The Psych Sheet

High School State Meet Lives Up to Expectations and Then Some

Last year when I attended the Girls 5A High School State Championships strictly as a spectator, I couldn’t believe the energy. It was definitely the most exciting swim meet I had been to and even more electric, in some ways, than the 2008 Olympic Trials.

This year, however, was a whole new level of excitement as I made the transition to high school swim mom. Now my daughter was part of a high school team.

Make no mistake. There’s a huge difference between representing your club team and competing for your high school. Swimming really is a very individual sport. When it comes to racing, other than relays, the results are squarely on your shoulders. You either perform to par, or you don’t. It’s not a teammate that has a bad start, sloppy turn or poor finish.

But swimming for your high school team truly transforms this individual sport into a team endeavor, and no where is that more evident than at the state championship meet. Each swimmer and the school they represent are announced, which means you may dive in as Jane Doe swimming the 100Y Freestyle, but it’s not Jane Doe who finished first as much as ABC High School who took the race.

It’s also when swimming really becomes a spectator sport. The stands were filled to capacity.
To the left of us sat the huge section of Regis Jesuit High School fans, nearly all in red and enthusiastically waving their rally towels. To the right was the loud Cherry Creek High School cheering section of parents, students and friends. In between were blocks of various smaller schools, all as vociferous as they could manage.

Before the competition got underway, several teams down on deck led cheers while their supporters from the stands chimed in.

Then, of course, there was the competition itself -- incredible swims and outrageous races. Closest overall race of the evening went to the 100Y Breaststroke consulation heat where the difference between all eight swimmers was just .73!

To be honest, I wasn’t sure how fast the meet would be this year without the full-body high-tech suits, but as I weekly scanned the top swim results, it became clear that the girls were laying down the times. So I wasn’t that surprised to see the records eclipsed. However, I didn’t think it would be ALL the records but two.

Given that none of the individual events were won by a senior, and the freshman class behind Franklin is extremely strong, I’m expecting this speedy streak to continue for at least the next few years. Congrats to everyone on a wonderful state meet.

Here are all the results from yesterday’s finals, including diving, where it should be noted, the state record was not broken.

Women 200Y Medley Relay

1. Cherry Creek, 1:41.88 (previous record 1:43.75 set 2009)
2. Regis Jesuit, 1:43.29
3. Rampart, 1:48.50
4. Fairview, 1:48.61
5. Heritage, 1:49.49
6. Arapahoe, 1:50.07
7. Monarch, 1:51.85
8. Boulder, 1:52.2
9. Littleton, 1:53.54
10. Chaparral, 1:54.79
11. Mountain Vista, 1:54.91
12. Grandview, 1:55.48
13. *Loveland, 1:55.74
14. *Doherty, 1:55.74
15. Smoky Hill, 1:55.8
16.  Air Academy, 1:57.79

Women 200Y Freestyle

1. Jordan Mattern,  Jr. Cherry Creek, 1:48.82 (previous record 1:49.25 set Friday)
2. Hillary Thomas, Jr. Regis Jesuit, 1:50.85
3. Anna Labozan, Jr., Monarch, 1:52.45
4. Abigail Houck, Fr., Fairview, 1:54.55
5. McKenna Newsum-Schoenberg, Jr, Cherry Creek, 1:55.39
6. Kristen Haeger, So., Ralston Valley, 1:55.49
7. Megan Grier, Fr., Regis Jesuit, 1:55.68
8. Shelly Patton, So., Heritage, 1:56.99
9. Elizabeth Anderson, So., Fairview, 1:56.30
10. Hannah Cox, Sr., Dakota Ridge, 1:56.42
11. Julie Anderson, Sr., Fairview, 1:56.48
12. Maggie Burkhardt, So., Denver East, 1:56.49
13. Meghan Varner, Sr., Boulder, 1:58.07
14. Rachel Crino, So., Cherry Creek, 1:58.55
15. Emily Mayo, Fr., Arapahoe, 1:58.80
16. Alison Bischoff, So., Chaparral, 1:59.56

