Fossil Ridge swimmers aiming for high finish in competitive 5A Colorado swimming field

While the eyes of the world might not be on the Class 5A swim meet this season, the eyes of the state certainly will be.

And what those eyes undoubtedly will see at the Veterans Memorial Aquatics Center will be epic competitions for individual titles and a fairly open team race among the top competitors.

Last season, it was a foregone conclusion that Regis Jesuit's Missy Franklin, Olympic medals in tow, was going to win the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle – it was just a matter of how quick she could do it. But for the remaining swimmers, the graduation of Fossil Ridge's Rhianna Williams was equally significant. Williams won the 50 and 100 freestyle, so with her and Franklin out of the picture, four events are fair game once again.

The team race figures to be stout as well, with Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins), Fairview (Boulde) and Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) among those in the running. Fossil Ridge won it all in 2012 and came four points shy of Franklin-led Regis Jesuit (Aurora) last year for a second-place finish.

"It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out," Fossil Ridge coach Tasha Marchant said. "My personal hope would be to at least finish in the top five, that's an appropriate goal for us. You never know what's going to happen. There are some real strong teams out there, and I think it's going to be fun."

Marchant coached the SaberCats in some their fledgling seasons of 2005-06 and 2006-07, and returned to lead the squad this season. She replaced Carolyn Fries, who went back to school.

"It's incredible how much growth there's been," Marchant said. "Everything is a lot different than it was when I was coaching. But even back then, each year it was getting bigger and more people were willing to try it out."

Among the SaberCats standouts are freshman Bailey Kovac, junior Bailey Nero and senior Sammie Guay (No. 8 in the 200 IM and breaststroke). Kovac is the top seed in the breaststroke, Nero is No. 4 in the butterfly and Guay is seeded eighth in each the 200 IM and breaststroke.

Returning individual champs include Ralston Valley's Erin Metzger-Seymour, who was victorious in each the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. She is the top seed in the butterfly, but will have to make up ground in the 200 free, where she posted the fourth-best time in the regular season.

Brooke Hansen of Loveland won the 100 breaststroke and finished second to Franklin in the 200 IM. She is seeded fourth in each event. Backstroke champ Andie Turner of Lewis-Palmer (Monument) also returns.

At the top of the list of those who could become first-time champs is ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) standout Annie Ochitwa, who is the top seed in each the 50 and 100 freestyle. Madeline Myers of Ralston Valley (Arvada) also is firmly in the mix for a title as the No. 1 seed in the 200 IM and No. 2 in the 500 free.

Also keep an eye on Arapahoe (Centennial) standout Ella Moynihan, Shelly Drozda of Mountain Range (Westminster, Colo.), Arvada West's Morgan McCormick and Monarch freshman Sidney Trimm, who all have had standout regular seasons.

Chatfield (Littleton) junior Averly Hobbs is the top seed in the diving competition, and Chargers teammates Jenelle Crozier and Anatasia Eyssimont follow at Nos. 2 and 3. Hobbs finished second last season to now-graduated Michal Bower of Loveland.

Team-wise, Cherry Creek has blazed to a top seed in all three relay events. Fairview qualified a team-record 31 swimmers this season. Coach Bob Smartt's Knights are led by Julia Box and freshman extraordinaire Brittney Beetcher, the top seed in the 500 free and No. 2 in the 200 free.

In 4A at EPIC in Fort Collins, all eyes will be on Thompson Valley (Loveland), although the Eagles aren't a clear-cut favorite with several additional top-flight contenders in the mix.

Thompson Valley has earned the right for recognition, though, as the Eagles have captured the 4A crown for four straight seasons. The last season a team other than the Eagles won it was 2009, when they finished No. 2 to Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch). Thompson Valley also finished third in 2008.

The Eagles are under the guidance of new coach Dale Leonhart, a former longtime coach in the Grand Junction area, who also coaches the TV boys. He replaced Kayli Changstrom, who took an assistant position with the Colorado Mesa swim program.

"We're coming loaded and we're bringing the best we've got," Leonhart said. "We intend to do some serious damage. We're going after some state records and we're going to have some fun."

The Eagles are led by junior Eryn Eddy, the reigning champ in the 200 freestyle, and senior teammate Kelly Sheldon. Thompson Valley will receive challenges in the form of Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs), Evergreen and Broomfield, among others.

Another individual returning champion is Sydney Buckley of Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs), who won the 100 butterfly by .02 seconds over D'Evelyn (Denver) swimmer Brenna Bushey. During the regular season, Bushey has posted 4A's top time in the event at 56.37.

In addition, diving champ Alexa Beckwith of St. Mary's Academy (Englewood) returns and will contend with Evergreen super sophomores Bailey Mills and Katrin Lewis.

Others to watch include Niwot standout Marjorie Driscoll, Evergreen's Lindsay Morrow and Broomfield sisters Kate Peterson and Elizabeth Peterson. Also keep tabs on Manitou Springs sophomore Veronica Morin, Windsor freshman Morgan Friesen and the Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) relay teams, particularly the 200 free relay.

And don't forget about the four-time champs.

"They love to race, they love to train, and they literally live and breathe competitive swimming," Leonhart said.