It will take 11 hours, lots of cleaning and a lot of patience to decide the Class 5A girls swimming state team and individual champions, but all are glad for the chance.
The traditional 12-event programs is scheduled at the Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center March 11 with a different look as the 1-meter diving competition — which takes the longest to complete — is up first beginning at 8 a.m.
That event will last three hours and the subsequent 11 swimming events will take an hour each, which includes 20 individuals or relay teams entering the pool deck, warming up and swimming (in two heats of 10) and receiving awards.
The top 20 individuals and relay teams in each event will be onhand and that group includes representatives from five Aurora programs (Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Regis Jesuit and Smoky Hill).
Regis Jesuit leads the way with 13 qualifiers — seven of which made it in two events — plus an alternate and the 200 yard medley, 200 yard freestyle and 400 yard freestyle relay teams. Junior Emma Weber is the highest-seeded swimmer for coach Nick Frasersmith’s Raiders as she goes in No. 3 in the 100 yard breaststroke.
Grandview has all three relays qualified — including a 200 freestyle relay seeded No. 4 — plus five swimmers (four in multiple events) and a diver. Freshman Amelia Brown enters her first state meet with the highest individual seed of third in the 200 yard freestyle for coach Karen Ammon’s Wolves.
Cherokee Trail and Smoky Hill each have all three relay teams and two individual qualifiers (Skylar Brgoch and diver Autumn Ivester for coach Kevin Chatham’s Cougars, Jadyn Phillips and Annelise Thomas for coach Scott Cohen’s Buffaloes), while Eaglecrest’s lone qualifier is senior diver Catie Rodocker, who placed third at state last year.
Full list of Aurora qualifiers by school with events and seedings, here.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2021 CLASS 5A GIRLS STATE SWIM MEET SCHEDULE
March 11 at Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center
DIVING — 6:40 a.m.: Divers arrive and warm up; 8 a.m.: Diving begins; 11 a.m.: Awards following last dive (facility cleared by 11 a.m.)
200 YARD MEDLEY RELAY — 11 a.m.: Swimmers arrive and warm up; 11:40 a.m.: Heat 1 followed by Heat 2; 12:15 p.m.: Awards following Heat 2 (facility cleared by 12:15 p.m.)
200 YARD FREESTYLE — 12:15 p.m.: Swimmers arrive and warm up; 12:50 p.m.: Heat 1 followed by Heat 2; 1:15 p.m.: Awards immediately following Heat 2 (facility cleared by 1:15)
200 YARD INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY — 12:50 p.m.: Swimmers arrive and warm up; 1:25 p.m.: Heat 1 followed by Heat 2; 1:50 p.m.: Awards immediately following Heat 2 (facility cleared by 1:50 p.m.)
50 YARD FREESTYLE — 1:25 p.m.: Swimmers arrive and warm up; 2 p.m.: Heat 1 followed by Heat 2; 2:25 p.m.: Awards immediately following Heat 2 (facility cleared by 2:25 p.m.)
100 YARD BUTTERFLY — 2 p.m.: Swimmers arrive and warm up; 2:35 p.m.: Heat 1 followed by Heat 2; 3 p.m.: Awards immediately following Heat 2 (facility cleared by 3 p.m.)
100 YARD FREESTYLE — 2:35 p.m.: Swimmers arrive and warm up; 3:10 p.m.: Heat 1 followed by Heat 2; 3:35 p.m.: Awards immediately following Heat 2 (facility cleared by 3:35 p.m.)
500 YARD FREESTYLE — 3:10 p.m.: Swimmers arrive and warm up; 3:45 p.m.: Heat 1 followed by Heat 2; 4:10 p.m.: Awards immediately following Heat 2 (facility cleared by 4:10 p.m.)
200 YARD FREESTYLE RELAY — 4:10 p.m.: Swimmers arrive and warm up; 4:50 p.m.: Heat 1 followed by Heat 2; 5:25 p.m.: Awards immediately following Heat 2 (facility cleared by 5:25 p.m.)
100 YARD BACKSTROKE — 5:25 p.m.: Swimmers arrive and warm up; 6 p.m.: Heat 1 followed by Heat 2; 6:25 p.m.: Awards immediately after Heat 2 (facility cleared by 6:25 p.m.)
100 YARD BREASTSTROKE — 6 p.m.: Swimmers arrive and warm up; 6:35 p.m.: Heat 1 followed by Heat 2; 7 p.m.: Awards immediately following Heat 2 (facility cleared by 7 p.m.)
400 YARD FREESTYLE RELAY — 7 p.m.: Swimmers arrive and warm up; 7:40 p.m.: Heat 1 followed by Heat 2; Awards immediately following Heat 2 for event and team awards