Women 200Y IM

1. Bonnie Brandon, So., Cherry Creek, 2:02.09 (previous record 2:03.87)
2. Christine Wixted, Sr., Cherry Creek, 2:02.91
3. Caroline Piehl, Jr., Smoky Hill, 2:03.71
4. Kyrene Clarke, Sr., Rampart, 2:08.50
5. Mary Scraggs, So., Fairview, 2:10.43
6. Lauren Stoeckle, So., Regis Jesuit, 2:11.23
7. Alex Todd, Jr., Regis Jesuit, 2:11.37
8. Cayla Wood, Sr., Grandview, 2:11.
9. Lauren Rigg, Sr., Fairview, 2:12.99
10. Makenna Wilson, Fr., Chaparral, 2:12.78
11. Caroline Patterson, Jr., Fairview, 2:13.72
12. Whitney Dougherty, Sr., Monarch, 2:13.80
13. Sydney Pair, Jr., Fairview, 2:13.91
14. Elizabeth Oster, Jr., Cherry Creek, 2:14.01
15. Miranda Reetz, Fr., Arapahoe, 2:14.02
16. Sarah James, Fr., Doherty, 2:14.62

Women 50Y Freestyle

1. Missy Franklin, Fr., Regis Jesuit, 22.49 (previous record 22.70 set on Friday)
2. Jenna Gregoire, Sr., Rampart, 23.86
3. Patricia Nelson, Sr., Fort Collins, 24.01
4. Andrea Slouka, Sr., Heritage, 24.44
5. Siobhan Hengemuhle, Jr., Boulder, 24.52
6. Laura Kollar, Sr., Fort Collins, 24.64
7. Gretchen Cohen, Sr., Cherry Creek, 24.72
8. Kylie Rathbone, Sr., 24.80
9. *Elaine Powell, Fr., Cherry Creek, 24.8
10. *Delaney Lanker, Fr., Regis Jesuit, 24.83
11. Emily Scraggs, Sr., Fairview, 24.89
12. Fiona Kane, So., Cherry Creek, 25.08
13. Kianna Lee, Fr., Grandview, 25.10
14. Gabby Smith, Jr., Rocky Mountain, 25.11
15. Lacey Smith, Fr., Fairview, 25.13
16. Elysia Erickson, So., Smoky Hill, 25.29

Women 1 Meter Diving

1. Michal Bower, Fr., Loveland, 489.15
2. Beth Ambrozic, Sr., Arapahoe, 442.35
3. Max Thorn, Sr. Loveland, 430.45
4. Melissa Bollig, Sr. Douglas County, 422.10
5. Breannna Hemming, Jr., Ponderosa, 416.60
6. Lizzy Linsmayer, Sr., Denver East, 410.20
7. Raleigh Williams, Sr. Ralston Valley, 409.90
8. Mady Ingmire, So., Thunder Ridge, 406.25
9. Jessica Heap, Sr., Grandview, 405:90
10. Chanley, Burge, So., Loveland, 398.45
11. Paige Gaydos, Sr., Smoky Hill, 379.50
12. Dani Howe, Sr., Arapahoe, 373.45
13. Casey Nelson, Senior, Cherry Creek, 347.10
14. Demetria Longo, Fr., Grandview, 330.50
15. Jayme Owens, So., Mountain Range, 324.15
16. Aubrie Weiner, Sr., Cherry Creek, 317.05

Women 100Y Butterfly

1. Kelly Naze, So., Cherry Creek 54.25 (previous record 54.44 set on Friday)
2. Alex Todd, Jr., Regis Jesuit, 56.61
3. Delaney Lanker, Fr., Regis Jesuit, 58.09
4. Miranda Morton, Jr., Regis Jesuit, 58.35
5. Yana Garvey, Sr., Mountain Vista, 58.39
6. Ashely Horodyski, So, Columbine, 58.58
7. Hannah Chase, Jr., Regis Jesuit, 58.63
8. McKenna Newsum-Schoenberg, Jr., Cherry Creek, 58.69
9. Maggie Burkhardt, So., Denver East, 59.62
10. Abby Dorfman, Jr., Cherry Creek, 59.63
11. Lauren Rigg, Sr., Fairview, 59.70
12. Jordan Matthews, Sr., Loveland, 1:00.03
13. Sara Nash, Fr., Legacy, 1:00.44
14. Cayla Wood, Sr., Grandview, 1:00.75
15. Mary Scraggs, So., Fairview, 1:00.83
16. Breanna Hemming, Jr. Ponderosa, 1:01.24

