Colorado high school boys swimmers putting together standout performances

There have been some great individual and relay performances this season that give everyone a glimpse of what to expect when teams converge on the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in May.


Class 5A
Team race
There is a good chance that the 5A meet will provide a little more parity than fans have been used to seeing in recent years. Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) walks in as the winner of the previous two team state championships, while Regis Jesuit (Aurora) would like to win its first team title since 2018.

But there are others lurking. Legacy (Broomfield) has been solid all season, while Columbine (Littleton) and Chatfield (Littleton) have also put up good results. Any of those teams could find themselves in the mix for the team title when the state meet begins in mid-May.

200 Medley Relay
Three teams all sit within a second of each other in this relay race. The Legacy squad of Kyle Raskay, Thomas Nguyen, Jack Tran and Tegan Barrier hold the top time of 1 minute, 25.51 seconds. Regis Jesuit is right behind the Lightning at 1:26.02 with Smoky Hill (Aurora) coming in third at 1:26.44.

No matter who touches the wall first at state, this will be a thrilling relay to kick things off.

200 Freestyle
Matt Thornton of Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) has a clear edge so far in the 200 free. His time of 1:37.87 is more than five seconds better than anyone else in the state. Columbine's Chase Mueller is second at 1:43.06, while Mason Kajfosz of Highlands Ranch, Sam White (Legacy), James Schreiber of Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) and Ronan Krauss of Regis Jesuit are all within a second of that mark.

200 Individual Medley
This is one of a few races where Columbine's Mueller stands out. His 1:49.46 is the top mark in the state. Among those within five seconds of him is Arvada West's Drew Ravegum at 1:53.15.

50 Freestyle
This could be a fun sprint to watch at state. No 5A swimmer has gone under 30 seconds (yet) but it's Chatfield's Tristen Davin who has come the closest. Behind him are 12 swimmers who have come within a second of his top time of 20.83 seconds.

When swimming for a championship, the 5A 50 freestyle will be about as competitive as any event in either classification.

100 Butterfly
Just four swimmers currently hold sub-51-second marks on the season. Regis Jesuit's Luke Dinges holds the top time at 50.04. Fossil Ridge's Carter Ruthven is the top returner from last year's state meet. He finished third and currently has the third-best time at 50.58.

100 Freestyle
Fairview (Boulder) sophomore Layton Sealman is an interesting name to watch here as he has the third-best mark at 46.46 seconds.

Chatfield's Mueller sits with the top mark in the state at 45.11 and will make this one of several events he plans on winning at state.


Metzler finished fifth at state last year and hopes to put together a better result this season.

200 Freestyle Relay
This is shaping up to be a three-team race as Legacy, Regis Jesuit and Smoky Hill are all within a second of each other. The Lightning hold the top time at 1:25.51 with three of the four members of the relay team that finished sixth at state last year.

100 Backstroke
Columbine's Mueller looks to be on a mission to win this gold medal. He leads the state with a time of 47.85 and is nearly four seconds ahead of his nearest competitor, Cherry Creek's Cade Martin.

Among the intriguing swimmers to keep an eye on is Monarch (Louisville) freshman Gavin Keogh. He has a top-five time of 52.33 and could make a huge impact in his first try at the state tournament.

100 Breaststroke
Smoky Hill sophomore Daniel Yi is trying to separate himself from the pack. He has a top time of 56.80 seconds and has to contend with several swimmers who are within two seconds of that mark.

Among them is Cherry Creek freshman Trevor Boodt, who sits with a time of 58.50.

400 Freestyle Relay
If the top performers hold on to their positions, Legacy could get a clean sweep of the relay races at state. The Lightning have a time of 3:07.50, which is more than two seconds faster than Regis Jesuit (3:09.98). The Raiders are the only other team to go under 3:10 so far this season. Grandview (Aurora) has the third-best time but is over four seconds behind Legacy's swim from the Mustang Invitational.

One-meter diving
Cherry Creek's Luke Ogren and Regis Jesuit's Dylan Mullen have established themselves as the two favorites to battle it out for gold. Ogren has the top overall score at 277.70, with Mullen right behind him at 275.30.

There are a few underdogs who could make a name for themselves at state. Mountain Range (Westminster) sophomore Adam Hill is among them, as his top score of 239.60 could put him in contention when dive finals get underway.

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Class 4A
Team race
Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) has set a clear tone for the season and it's championship or bust. The Thunder has claimed two runner-up finishes (2018 and 2019) but has yet to claim a boys swimming championship. Across the 4A field, it has the top time in several swims and will head into the state meet next month as the team to beat.

