Ralston Valley seniors Maddie Myers, left, and Erin Metzger-Seymour have both signed with Division I college programs. Metzger-Seymour is the defending Class 5A champion in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly.
Courtesy photo
Most seniors, particularly ultra-driven ones such as
Erin Metzger-Seymour, view their senior year as an all-the-marbles type of thing, an end-all final chance to pursue a state title.
By all means, the
Ralston Valley (Arvada) senior swimmer wants to win and has a good chance to capture the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly at the Class 5A state meet this season. But she's not letting the pursuit push her into a corner.
"It's definitely a goal of mine, but if it doesn't happen it doesn't happen," Metzger-Seymour said.
Metzger-Seymour, who is swimming at the 2013 Speedo Junior National Championships in North Carolina this weekend along with teammate
Maddie Myers, has ample reason to view it that way. Most notably, she won both events last season, so she already has two state titles to her credit. Metzger-Seymour also has signed with Missouri, so if her senior season isn't picture-perfect, it won't spoil any of her ambitions in the sport.
"Every race is a different race, and I had a really good meet last year," she said. "We'll just see how it goes. Everyone is like, ‘Oh, you can try winning again.' Well, we'll see."
Her climb to the state titles in her signature events was steady and incremental. She finished sixth in both at state as a freshman. As a sophomore, she placed third in the 100 fly and fourth in the 200 free before winning both last season.
As one who picked up swimming a little later in life, particularly when compared to her teammates on the North Jeffco Swim club team, her ascension has been lightning fast.
"Erin swam really casually until about the eighth grade," Ralston Valley coach Annie Brown said. "Now, she trains really hard, she's driven, she's really hard on herself and has high standards for herself. But she's also just a natural talent. Her body is just built to do what it does."
Last season, Metzger-Seymour swam the 100 butterfly in 54.91 seconds to edge Bailey Nero of Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) (55.64). In the 200 freestyle, Metzger-Seymour's 1:49.92 performance was enough to hold off Ella Moynihan of Arapahoe (Centennial) (1:50.30).
"She's definitely determined and competitive," Brown said. "Even when she's just training in her lane, she wants to be the best. She wants to push herself and take the intervals seriously.
"She puts a lot of pressure on herself, quite honestly, to do well and to be the best. Sometimes when we tell her a time she needs to go, even if she's never done it, she'll just say OK."
Perhaps her non-stressed outlook toward the state meet is a way for Metzger-Seymour to scale back on her competitive mantra, at least somewhat, but those who know her believe she'll be fiercely focused when the time comes.
Her teammate and training partner Myers might be more intensely craving a title. Myers' signature event is the 500 freestyle, and she finished third in the event last season in 4:57.63, a mere .33 seconds behind No. 2 Amanda Richey of Boulder. Problem was, a swimmer from Regis Jesuit (Aurora) named Missy Franklin rocketed to a Colorado state record 4:41.72 in the event.
Myers, who will swim at the University of Denver, will have only the Pittsburgh-bound Richey to worry about this time, as the Olympic multi-medalist Franklin has moved on to college.
Metzger-Seymour also considered Denver before signing with Missouri at the tail end of an interesting recruiting trail that also included Pittsburgh, Louisville and Arkansas.
"Missouri was my last trip, and I honest to God thought I was going to go to Pittsburgh," she said. "I have three friends who go to Missouri and people always say that's the reason I chose them, but that's not it. I really connected with the team, had a lot of fun on the trip and I fit in really well with the team swimming-wise. When I got home, I couldn't see myself anywhere else."
Ralston Valley is delighted to have Metzger-Seymour around for one more season. She said she has grown as a team-type swimmer, understanding the combinations of points required to win meets and how to mesh with her teammates.
But when it's her turn, it's all business.
"A lot of competitors look around at what their competition is doing," Brown said. "Erin just puts her head down and goes."
