The athletes are back in the pool as the Colorado high school girls swim season is officially underway. As is the case with all sports in the 2020-21 school year, the season will have a much different feel as the number of contests have been shortened and safety measures have been increased to ensure the season can play out and end with the crowning of state champions.
As teams work to get to their peak times and performances, several teams in each classification are worth keeping eyes on in the pool. Along with those teams are several returning all-state swimmers who should make for a competitive 2021 season.
Follow the season leaderboards ahead of the scheduled state meets on March 11-13.
Class 5ACherry Creek (Greenwood Village): The Bruins are never shy of athletes who can put them right into the state championship picture. They have enough swimmers returning from last year's team that they will be a threat to come away with a state title.
Jenna Smith should build on her third-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley and her fifth-place finish in the 100 freestyle.
Elizabeth Brock and
Teagan Steinmetz also had notable individual finishes last year and will play key roles in the Bruins title hopes.
Fairview (Boulder): The two-time defending 5A state champions have a lot going for them coming into the season. The core of
Julianne Jones,
Morgan Lukinac, and
Karolina Bank all return for this year. The Knights recorded a few second-place finishes throughout the state meet, but were able to claim the overall team title without winning a gold medal in any event. With most of the team back for this season, they have a great shot at defending their title and perhaps adding a gold medal or two to the trophy case.
Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins): In just two years,
Lucy Bell has evolved into one of the top swimmers in the state, and with her performance at last year's state meet, she showed no signs of slowing down. Bell was part of the winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams and grabbed individual gold medals in the 200 IM and the 100 freestyle. The Sabercats are hoping to win their first state championship since 2018, and with Bell back in the pool, they have a good shot to do so.
Heritage (Littleton): The Eagles could be a bit of surprise team when state rolls around.
Anna Shaw returns after winning the 50 freestyle and taking second in the 100 freestyle. Sophomore
Inge Ehm will also provide a big boost for the team as she took fifth in the 100 butterfly and was also a part of relay teams that finished in the top 10.
Returning all-state swimmers/divers: Dahlia Allen (2nd team,
Lewis-Palmer (Monument),
Aislyn Barnett (2nd team, Heritage), Lucy Bell (1st team, Fossil Ridge)
Megan Bergstrom (2nd team,
Arapahoe (Centennial), Elizabeth Brock (2nd team, Cherry Creek),
Grace Dale (2nd team,
Regis Jesuit (Aurora),
Mahala Erlandson (1st team, Fossil Ridge),
Renee Gillilan (1st team, Fossil Ridge), Josie Graves (2nd team,
Legend (Parker), Isabel Gregersen (1st team,
Ralston Valley (Arvada), Julianne Jones (2nd team, Fairview),
Margaret Kroening (2nd team,
Douglas County (Castle Rock), Morgan Lukinac (2nd team, Fairview),
Meghan Mulvihill (1st team,
Chatfield (Littleton), Jenna Reznicek (2nd team, Fairview),
Emily Rinker (1st team, Fossil Ridge),
Madison Saldanha (2nd team, Cherry Creek),
Kathryn Shanley (1st team, Chatfield), Anna Shaw (1st team, Heritage) Edith Simecek (2nd team, Fairview), Jenna Smith (2nd team, Cherry Creek), Meredith Smithbaker (2nd team,
Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins), Teagan Steinmetz (2nd team, Cherry Creek)
Avery Turney (1st team, Chatfield).
Class 4ABroomfield: Perhaps the biggest thing going against the Eagles last year was the overall youth of the roster. Some strong senior leadership helped Broomfield take a sixth-place finish at the 4A meat, but the meat of the roster was underclassmen, some of whom saw the state meet for the very first time.
Ellianne Effland,
Maelynn Higgins and
Kaylee Austin are looking to build off the Eagles' strong performance and lift the team to a much stronger finish for the 2021 season.
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs): A mad dash to the finish line gave Cheyenne Mountain its third girls swimming championship in program history. Coach Kate Doane's squad is looking to go back-to-back for the first time in program history and returns enough athletes to be right back of the championship mix. After claiming the 200-yard IM crown,
Caroline Bricker is back in a big leadership role, and
Christina Matteson also returns after gaining valuable experience at last year's state meet.
Mullen (Denver): There was a brief moment last year when it looked like Mullen was going to run away with the 4A championship. The resiliency of Cheyenne Mountain and Rampart won out, but the Mustangs return a strong squad that is more than capable of making a championship push. The 200 medley relay team of
Mary Macaulay,
Claire Chahbandour,
Lindsey Sowitch and
Chase Davison are all back after taking second in the race. Mullen pulled together nine top-10 finishes at the event and even took a win in the 200 freestyle relay.