Women 100Y Freestyle

1. Jordan Mattern, Jr. Cherry Creek, 51.08
2. Jenna Gregoire, Sr., Rampart, 51.13
3. Caroline Piehl, Jr., Smoky Hill, 51.21
4. Hillary Thomas, Jr., Regis Jesuit, 51.71
5. Anna Labozan, Jr., Monarch, 52.35
6. Andrea Slouka, Sr., Heritage, 52.46
7. Patricia Nelson, Sr., Fort Collins, 53.18
8. Taylor DeBever, Sr., Regis Jesuit, 53.44
9. Emily Scraggs, Sr., Fairview, 53.91
10. Siobhan Hengemuhle, Jr., Boulder, 53.93
11. Megan Grier, Fr., Regis Jesuit, 53.99
12. Fiona Kane, So., Cherry Creek, 54.23
13. Lacey Smith, Fr., Fairview, 54.51
14. Hannah Cox, Sr., Dakota Ridge, 54.60
15. Emily Mayo, Fr., Arapahoe, 54.61
16. Kianna Lee, Fr., Grandview, 54.67

Women 500Y Freestyle

1. Bonnie Brandon, So., Cherry Creek, 4:51.56 (previous record 4:53.47 set in 2007)
2. Abigail Houck, Fr. Fairview, 5:03.86
3. Katie Naze, Sr., Cherry Creek, 5:06.23
4. Julie Anderson, Sr., Fairview, 5:07.03
5. Elizabeth Anderson, So., Fairview, 5:08.55
6. Jaclyn Best, Sr., Boulder, 5:13.70
7. Kristen Haeger, So., Ralston Valley, 5:15.49
8. Ruthie Pappas, Sr., Ralson Valley, 5:17.77
9. Katherine Glassner, Sr., 5:12.99
10. Sydney Pair, Jr., Fairview, 5:13.86
11. Savannah Rose, Fr., Arapahoe, 5:14.03
12. Paula Stoddard, So., Mountain Vista, 5:18.70
13. Barbara Barocio, Fr., Gateway, 5:18.91
14. Bridget Louis, So., Arapahoe, 5:19.25
15. Abby Dorfman, Jr., Cherry Creek, 5:19.66
16. Briana Purkapile, Sr., Chaparral, 5:21.88

Women 200Y Freestyle Relay

1. Cherry Creek, 1:37.17
2. Regis Jesuit, 1:38.01
3. Smoky Hill, 1:39.30
4. Rampart, 1:39.60
5. Heritage, 1:39.76
6. Fairview, 1:40.14
7. Arapahoe, 1:42.14
8. Fort Collins, 1:43.1
9. Chatfield Senior, 1:41.84
10. Littleton, 1:42.73
11. Ralston Valley, 1:43.06
12. Monarch, 1:43.47
13. Boulder, 1:43.66
14. *Ponderosa, 1:43.68
15. *Rocky Mountain 1:43.68
16. Coronado 1:46.61

Women 100Y Backstroke

1. Missy Franklin, Fr., Regis Jesuit, 53.16 (previous record of 53.43 set on Friday)
2. Shelly Patton, So., Heritage, 56.48
3. Yana Garvey, Sr., Mountain Vista, 57.34
4. Sarah James, Fr., Doherty, 57.80
5. Gretchen Cohen, Sr., Cherry Creek, 58.35
6. Caroline Patterson, Jr. Fairview, 58.41
7. Makenna Wilson, Fr., Chaparral, 58.62
8. Katie Naze, Sr., Cherry Creek, 58.80
9. Sara Nash, Fr., Legacy, 58.94
10. Laura Kollar, Sr., Fort Collins, 59.16
11. Rachel Crino, So., Cherry Creek, 59.40
12. Ailey Ruger, Sr. Boulder, 59.75
13. Kassy Brisch, So., Heritage, 1:00.22
14. Elizabeth Oster, Jr., Cherry Creek, 1:00.41
15. Melissa Tillman, Jr. Monarch, 1:01.77
16. Taylor DeBever, Sr., 1:01.86

