A combined double-digit number of Aurora-area boys and girls swimmers from Grandview and Smoky Hill were elite out of the water during the 2024-25 season.
The National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) honors top student-athletes from across the country as Academic All-Americans, which are defined as graduating seniors and lettered that season with a high school program (in swimming, diving or water polo), while they also must have a minimum Grade Point Average of 3.750 on a 4 point scale or 93.7500% of the grade scale their school uses for 7 semesters/11 trimesters.
According to the recently issued list from NISCA, coach Scott Cohen’s Smoky Hill team had a total of four selections in Ella Ambruso, Morgan Goodrich, Julia Kaiser and Brianna Obot. Of the four, Goodrich swam on two relay teams at the Class 5A girls state swim meet that scored points for the Buffaloes.
Goodrich combined with Caroline Kaiser, Greta Smolenski and Cameryn Walkup in an 11th-place 200 yard freestyle relay, while she joined Mya Noffsinger, Eve Niemann and Sophie Noffsinger on the 200 yard medley relay, which placed 14th.
Outgoing coach James Boone’s Grandview team landed three spots on the Academic All-American team from Anastasiya and Kateryna Fajda along with Baylie Renner.
Renner qualified for the 5A state meet individually in the 100 yard butterfly and 100 yard backstroke, but did not make it back for the consolation or championship finals in either. She combined with Teagan Boskovich, Ella Kozlowski and Delaina Burgeson on a 200 yard medley relay that placed 13th.
Swimmers from other Colorado girls swim programs at D’Evelyn, Discovery Canyon, Fairview and Fossil Ridge also earned the distinction.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2024-25 NISCA COLORADO GIRLS SWIMMING ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS
Aurora selections: Ella Ambruso (Smoky Hill); Anastasiya Fajda (Grandview); Kateryna Fajda (Grandview); Morgan Goodrich (Smoky Hill); Julia Kaiser (Smoky Hill); Brianna Obot (Smoky Hill) and Baylie Renner (Grandview)
Other Colorado selections: Caroline Bruno (Fairview); Claire Burkhard (Fairview); Abigail Davis (Fairview); Isabel Kembel-Rodriguez (Fairview); Sevigne Kulbacki (Fossil Ridge); Sarah Leevan (Fairview); Abriana Losasso (Fossil Ridge); Amelia Mason (Fairview); Rylan Neumann (Fairview); Emelie Rice (D’Evelyn); Ameena Sharp (Discovery Canyon); Lily Sharpe (D’Evelyn); Alyssa Teunissen (Fairview) and Madison Wagner (Discovery Canyon)
