The spring sports season is still some 10 days away from the first official practice, but it's never too early to take a look ahead.
The girls swimming and diving season wrapped up last weekend, with Fossil Ridge, Rampart and Longmont bringing home state championships. Soon it will be the boys' turn, with the season getting rolling with the first meets in early March.
Last spring it was all about the familiar names, as
Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) in Class 5A and
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) in 4A claimed a third consecutive state championship. The title-winning teams won all three relays in their respective classifications on the way to a resounding team championship.
While both squads took some hits to graduation, there is plenty of talent still in the pool. Here is a quick look at the upcoming season for both 5A and 4A and what lies ahead:
Class 5A
Defending state champion: Fossil Ridge
State Meet: May 18-19, VMAC in Thornton
Returning all-state swimmers/divers: Aric Althouse, Sr., Lewis-Palmer (2nd team); Will Brown, Sr., Fairview (2nd team); Ty Coen, Sr., Regis Jesuit (2nd team); Timothy Domashevich, Sr., Smoky Hill (2nd team); Joe Felton, Sr., Fairview (2nd team); Matt Geraghty, Sr., Fossil Ridge (1st team); William Goodwin, Jr., Regis Jesuit (2nd team); Caleb Ives, Jr., Arapahoe (2nd team); Danny Kovac, Sr., Fossil Ridge (1st team); Harrison Lierz, So., Broomfield (2nd team); Octavio Lucero, Sr., Bear Creek (1st team);
Jack Nagle, Sr., Lewis-Palmer (2nd team); Gavin Olson, Jr., Columbine (1st team); Josh Pales, So., Fossil Ridge (1st team);
Quinton Pierce, Sr., Boulder (1st team); Gabe Reuter, Sr., Cherry Creek (2nd team); Elijah Warren, Sr., Regis Jesuit (2nd team).
Overview: Fossil Ridge's only titles came from the team's three relays, but the SaberCats still claimed the 5A title by more than 100 points over
Regis Jesuit (Aurora). Senior Danny Kovac was the runner-up to two-time winner Michael Zarian of
Fairview (Boulder) in the 100-yard butterfly, earning All-American honors. He also placed second in the 100 backstroke with an All-American time, and was on the winning 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay. As a freshman, Fossil's Josh Pales was on two winning relays and placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke. Matt Geraghty was also on two winning relays and placed third in the 50 free. … Octavio Lucero of
Bear Creek (Lakewood) captured his second consecutive diving championship. … State runner-up Regis Jesuit placed second in the 200 medley relay and third in the 400 free relay, the latter with four juniors. Elijah Warren was on both of those relays as a junior, and also placed second in the 100 breaststroke and fourth in the 50 free. Ty Coen was third in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, and current junior William Goodwin placed third in the 200 individual medley and sixth in the 100 breaststroke. …
Boulder senior Quinton Pierce made an impact as well, winning the 500 free over
Broomfield's Harrison Lierz and teammate Nathan Rock, and placing second in the 200 free. … Gavin Olson of
Columbine (Littleton) recorded an All-American time of 48.35 seconds in winning the 100 backstroke.
Class 4A
Defending state champion: Cheyenne Mountain
State Meet: May 18-19, U.S. Air Force Academy
Returning all-state swimmers/divers: Brendan Byrnes, Sr., Discovery Canyon (2nd team); Casey Fellows, Jr., Valor Christian (1st team);
Lukas Gately, Sr., Thompson Valley (2nd team); Sheridan Harder, Jr., Cheyenne Mountain (1st team);
Ryan King, Jr., Montrose (2nd team); Kyle Leach, Sr., Cheyenne Mountain (1st team); Cory Leidich, Jr., Golden (2nd team); Reece MacRenato, Jr., Cheyenne Mountain (1st team); Drake Manuello, Sr., Greeley Central (1st team); Oliver Mills, So., Evergreen (1st team); Jack Moranetz, Sr., D'Evelyn (2nd team); Ryan Peterson, Jr., Wheat Ridge (1st team); Nicholas Sherman, Sr., Pine Creek (2nd team); Cole Sibelius, Sr., George Washington (2nd team); Tate Warner, So., Golden (2nd team).
Overview: Cheyenne Mountain graduated a bit more at the top than its 5A counterpart. Daniel Carr, who won the 50 free and 500 free and was on two winning relays, departed, as did Jerry Birnbaum (100 back and two relays) and Westin Stieglitz (two relays). But senior Kyle Leach captured the 100 butterfly as a junior, was on the winning 200 free relay team and was a runner-up in the 200 free. Juniors Sheridan Harder and Reece MacRenato each competed on two title-winning relays. That experience has the Indians primed to pursue a four-peat. …
Wheat Ridge junior Ryan Peterson took the 200 IM last May in a nail-biter over Dylan Nasser of
Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) and was fifth in the 100 free. …
Thompson Valley (Loveland) graduated a two-time 2017 champion in Liam Gately (100 and 200 free).
Air Academy's Griffin Ayotte was third in the 100 and fourth in the 200 as a sophomore, and Leach was an All-American in the 200 in finishing second. Nicholas Sherman of
Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) finished just more than a second behind Gately in the 100 as a junior. Sherman took third in the 100 backstroke. …
Montrose junior Ryan King made waves in the 500 free last season, recording an All-American time of 4:35.69 to finish less than two seconds behind Carr. … The top seven finishers in the 100 breaststroke were all underclassmen.
Greeley Central's Drake Manuello won the event as a junior, just .09 seconds ahead of Jack Moranetz of
D'Evelyn (Denver). …
Mullen (Denver) senior Blayze Jessen had a strong state campaign, finishing third in the 200 IM (less than a second behind Peterson) and fourth in the 100 back. …
Evergreen sophomore Oliver Mills and Valor Christian junior Casey Fellows are among the top divers expected back. … State runner-up Valor Christian placed second in the 200 free relay and third in the 200 medley and 400 free relays, and the Eagles return a handful of swimmers from those events.
