THORNTON | Swimming tired, the youthful Regis Jesuit girls swim team still managed a third-place finish at Saturday’s Coaches Invitational.
Coming off a heavy schedule of dual meets in the first few weeks of the season, the Raiders scored 162 points in the multi-classification competition at the Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center to finish behind run-away winner Fairview (268.50) and Fossil Ridge (171).
Coach Nick Frasersmith’s Raiders collected their lone event championship in the opening event of the meet, when the 200-yard medley relay team of freshmen Lindsay Painton and Amy Lenderink and seniors Marielle Renehan and Delaney Lanker won by more than a second. The foursome clocked a time of 1 minute, 50.07 seconds and set a nice tone for a meet that pleased Frasersmith, whose team made a drastic improvement over a 21st-place result in 2011.
“I was really happy; the girls swam tired and they really stepped up,” said Frasersmith, whose team matched its third-place showing in 2010 in a field of 29 teams from 5A and eight from 4A.
“We had some new state qualifiers and some season-best times,” he added. “They swam tired and it was a much better result than we had last year.”
Freshmen were big point scorers for Regis Jesuit, as diver McKensi Austin placed fourth, Painton made it back in two events (topped by a fourth place finish in the 100 backstroke) and Lenderink and Kaylie Breslin scored in one each for the Raiders.
Lanker had a strong meet for Regis Jesuit as well, as the Northeastern University signee posted a 5th-place finish in the 100 butterfly and a 15th in the 100 backstroke. Renehan was sixth in the 100 breaststroke and sophomore Taylor Wilson 8th in the 50 freestyle among the Raiders other championship heat qualifiers.
Sophomore Sydney Cutler (11th in 100 breaststroke in season-best 1:10.00) and senior Lindsay Kriz (13th in the 500 freestyle, 5:22.31) rounded out Regis Jesuit’s individual consolation placers, while the Raiders’ 400 freestyle relay was 10th and the 200 freestyle relay 15th.
Grandview cracked the top 10 with 91 points — good enough to match last season’s ninth-place finish — led by junior Madison Dirks and senior Kianna Lee, who was one of five nominees for the Hoyt Brawner award as the state’s top all-around senior swimmer.
Dirks finished fourth in the 200 freestyle and seventh in the 100 butterfly, while Lee posted a 16th in the 50 freestyle. The Wolves continued a run of success with their 200 freestyle relay, as sophomore Morgan Ammon, junior Amanda Matheson, Dirks and Lee finished 4th.
The same Grandview group, with Mackenzie Ammon in place of Matheson, finished an Aurora-best 6th in the 400 freestyle relay.
Sophomore Sami Daniels boosted the Wolves individually with a 10th-place result in the 500 freestyle.
Smoky Hill finished 26th overall with six points, all courtesy of the 14th-place finish of the 400 freestyle relay team of Julia Song, Lizzie Wiley, Kelsey Gaul and Gabby Antunez.
The Buffaloes didn’t have any individuals qualify for event finals, but would have had their 200 freestyle relay team in the consolation finals if not for a disqualification due to leaving the blocks early.
Wiley managed to qualify for state in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:03.20, as well as the 100 freestyle (55.91), in which Antunez (56.17) also made the cut.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at [email protected] or 303-750-7555
2012 COACHES INVITATIONAL
Class 5A team scores: 1. Fairview 268.50 points; 2. Fossil Ridge 171; 3. REGIS JESUIT 162; 4. Loveland 154; 5. Chaparral 138; 6. Ralston Valley 131; 7. Arapahoe 111; 8. Cherry Creek 102.5; 9. GRANDVIEW 91; 10. Rock Canyon 70; T11. Mouantain Range 65; T11. Monarch 65; T13. ThunderRidge 63; T13. Heritage 63; T16. Liberty 27; T16. Legacy 27; 18. Lewis-Palmer 26; 19. Fort Collins 25. T20. Mountain Vista 20; T20. Castle View 20; 22. Brighton 18; T23. Greeley West 16; T23. Legend 16; 25. Chatfield 13; 26. SMOKY HILL 6; 27. Littleton 4; 28. Dakota Ridge 3; 29. Highlands Ranch 2
Class 4A team scores: 1. Thompson Valley 158 points; 2. Niwot 72; 3. D’Evelyn 56; 4. Broomfield 41; 5. St. Mary’s Academy 28; 6. Mullen 16; 7. Windsor 13; 8. Silver Creek 4
Results for championship and consolation finals can be found here.
