AURORA | Mullen walked away with the Smoky Hill Invitational title Saturday evening, but not without withstanding a big challenge from Smoky Hill and Cherokee Trail.
The host Buffaloes had no individual event champions, but racked up 609 points to earn the runner-up trophy behind the Mustangs — who accrued 665 — while the Cougars had four event champions and picked up 542 to hold off Ponderosa (537) for third.
Coach Scott Cohen’s Smoky Hill team was unable to defend the invitational title it won last season, however it had plenty of top performances from meet veterans and newcomers alike.
In his final Smoky Hill Invitational, senior Ian Noffsinger secured two top-three individual finishes, led by a runner-up result in the 500 yard freestyle, while freshman Cooper Walkup did the same in his inaugural meet, which included a second place in the 100 yard backstroke.
Coach Kevin Chatham’s Cherokee Trail team — which defeated Smoky Hill in a Centennial League dual meet just two days earlier — opened the meet with a victory in the 200 yard medley relay from seniors Jacob Mueller and Bronson Smothers, junior Tyson Walker and sophomore Anderson Hardin.
It only got better from there for the Cougars, as Walker won the 200 yard individual medley, Smothers claimed the 100 yard butterfly and the same group of relay swimmers set the meet and pool record in the 200 yard freestyle relay.
Mullen (which finished fifth at last season’s meet) put the finishing touches on the finals with a meet record time of 3:07.48 in the 400 yard freestyle relay — unseating Cherokee Trail’s 2021 time of 3:09.20 in the process — to go with a 100 yard backstroke win by Alex Aleinikovas.
Two Columbine swimmers were multiple event winners, as Carter Bradley claimed both distance freestyle events and Bayden Todd took the sprint freestyles. The Rebels won five events in all as Tobin Uhl took the 100 breaststroke.
Neither Aurora area program had an entrant in the diving competition, which took place Friday and was won by Chatfield’s Brecken Moran.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2025 SMOKY HILL INVITATIONAL BOYS SWIM MEET
April 12 at Smoky Hill High School
Team scores: 1. Mullen 665 points; 2. SMOKY HILL 609; 3. CHEROKEE TRAIL 542; 4. Ponderosa 537; 5. Heritage 527; 6. Columbine 446; 7. George Washington 438; 8. Chatfield 371; 9. Denver East 281; 10. Douglas County 173; 11. SMOKY HILL GREEN 104; 12. D’Evelyn 84; 13. SMOKY HILL RED 80; 14. Valor Christian 63
Event champions: 200 yard medley relay — 1. CHEROKEE TRAIL (Jacob Mueller, Tyson Walker, Bronson Smothers, Anderson Hardin), 1 minute, 34.23 seconds (5ASQT); 200 yard freestyle — 1. Carter Bradley (Columbine), 1 minute, 41.98 seconds (5ASQT); 200 yard individual medley: 1. TYSON WALKER (CHEROKEE TRAIL), 1 minute, 51.75 seconds (5ASQT); 50 yard freestyle: 1. Bayden Todd (Columbine), 21.18 seconds (5ASQT); 1-meter diving: 1. Brecken Moran (Chatfield), 519.35 points; 100 yard butterfly — 1. BRONSON SMOTHERS (CHEROKEE TRAIL), 50.17 seconds (5ASQT); 100 yard freestyle — 1. Bayden Todd (Columbine), 46.22 seconds (5ASQT); 500 yard freestyle — 1. Carter Bradley (Columbine), 4 minutes, 39.57 seconds (5ASQT); 200 yard freestyle relay — 1. CHEROKEE TRAIL (Bronson Smothers, Tyson Walker, Anderson Hardin, Jacob Mueller), 1 minute, 25.87 seconds (meet record, previous 1:26.84 by Columbine in 2023) (pool record, previous 1:26.23 by Cherry Creek in 2021) (5ASQT); 100 yard backstroke — 1. Alex Aleinikovas (Mullen), 52.94 seconds (5ASQT); 100 yard breaststroke — 1. Tobin Uhl (Columbine), 55.40 seconds (5ASQT); 400 yard freestyle relay — 1. Mullen, 3 minutes, 7.48 seconds (meet record, previous 3:12.00 by Columbine in 2022) (pool record, previous 3:09.20 by Cherokee Trail in 2021) (5ASQT)
— Full 2025 Smoky Hill Invitational boys swim meet results, here