Women 100Y Breaststroke

1. Kelly Naze, So., Cherry Creek, 1:02.47 (previous record set on Friday)
2. Christine Wixted, Sr., Cherry Creek, 1:03.15
3. Lauren Stoeckle, So., Regis Jesuit, 1:06.12
4. Kyrene Clarke, Sr., Rampart, 1:06.29
5. Janaye Monica, Fr., Fairview, 1:06.40
6. Kourtney Fosse, So, Fairview, 1:06.69
7. Kylie Rathbone, Sr., Lakewood, 1:07.04
8. Megan Perron, Sr., Arapahoe, 1:07.09
9. Hannah Bower, So., Boulder, 1:09.14
10. Amanda Sanders, Fr., Monarch, 1:09.32
11. Whitney Dougherty, Sr., Mondarch, 1:09.34
12. Meagan Smith, Jr., Regis Jesuit, 1:09.53
13. Jackie Macke, So., Regis Jesuit, 1:09.55
14. Erin Hayes, So., Highlands Ranch, 1:09.62
15. Kim Utter, Sr., Littleton, 1:09.64
16. Jordan Matthews, Sr., Loveland, 1:09.87

Women 400Y Freestyle Relay

1. Cherry Creek, 3:24.85 (previous record 3:27.08 set in 2009)
2. Regis Jesuit, 3:24.90
3. Heritage, 3:34.82
4. Fairview, 3:35.37
5. Smoky Hill, 3:38.01
6. Monarch, 3:38.75
7. Boulder, 3:39.65
8. Ralston Valley, 3:41.
9. Arapahoe, 3:41.02
10. Grandview, 3:41.56
11. Loveland, 3:42.99
12. Chaparral, 3:43.39
13. Mountain Vista, 3:43.71
14. Ponderosa, 3:47.85
15. Fort Collins, 3:49.43
16. Littleton, 3:49.56

Special awards:

2010 Co-Swimmers – Jenna Gregoire, who heads to Harvard, and Christine Wixted, who signed with Duke

2010 Swim Coach – Scott Cohen, Smoky Hill

2010 Divers – Lizzy Linsmayer, Denver East

2010 Co-Diving Coaches – Barb Ambrozic of Arapahoe and Jake Barber, Denver East

Colorado State 5A Championships One for the Record Books

Before the 5A Girls Championship meet began this afternoon, the Cherry Creek High School team ceremoniously poured a bit of their special water into the pool, and based on the results, it must have been fast water because new state records were set in every single swim event except for two. And Creek girls were crowned state champs in every event except for the two won by Regis Jesuit High School Freshman Missy Franklin.

All five new Colorado state records from yesterday’s prelim swims tumbled. The 100Y Freestyle, which was won by Jordan Mattern, who set a new 5A record yesterday, is the only individual state record that wasn’t broken.The 200Y Freestyle Relay record from 2005 also remains intact.

For the sixth consecutive year, Creek captured the 5A championships with sophomore Bonnie Brandon taking two events – the 200Y IM and 500Y Freestyle – Mattern winning the 200Y Freestyle and 100Y Freestyle – and sophomore Kelly Naze victorious in her two events – the 100Y Butterfly and 100Y Breaststroke. That left Franklin with the two remaining individual events – the 50Y Freestyle and 100Y Backstroke.

Creek also swept all three relays including a heartbreakingly close 400Y Freestyle Relay in which Regis Jesuit was out in front the entire race until the last few yards when Creek’s Kelly Naze out-touched Regis Jesuit’s Hillary Thomas by .05. In that same race, Franklin set a new National Independent High School Record with her incredible lead-off swim of 48.39.