But there are other teams that will try to put together strong performances and take their spot on top of the podium. Defending champion Silver Creek (Longmont) would love a repeat performance from last year, and Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) is always looking to be in the title mix. D'Evelyn (Denver), Glenwood Springs and Windsor are also capable of putting together a strong enough performance to put themselves in play for a team win.

200 Medley Relay
The Discovery Canyon team of Quintin McCarty, Avery Tresemer, Adam Pannell and Taylor Wagner have put together a race that's nearly five seconds better than any other team. In fact, their time of 1:33.99 is already better than D'Evelyn's state championship time from last year.

Air Academy (US Air Force Academy) and Mullen (Denver) have times that are top-five in the state and are within 10 seconds of the Thunder's top time.

200 Freestyle
This could be one of the more competitive races at the 4A meet. Discovery Canyon's Wagner has the top time (1:45.74), but there are five swimmers all within 1.25 seconds of him. Among them are Windsor's Jake Eccleston (1:46.17) and Isaac Collins of Palmer (Colorado Springs) (1:46.84).

Discovery Canyon has three of the top six times in this race at this point of the season.

200 Individual Medley
Eccleston is the top returner from last year's meet where he finished third. He has the fastest time in the event at 1:51.18. Cheyenne Mountain's Max Roslin is the closest to him at 1:57.78 and will need to take considerable time off in order to make it a competitive race.

50 Freestyle
Discovery Canyon's McCarty had a sub-20-second time at the Cheyenne Mountain Invite and is the only swimmer with that distinction this season. There are few competitors that are within 2.5 seconds of him, but that gap could close before state.

Xavier Hill of George Washington (Denver) holds a time of 21.85 seconds, while Estes Park's Benjamin Anderson is also within striking distance at 22.21.

100 Butterfly
The Thunder has three of the top four times in the state, and this will likely be a big event for the team as it makes its push for the team title. McCarty currently has the best time at 50.53 seconds.

Littleton's Shyam Patel is the only non-Discovery Canyon swimmer to have a top-four time in the event. His mark of 53.03 seconds means he should find his way onto the state podium in May.

100 Freestyle
McCarty again sits atop the leaderboard at this point in the season, but Cheyenne Mountain's Raglan Ward is right on his heels at 47.81. Ward finished third in state last year and that time was faster than his 2022 mark, indicating he still has plenty of fuel in his tank for a fast swim when he needs it.

500 Freestyle
Discovery Canyon's Pannell has been the best distance swimmer in this event, clocking a time of 4:45.20. He'll see plenty of competition here as Windsor's Eccelston is about three seconds behind him.

Other notable times are Mullen's Noah Mooney (4:57.19) and Air Academy's Henry Stockton (4:58.07). Stockton finished seventh at state last year.

200 Freestyle Relay
Cheyenne Mountain won the event last year, but, to this point, only has the second-best time in the state. Discovery Canyon sits at No. 1.

An experienced Thomas Jefferson (Denver) unit sits at No. 3. Seniors Dylan Nelson, Jake Kammerzell and Michael Ferdigalov teamed with junior Finn Fleischer to get a time of 1:31.75 at the Dick Rush Memorial Invite in Thornton on March 19.

100 Backstroke
McCarty again leads the pack in this event with a time of 48.72. Wheat Ridge's Joaquin Contreras-Fallico has the best standing in the state for any Farmer. His 52.15 seconds is second in the event and will put him in a position to contend with McCarty for the title next month.

100 Breaststroke
Eccleston finished third in state last year and currently sits at No. 2 with a time of 56.58 seconds. Air Academy's Dakota Kinder (59.65) and Martin Johnson (59.99) of Thompson Valley (Loveland) both hold sub-one minute times.

Discovery Canyon's McCarty has the top time at 56.57.

400 Freestyle Relay
If the team race is close between Cheyenne Mountain, this could be a fitting end to the meet. It and Discovery Canyon sit within about two seconds of each other for the top time in the state. The Thunder won the race last year with a time of 3:09.87, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see these teams take several seconds off their top times this season and come in somewhere under that mark.

One-meter diving
Thompson Valley senior Joe Smack has the current edge here with a top score of 265.15. Evergreen's Kian Smith is second at 249.25, with D'Evelyn's Spencer Shelden rounding out the top three at 235.80. These three divers should battle it out for the state title.