AURORA | With a tight team race that came down to the final few races, the Smoky Hill Invitational girls swim meet couldn’t have been much better Saturday.
Third for much of the day, Heritage surged into first place late in the finals session of the 25th annual meet and tallied 480 points to win the meet for the second straight season. Smoky Hill and Chaparral finished second and third, respectively, in a repeat of the top three places from the 2014 meet.
Yet all three teams took turns in the lead at this season’s meet and though coach Scott Cohen’s Smoky Hill team eventually finished second, it turned out to be a very positive day for the Buffs. Senior Gaby Antunez and sophomore Natalie Rotondo each won event championships, seven different swimmers made at least one championship final, two divers scored points and sophomore Vickie Liu qualified for the Class 5A state meet in the 500 yard freestyle.
“It was fun to be competitive all the way through; it’s been awhile since we had a meet like that,” Cohen said. “Both of those teams (Heritage and Chaparral) are going to score a lot of points at a state meet, so to be with them is a good sign for us.”
Cherokee Trail posted its highest all-time finish at the Smoky Hill Invitational with its fifth-place result, as coach Kevin Chatham’s young crew qualified for the championship finals in all three relays, saw a pair of divers finish in the top 10 and picked up a 5A state qualifier in junior Elma Spahic in the 50 freestyle.
“I’m awfully proud of our kids, in seven years of me coaching the team, we’ve never placed that high or scored that many points at this meet,” Chatham said.
“It’s nice to go through a meet like this and realize that the majority of the girls in the finals are freshmen and sophomores. It’s the building of something. It’s good already and it’s going to get even better.”
Sophomore Christie Yee led Cherokee Trail with her sixth-place finish on the diving board, while Spahic won the consolation heat of the 50 freestyle with a state-qualifying time of 25.59 seconds.
Diver Sarang Kang placed eighth and freshman Kim Nguyen turn in a pair of top-12 results for Eaglecrest, which improved three places from the previous season to finish 10.
Chaparral set meet records in two relays and got two individual wins from Kaylee Gassen on its way to repeating in third place. The Wolverines’ time of 1 minute, 39.10 seconds, in the 200 freestyle relay knocked out the previous meet mark of 1:41.27 set last season by Smoky Hill.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
25th SMOKY HILL INVITATIONAL
Team scores: 1. Heritage 483 points; 2. SMOKY HILL 420; 3. Chaparral 406; 4. Legend 299; 5. CHEROKEE TRAIL 257; 6. George Washington 251; 7. Chatfield 231; 8. Douglas County 199; 9. Broomfield 170; 10. EAGLECREST 93; 11. SMOKY HILL GREEN 73; 12. Denver South 70; 13. Ponderosa 67; 14. SMOKY HILL RED 48; 15. Mullen 43
Full meet results, here.
Aurora top 12 placers — 200 yard medley relay: 3. Smoky Hill (Gaby Antunez, Jordyn Richey, Natalie Rotondo, Brieyana Walton), 1 minute, 53.47 seconds (5ASQT); 5. Cherokee Trail (Meghan Mai, Caitlyn Agee-Keys, Sophie Chapman, Elma Spahic), 1:58.35 (5ASQT); 8. Smoky Hill Green (Lauren Zurcher, Katie Anthony, Ciera Munns, Sarah Power), 2:00.21 (5ASQT); 10. Eaglecrest (Makayla Popovich, McKenzie Jenkins, Kim Nguyen, Monique Salvio), 2:03.65; 11. Smoky Hill Red (Riley Waller, Kelly Saindon, Nadine Lee, Emree Bess), 2:04.92
200 yard freestyle — 1. Natalie Rotondo (Smoky Hill), 1:06.99 (5ASQT); 8. Vickie Liu (Smoky Hill), 2:0.44; 9. Carlie Andrie (Smoky Hill), 2:06.65
200 yard individual medley: 3. Jordyn Richey (Smoky Hill), 2:14.21 (5ASQT); 9. Sophie Chapman (Cherokee Trail), 2:25.81
50 yard freestyle — 1. Gaby Antunez (Smoky Hill), 24.88 (5ASQT); 7. Elma Spahic (Cherokee Trail), 25.59 (5ASQT); 10. Jianna Walker (Smoky Hill), 25.99; 12. Kim Nguyen (Eaglecrest), 26.20
1-meter diving — 6. Christie Yee (Cherokee Trail), 349.05; 8. Sarang Kang (Eaglecrest), 336.80; 10. Deja Williams (Cherokee Trail), 315.65; 12. Emma Keohane (Smoky Hill), 304.50; 15. Jaclyn Santiago (Smoky Hill), 266.35
100 yard butterfly — 3. Natalie Rotondo (Smoky Hill), 58.63 (5ASQT); 9. Kaitlin Hoffman (Smoky Hill), 1:04.37; 10. Ella Steckler (Cherokee Trail), 1:05.30; 11. Kim Nguyen (Eaglecrest), 1:07.08; 12. Sophie Chapman (Cherokee Trail), 1:07.59
100 yard freestyle — 4. Jianna Walker (Smoky Hill), 56.32; 11. Meghan Mai (Cherokee Trail), 58.52; 12. Maddie Wilson (Cherokee Trail), 58.86
500 yard freestyle — 3. Vickie Liu (Smoky Hill), 5:31.49 (5ASQT); 6. Carlie Andrie (Smoky Hill), 5:44.29; 11. Regan Ramsey (Cherokee Trail), 6:02.84
200 yard freestyle relay — 3. Smoky Hill (Natalie Rotondo, Jianna Walker, Brieyana Walton, Gaby Antunez), 1:41.78 (5ASQT); 6. Cherokee Trail (Caitlyn Agree-Keys, Kaity Brookes, Ella Steckler, Elma Spahic), 1:45.91 (5ASQT); 10. Smoky Hill Green (Katie Anthony, Ciera Munns, Kaitlin Hoffman, Carlie Andrie), 1:50.32; 11. Eaglecrest (Kim Nguyen, Makayla Popovich, Monique Salvio, McKenzie Jenkins), 1:50.47
100 yard backstroke — 5. Lauren Zurcher (Smoky Hill), 1:04.46; 6. Gaby Antunez (Smoky Hill), 1:05.57; 8. Meghan Mai (Cherokee Trail), 1:05.41; 9. Carly McLain (Cherokee Trail), 1:07.10
100 yard breaststroke — 2. Jordyn Richey (Smoky Hill), 1:08.84 (5ASQT)
400 yard freestyle relay — 4. Smoky Hill (Jianna Walker, Carlie Andrie, Vickie Liu, Jordyn Richey), 3:50.60 (5ASQT); 6. Cherokee Trail (Elma Spahic, Maddie Wilson, Kaity Brookes, Sophie Chapman), 3:53.35; 10. Smoky Hill Green (Sarah Power, Nadine Lee, Riley Waller, Lauren Zurcher), 4:02.49; 11. Smoky Hill Red (Kelly Saindon, Emree Bess, Rachel Melton, Kaitlin Hoffman), 4:05.04
