice and I got really dehydrated. I didn't know what was going on. I passed out, got up and I needed to go to my coach and say, `Hey, I'm not feeling well.' I blacked out and from then on I didn't remember."
At the 4A state meet (Friday and Saturday at Edora Pool Ice Center in Fort Collins), all eyes will be on
Air Academy (US Air Force Academy). The Kadets have posted the fastest time in all three relays, including a meet-record 3:09.32 in the 400 free relay last week at the Pikes Peak Athletic Conference Championships.
Not only did the time, turned in by
Hunter Doerr,
Tommy Baker,
Caleb Hicks and
Jack Dangremond, beat 5A Lewis-Palmer. It was the fastest in the state this year regardless of classification and approached a 4A state record (3:08.86). The Kadets' relay success could translate to big things in the team race this weekend.
"I think the relays tend to be a pretty good indicator, for sure," Air Academy coach Scott Newell said. "And it's been a really fun year for relays. The guys get really excited about it and I hope it continues this weekend. But I do know that other teams are kind of licking their chops."
The Kadets will receive competition from
D'Evelyn (Denver), diving-deft
Thompson Valley (Loveland),
Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) and a deep
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) squad, among others.
In addition to the 400 relay athletes mentioned, Air Academy's
Michael Loyd and
Brennan Mays are among those who could be individual factors. Mays, who will swim at Colorado Mines, is the top seed in the 500 free and also is coming off a strong club season in which he won three events at a sectionals meet.
"It's been an interesting season for him," Newell said. "He's a senior and he wants to go out and perform really well."
Individuals to watch include
Estes Park's UNLV-bound
Forrest Beesley, D'Evelyn super junior
Daniel Graber, Thompson Valley's
John Thorne (the defending state champ in the backstroke) and
Silver Creek's (Longmont) Tyler Lis. Also peaking at the end of the season are
Lars Knutson of
Montrose and
David Keller of Discovery Canyon.
On the diving front, keep tabs on freshmen standouts
Vitalii Shestakov of
Pueblo East and
David Hoffer of
Mullen (Denver). They'll try to outlast a trio of Thompson Valley divers who posted top-six scores this season.
