AURORA | Taper is in full effect and city girls swim teams get their final tune-ups for the Class 5A girls state swim meet at league championship meets Friday and Saturday.
The individuals and relay teams that are on the bubble and hope to earn their way into the Feb. 13-14 state meet at the Edora Pool & Ice Center in Fort Collins have their final chances in league meets at Adams City, Arapahoe and Heritage high schools.
The largest contingent of city teams takes part in the Centennial “A” League Championship, which open with prelims at 5:30 p.m. Friday. Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Overland and Smoky Hill will be in the water in the eight-team meet, which also has divining prelims and semifinals scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by finals in all events at 3 p.m.
Grandview has led Aurora teams at the Centennial League meet the past two seasons, as the Wolves finished third both times. Junior Mia Wood is the league’s defending champion in the 200 yard individual medley, while seniors Mackenzie Ammon and Sami Daniels seek to match or surpass their efforts last season in which they placed in two championship finals apiece.
Smoky Hill and Cherokee Trail finished fourth and fifth, respectively, last season, a repeat of their showing in 2013.
Sophomore Jordyn Richey posted a pair of fourth-place league finishes a year ago and could take aim at moving up in both the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, while senior Julia Song was last season’s 50 freestyle runner-up.
Eaglecrest finished seventh last season, bolstered by the fifth-place performance of senior diver Indiya Williams.
Two-time defending 5A state champion Regis Jesuit swims in the Continental “A” League Championships at Heritage, which opens with prelims at 4:30 p.m. Friday and swim finals at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The league’s diving competition — in which junior McKensi Austin is the defending champ — is contested entirely at Littleton High School on Saturday, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
The Raiders won last season’s Continental League title with 505 points, 48 more than runner-up Rock Canyon.
Besides Austin, Regis Jesuit has two defending league-winning relays, the 200 freestyle unit of senior Taylor Wilson, juniors Amy Lenderink and Lindsay Painton and sophomore Isabella Schultze and the 400 freestyle team of Painton, Lenderink and fellow junior Emily Protz, plus sophomore Samantha Smith.
The four teams that just faced off in the Aurora Public Schools Championship meet Jan. 30-31 — Aurora Central, Gateway, Hinkley and Rangeview — meet up again for the EMAC Championships at Adams City High School. Prelims are slated for 4:15 p.m. Friday, with diving prelims and semifinals scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by all finals at 12:15 p.m.
APS champion Rangeview finished third as a team last season and would love to challenge Northglenn/Thornton for second place behind perennial league power Brighton, while Gateway finished in front of Hinkley last season, but the Thunderbirds nipped the Olys at the city meet.
The most intrigue could come in the diving competition, where Gateway’s Jessica Mitchell is the defending EMAC champion. Mitchell qualified for the 5A state meet at the APS Championships and seeks to repeat in the league competition, where she could face stiff competition from another freshly-qualified diver in Hinkley junior Brooke Connelly.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
AURORA GIRLS SWIMMING LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETS
Centennial “A” League Championships (At Arapahoe High School)
Feb. 6: Swim prelims, 5:30 p.m.; Feb. 7: Diving prelims/semifinals, 8:30 a.m.; swim & dive finals, 3 p.m.
Continental “A” League Championships (At Heritage High School)
Feb. 6: Swim prelims, 4:30 p.m.; Feb. 7: Diving prelims/semifinals/finals, 8:30 a.m. (at Littleton High School); swim finals, 2 p.m.
EMAC Championships (At Adams City High School)
Feb. 6: Swim prelims, 4:15 p.m.; Feb. 7: Diving prelims/semifinals, 9 a.m.; swim & dive finals, 12:15 p.m.