Rampart (Colorado Springs): After winning two straight state championships, the Rams came up just shy of title No. 3, losing to Cheyenne Mountain by just eight points. But the Rams are loaded heading into the season as
Lindsey Immel heads into her senior year with high expectations. The Rampart standout walked away from the VMAC with three gold medals and one silver. Rampart also has
Claire Timson and diver
Maggie Buckley returning to try and reclaim the state championship trophy.
Returning all-state swimmers/divers: Caroline Bricker (1st team, Cheyenne Mountain), Maggie Buckley (1st team, Rampart), Claire Chahbandour (1st team, Mullen),
Mary Codevilla (1st team,
Niwot),
Sarah Cook (2nd team,
Grand Junction (Grand Junction), Chase Davison (1st team, Mullen),
Nina English (2nd team, Grand Junction),
Anelise Hedges (2nd team,
Arvada West),
Sophia Hemingway (1st team,
Dakota Ridge (Littleton),
Kaelyn Hinesley (2nd team, Cheyenne Mountain), Lindsey Immel (1st team, Rampart), Mary Macaulay (2nd team, Mullen),
Joey Miller (1st team, Rampart),
Geneva Pauly (1st team, Arvada West), Angeline Settle (2nd team, Monarch), Lindsey Sowitch (1st team, Mullen), Claire Timson (1st team, Rampart), Kylie Walters (2nd team, Rampart), Celia Webster (2nd team,
Monarch (Louisville),
Gabrielle Zinis (1st team, Mullen).
Class 3AAspen: After claiming the 3A state championship in 2017, Aspen has been battling its way back to the top of the team standings. A foursome of talented swimmers in Lilly Huggard, Emily Kinney, Laila Kahn-Farooqi and Kayla Tehrani are expected to return from last year's team that finished second. Those four came up just shy of the 200-yard medley win. Kahn-Farroqi also finished sixth in the 200 freestyle and she will look to better that placement in order to boost the team's point total at the end of the meet.
Evergreen: The graduation of Remi Gucker can't be overstated when it comes to the defending 3A champions. While she was instrumental in helping the Cougars win back-to-back crowns, even with her departure, the cupboard is far from bare. Junior
Taylor Jacobson and sophomore
Alyssa Cook will move into leadership roles on the team. Both were part of the 200 medley relay team that finished first and paced Evergreen for the rest of the 3A finals. Senior
Caitlin Smith is also back following her third-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle.
Kent Denver (Englewood): The Sun Devils should be excited for this season, as a few standout performances at last year's state meet could ignite an explosive season in 2021.
Jolie Kim claimed gold in the 200 IM and could make a run at the 3A state record time of 2 minutes, 5.843 seconds this year. Junior
Natalia Evans took second in the 100 freestyle just behind Salida's Elise Mishmash and should head into this season as the favorite to win gold in the event. Overall, Kent Denver heads into the year with a well-balanced mix of talent and depth, which should put it into play for a team championship.
Salida: Like Evergreen, Salida suffered a huge graduation loss. But that doesn't mean the Spartans can't have a banner year in 2021. A solid overall state meet saw them finish third in the final team standings, and Salida still returns plenty of experience.
Hannah Rhude,
Lily Lengerich and
Emma Diesslin helped the team take third in the 200 IM and win the 200 freelstyle relay. Diesslin took fourth in the 100 butterfly and ninth in the 100 backstroke.
Returning all-state swimmers/divers: Caitlin Beery (2nd team,
Thomas Jefferson (Denver), Alexis Behn (2nd team,
Durango); Jillian Carlson (1st team,
Delta),
Libby Claassen (2nd team,
Glenwood Springs), Alyssa Cook (1st team, Evergreen),
Jamie Dellwardt (2nd team,
Berthoud), Emma Diesslin (1st team, Salida), Natalia Evans (2nd team, Kent Denver), Courtney Giordano (2nd team,
Erie), Lilly Huggard (2nd team, Aspen), Taylor Jacobson (1st team, Evergreen), Emily Jauch (2nd team,
Liberty Common (Fort Collins), Laila Khan-Farroqi (2nd team, Aspen), Jolie Kim (1st team, Kent Denver), Emily Kinney (2nd team, Aspen), Lily Lengerich (1st team, Salida), Kate Little (2nd team, Thomas Jefferson), Lucy Meinert (1st team,
Green Mountain (Lakewood),
Maylin Pollack (2nd team, Kent Denver), Hannah Rhude (1st team, Salida),
Victoria Sanders (1st team,
Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs),
Abbie Scruton (1st team, Glenwood Springs), Caitlin Smith (1st team, Evergreen), Kayla Tehrani (2nd team, Aspen).
