Cherry Creek's Bonnie Brandon is one of the best swimmers in state history and makes the Bruins a favorite at the Class 5A state meet this weekend.
Photo by Ray Chen
By now, everyone is familiar with the dominant storyline –
Missy Franklin – and most are even familiar with the auxiliary storylines of
Abbie Houck of
Fairview (Boulder) and the decades-in-the making inclusion of
Frida Berggren of
Lewis-Palmer (Monument).
But wait a second. The fact that we are speaking in such terms about swimming, insinuating that the chief storylines are common knowledge to those who follow it as if it is football, speaks to the sport's meteoric rise in popularity during the past few seasons.
Let's be clear: Franklin, the
Regis Jesuit (Aurora) standout, is the principal reason why the common sports fan has taken interest in the sport. Franklin has represented the state with a bevy of national marks and is an Olympic hopeful.
But because of Franklin's presence, other talented swimmers such as
Cherry Creek's (Greenwood Village) Bonnie Brandon,
Heritage's (Littleton) Michelle Patton,
Erin Metzger-Seymour of
Ralston Valley (Arvada) and Lewis-Palmer's
Laura Day have a wider platform on which to shine.
Simply put, this weekend's Class 5A state swim meet in Fort Collins (Friday and Saturday at the Edora Pool and Ice Center) will be perhaps the most anticipated meet – and toughest ticket – ever. The 4A meet at Veteran's Memorial Aquatics Center in Thornton also is expected to be packed to the gills.
"There's just a lot of fast swimmers in this meet, and I know a lot of them can go even faster than the seeded times," said
Boulder coach Curt Colby, whose Panthers will be well-represented in 5A. "It seems to be that there's a very deep field of swimmers in Colorado right now."
Included are the Panthers'
Amanda Richey, who is seeded second in the 500-yard freestyle and freshman
Haley Rowley-Wiest second in both the 200 individual medley and in the 100 backstroke.
Then, of course, there is Franklin, who will swim the 200 free and the 100 backstroke, as well as two undisclosed relays. Coach Nick Fraser Smith indicated that Franklin was willing to compete in whichever events most helped the Raiders, the defending champions.
The list goes on and on, including
Berggren, an exchange student whose exploits were detailed in a MaxPreps feature in December.
The amount of talent has begged the question of whether this is a golden age of swimming in the state or merely an amazing cycle.
"Good question," Colby said. "I think it's getting better. There are cycles, but if the spiral is always going up, maybe we need to think of it like quantum leaps. You go up and you drop down a little bit, but you're always kind of going up."
Colby indicated swimmers such as Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Natalie Coughlin have helped popularize the sport as a whole, and it has a trickle-down effect throughout the entire genre. He termed Franklin's burst to prominence as a "double-edged sword" because it at once brings attention to the sport but also overshadows other outstanding swimmers.
If not for Franklin, Cherry Creek's Brandon most certainly would be the headliner. The University of Arizona recruit holds three individual state records (200 individual medley, 100 and 500 freestyle) and is part of two record-setting relay teams (200 medley, 200 freestyle).
Brandon will compete in the 200 IM and 500 freestyle in addition to two relays, making the Bruins a serious threat to recapture the state title they owned from 2005-2010.
One of the state's most noteworthy swimmers will not be on hand, however. Houck, the reigning champion in the 500 freestyle, instead will be at USA Swimming's Missouri Grand Prix. Already an Olympic qualifier in the 400 freestyle, Houck will attempt to nab qualifying cuts in the 200 and 800 freestyle. Her absence likely will hamper Fairview's bid to unseat Regis Jesuit.
While no one could blame the junior for her decision, it was still tough.
"I wish I could go to state," Houck said. "State's such a fun meet. I wish I could go and be with my team. I love them all, and I want to be there to support them and swim with them. It's a bummer. I really wish it was on a different weekend. I gave them all my number, and I really hope they all text me. I will return the same to them."
In 4A, two-time defending champion
Thompson Valley (Loveland) will have another marquee swimmer to watch in freshman
Eryn Eddy, the top seed in the 100 and 200 freestyle events.
Broomfield, fifth-place last season, could challenge with blazing teams in the 200 medley and 200 free relays. The Eagles also boast two of the classification's best in
Heather Shaver and
Katalena Laufasa-Duncan.
"I always expect big things out of the girls, but they always tend to surpass my expectations at these meets," Broomfield coach Emily Austin said.
While the team title could include either Broomfield or Thompson Valley, there are several other individuals who cannot be overlooked. Included is
Estes Park sophomore
Kathryn Hewson, the top seed in what could be a wide-open 50 freestyle, and
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) sophomore
Sydney Buckley (the Indians finished fourth last season).
Also keep an eye on
Lexie Malazdrewicz of
Evergreen, the top seed in the 500 freestyle and a likely part of the Cougars' top-seeded 400 free relay team. Last year Malazdrewicz won the 200 and 500 freestyle events.
The swimming preliminaries for both classifications begin at 4 p.m. Friday. Diving preliminaries will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, before the scheduled finals at 2 p.m. The Class 5A meet will be broadcast live by
ESPN3.
