AURORA | Regis Jesuit won’t compete in Saturday’s Dick Rush Coaches Invitational, but five other Aurora teams will be in the water at Thornton’s Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center.
The Raiders won’t be able to defend the championship they won in the multi-classification meet last season because it falls on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter.
Swimmers from Cherokee Trail, Grandview, Hinkley, Overland and Smoky Hill, however, will be on hand for competition which begins with swim prelims at 8:30 a.m. and diving prelims at 9 a.m. Finals for both swimming and diving are slated for 3 p.m.
Among the Aurora teams who will compete, Smoky Hill has an Aurora-best 21 individuals and six relay teams in the mix.
The Buffaloes have the two highest-seed swimmers among those from city teams in junior Juhan Hong and freshman Aidan Mercer, who are seeded No. 2 in the 500-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke, respectively.
Hong — who is also seeded seventh in the 200 freestyle — was Smoky Hill’s only individual to make it back to finals at last season’s Coaches Invite, where he finished third in the 500 freestyle. This season, his best time of 4 minutes, 45.30 seconds trails only that of D’Evelyn’s Josh Graber, who has posted a 4:44.11.
Mercer’s 1:00.72 in the 100 breaststroke is just off the 1:00.47 of top-seeded Eric Ung of Standley Lake and he is also seeded seventh in the 100 butterfly.
The Buffaloes have two relay teams qualified for all three events, topped by a 400 freestyle team with the seventh seed.
Cherokee Trail takes 12 individuals, though it won’t have 2012 Coaches Invite finalist TJ Konde, who placed sixth in the 100 backstroke a year ago.
Leading the way for the Cougars in terms of seeding is junior Josh Bedford, who takes the ninth-fastest time of 1:02.66 into the 100 breaststroke.
A 14th-place finish by the 200 medley team was the best relay result for Cherokee Trail last season, but this season’s medley group is seeded fifth overall and the other two units have times that put them in contention to make it back to at least consolations as well: the 200 freestyle team is 10th and the 400 freestyle unit is 13th.
Grandview’s seven individuals and three relay teams got shut out at last season’s Coaches Invite, but the Wolves have nine individuals and three relay teams in this go-round.
The 400 freestyle relay team is seeded second, the 200 freestyle relay team has the fourth-best time going in and the 200 medley unit sits ninth at the outset.
Sophomores Triston Mosby and James Boone could score in both of their individual events if seedings hold. Mosby is seeded 9th in the 100 freestyle and 12th in the 50 freestyle, while Boone is 11th in the 200 freestyle and 15th in the 100 freestyle.
The Hinkley co-op team scored 17 points at last season’s meet, but all came courtesy of the finishes of now-departed Brandon Barocio.
Four individuals and three relay teams will take part for Hinkley in this season’s meet, with senior Sam Buchholz seeded the closest to scoring with his 20th-place slot in the 50 freestyle. Junior Tim Martin has the 21st-fastest time in the 100 breaststroke going in.
Overland’s lone individual competitor is junior diver Scott Stellick, while two relay teams will also be on hand.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
AURORA COMPETITORS IN 2013 COACHES INVITATIONAL
CHEROKEE TRAIL — Individuals (12): Josh Bedford (27th, 100 freestyle, 9th, 100 breaststroke); Eric Daugherty (64th, 500 freestyle/44th, 100 backstroke); Brady Garvin (diving); Korbin Green (35th, 200 IM/43rd, 500 freestyle); Brandon Hawley (88th, 50 freestyle/45th, 100 backstroke); Robert Kim (34th, 50 freestyle/53rd, 100 freestyle); Sean Kim (45th, 100 buttterfly/16th, 100 breaststroke); Jay McBeth (56th, 50 freestyle/61st, 100 freestyle); Bryce Pulse (40th, 200 freestyle/56th, 100 backstroke); Jacob Salinas (59th, 200 freestyle/39th, 500 freestyle); Mitchell Stieg (39th, 200 freestyle/34th, 100 butterfly); Kamden Weis (40th, 50 freestyle/62nd, 100 freestyle); Relays: 200-yard medley (5th), 200 freestyle (10th), 400 freestyle (13th)
GRANDVIEW — Individuals (9): James Boone (11th, 200 freestyle/15th, 100 freestyle); Joe Flynn (38th, 200 freestyle/20th, 100 butterfly); Robyn Kuebler (42nd, 200 IM/63rd, 100 freestyle); Dillon Moore (48th, 200 IM/10th, 100 backstroke); Triston Mosby (12th, 50 freestyle/9th, 100 freestyle); Ryley Richart (69th, 100 freestyle/17th, 100 backstroke); Alex Turner (21st, 20o IM/30th, 100 breaststroke); John Wright (42nd, 50 freestyle/73rd, 100 freestyle); Zyed Ansary (62nd, 500 freestyle); Relays (4): 200-yard medley (9th), 200 freestyle (4th), 400 freestyle (A, 2nd; B, 43rd)
HINKLEY (APS CO-OP) — Individuals (4): Jon Askew (84th, 50 freestyle); Steve Banuelos-Loya (45th, 50 freestyle/38th, 100 breaststroke); Sam Buchholz (20th, 50 freestyle/43rd, 100 freestyle); Tim Martin (23rd, 500 freestyle/21st, 100 breaststroke); Relays: 200-yard medley (25th), 200 freestyle (21st), 400 freestyle (34th)
OVERLAND — Individual: Scott Stellick (diving); Relays (2): 200-yard medley (47th), 200 freestyle (48th)
SMOKY HILL — Individuals (21): Austin Acree (21st, 100 butterfly/15th, 100 backstroke); Devin Bellamy (diving); Ethan Evans (27th, 200 IM/30th, 500 freestyle); Chris Hartman (diving); Juhan Hong (7th, 200 freesstyle/2nd, 500 freestyle); Nathan Hoskins (28th, 100 butterfly/38th, 500 freestyle); Alex Kohlman (17th, 200 freestyle/17th, 100 freestyle); Chris Langlett (52nd, 200 IM/39th, 100 breaststroke); Derek Liu (26th, 200 freestyle/18th, 500 freestyle); Mason Markle (39th, 50 freestyle/28th, 100 breaststroke); Artur Meletyan (61st, 200 freestyle/57th, 100 freestyle); Aidan Mercer (7th, 100 butterfly/2nd, 100 breaststroke); Ryan Mitchell (diving); Tyler Mobley (46th, 100 breaststroke); Adithya Mohan (57th, 100 butterfly/46th, 100 backstroke); Alex Moulton (55th, 200 IM/43rd, 100 breaststroke); Cameron Navarrete (63rd, 500 freestyle); Joey Pucciarelli (60th, 100 freestyle/23rd, 100 backstroke); Steven Tibbitts (78th, 50 freestyle/48th, 100 backstroke); Ryan Vasina (32nd, 50 freestyle/20th, 100 backstroke); Joseph Waite (57th, 200 IM/40th, 500 freestyle); Relays (6): 200-yard medley (A, 10th; B, 36th), 200 freestyle (A, 12th; B, 32nd), 400 freestyle (A, 7th; B, 28th)