Your 5A Top 10 Teams and scores were as follows:

      1) Cherry Creek, 399

2)    Regis Jesuit, 322

3)    Fairview, 271

4)    Heritage, 148

5)    Rampart, 126

6)    Arapahoe, 116

7)    Monarch, 110

8)    Boulder, 106

9)    Smoky Hill, 103

10) Ralston Valley, 82

Check back tomorrow for full top-16 results from each event from the 5A championships as well as a list of special awards.

Meanwhile, a shout out to Pueblo South freshman Mary Saiz, who became the first state champ ever from the Pueblo area with her win at the 4A Championships in the 100Y Backstroke in a time of a 58.83.

 

Girls High School State Off to Quick Start

The water was churning tonight at the 5A Girls High School State Championships as five state records were smashed during preliminary competition at EPIC in Fort Collins. The tone for the evening was set early as Jordan Mattern, a junior at Cherry Creek High School, served up the first state-record setting swim in the first individual event of the evening. Mattern clocked a 1:49.25 in the 200Y Free, breaking the previous mark of 1:50.04 set in 1992 by Stephanie Northrup of Creek.

To few people’s surprise, Missy Franklin, a freshman at Regis Jesuit High School, claimed two of the four records for the evening. Franklin, 14, destroyed the 50Y Freestyle record with a 22.70, bettering the previous record of 23.06 set in 1994 by Becky Bicknell of Denver East. In the 100Y Backstroke, Franklin set the new mark at 53.43, wiping out Creek Sophomore Bonnie Brandon’s record swim of 54.77 from last year.

In the 100Y Butterfly, Kelly Naze, a sophomore at Cherry Creek, put down a 54.44 erasing the mark of 55.16 set by Lisa Caprioglio of Highlands Ranch in 2006.

The biggest record margin, however, came in the 100Y Breaststroke as Duke-bound Cherry Creek High School Senior Christine Wixted swam a 1:02.68, more than a second and a half better than Regis Jesuit’s Lauren Stoeckle’s record-setting swim of 1:04.27 last year.

Down the road at Mountain View High School in Loveland where the 4A High School State Championship prelims were being swum, no records were set.

Not to worry. I'm sure the finals at both meets slated to begin at 2 p.m. tomorrow will be speedy.

Giving Back Through Swimming

Kendall Hagar, 17, had been swimming since she was five. Like many athletes, a lot of her life revolved around her sport. Just more than a year ago, her competitive swimming career ended abruptly when a heart condition forced her to give up competitive swimming. But the Cherry Creek High School senior hasn’t foregone the sport completely, far from it.

Since she was 11 or so, Hagar had been helping out with Special Olympics on a periodic basis. Now, she has taken that involvement to the next level and beyond as the head coach of the Cherry Creek Youth Aquatics, which practices weekly on Sundays at Cherry Creek High School.

“I had so much time on my hands,” she says after she could no longer swim. Her solution: plan a meet for Special Olympic athletes.

On Jan. 23, the second annual Fast and Furious intra-squad meet was held at Cherry Creek High School and more than 35 Special Olympic athletes competed in a variety of events. On hand to help out were nearly 50 swim volunteers, many of them Hagar’s swim friends from various club teams around the area. The meet was once again successful.

“They’re such an inspiration, so amazing and so brave,” says Hagar of the Special Olympic competitors. “We celebrate all accomplishments, no matter how big or how small.

Last week Hagar traveled to Washington D.C. after being selected as one of a handful of delegates to represent Special Olympics Colorado. The delegation met with several members of Congress to encourage continued financial support of the Special Olympics program.

Special Olympics Colorado serves nearly 10,000 children and adults statewide. It’s mission is to “provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, eight years of age and older, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendships with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community."

Hagar says volunteering has filled a huge void. Without that involvement, she says, “It would have been so hard to leave the swim family.”

You can learn more about Special Olympics Colorado, including how you can become a volunteer, by clicking here.