Girls Swimming: Rangeview rises again to take Aurora Public Schools championship

AURORA | Slapped in the face a few days earlier, the Rangeview girls swim team fought back Jan. 26.

The Raiders lost a dual meet to rival Gateway by three points on the final race on Jan. 22, but used it as motivation when the Aurora Public Schools Championship meet rolled around at Hinkley High School.

Junior Mariah Franklin and freshman Jordan Groeschel won two events each and Rangeview held off Gateway in another tight competition, as the Raiders outscored the Olys 416-371.5 to bring home yet another APS title — their ninth in the past 10 seasons.

Hinkley finished third with 211.5 points, while Aurora Central collected 141.

“The girls were very motivated,” Rangeview coach Peter Gerard said after his celebratory dip in the pool. “The upperclassmen have been through this where Gateway beats us in the dual meet and we come back at APS.

“We get up and race. This is the closest APS Championships we’ve been in since I’ve been with the team and the girls just stepped up.”

Senior captain Jasmine Koch, a four-year varsity swimmer, said the loss to Gateway definitely spurred the team to the city title.

“That was a slap of reality; we definitely needed to get our game together,” Koch said. “We knew if we just got back to what we’d been doing, we could win.”

Franklin won the 100-yard butterfly and 100 breaststroke, while Groeschel swept the sprinting events. The duo also combined with Koch and junior Demi Hassan on Rangeview’s winning 200-yard freestyle relay.

“It feels amazing, it was a great effort from everybody,” Franklin said. “I’m proud of our team.”

Groeschel got her first taste of the championship meet and knew she wanted to win her races from the moment she entered the building.

“When I walked in and saw the podium for 1st through 5th and I knew I really wanted to be first,” she said. “I just had to push it.”

Gateway made it the closest meet in several years and had seven first-place event finishes, including two each from senior Barbara Barocio and sophomore Christina Horstman.

Freshman Jessica Mitchell also won diving and the Olys were victorious in the meet-opening 200 medley relay, as well as the closing 400 freestyle relay, which saw a tremendous anchor leg by Horstman for a come-from-behind win.

“It was disappointing not to win, but the girls did a great job; so many of them had best times,” Gateway coach Dan Ambruso said.

Hinkley was paced by seniors Kasydi Valentine and Zoe Thomson, who combined for three runner-up finishes, while diver Ashley Bills and 500 freestyler Brenna Fugleberg had Aurora Central’s best finishes with thirds.

Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555

2013 AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS GIRLS SWIM MEET

Team scores: 1. Rangeview 416; 2. Gateway 371.5; 3. Hinkley 211.5; 4. Aurora Central 141

Championship finals results (Full results here)

200-yard medley relay: 1. Gateway (Barbara Barocio, Amanda DiMarino, Kaitlin Hoffman, Savi Lester), 2 minutes, 11.08 seconds; 2. Rangeview (Demi Hassan, Jasmine Koch, Mariah Franklin, Jordan Groeschel), 2:13.42; 3. Aurora Central (Mayumi Johnson, Laura Valle, Lizzie Lansdown, Brenna Fugleberg), 2:31.17; 4. Hinkley (Jelena Durdic, Kim Morris, Magdalena Landa Posas, Estephania Aceves), 2:34.60

200-yard freestyle: 1. Barbara Barocio (Gateway), 2 minutes, 6.20 seconds; 2. Kasydi Valentine (Hinkley), 2:28.42; 3. Alex Aguayo (Rangeview), 2:34.15; 4. Brenna Fugleberg (Aurora Central), 2:35.41; 5. Olivia Tyce (Gateway), 2:36.47; 6. Yvonne Devora (Rangeview), 2:37.25

200-yard individual medley: 1. Christina Horstman (Gateway), 2 minutes. 37.41 seconds; 2. Demi Hassan (Rangeview), 2:46.59; 3. Jasmine Koch (Rangeview), 2:47.19; 4. Lizzie Lansdown (Aurora Central), 2:53.59; 5. Kaitlin Hoffman (Gateway), 2:55.75; 6. Kelsi Richardson (Rangeview), 2:57.04

50-yard freestyle: 1. Jordan Groeschel (Rangeview), 27.59 seconds; 2. Savi Lester (Gateway), 28.33; 3. Zoe Thomson (Hinkley), 29.32; 4. Emma Hug (Rangeview), 30.42; 5. Megan Meitler (Rangeview), 30.78; 6. Jade Naperola (Rangeview), 31.54

1-meter diving: 1. Jessica Mitchell (Gateway), 266 points; 2. Makayla Mower (Gateway), 249.40; 3. Ashely Bills (Aurora Central), 245.85; 4. Lluvia Vega (Gateway), 2:06.70; 5. Brenda Ortiz (Rangeview), 205.05; 6. Sierra Miller (Rangeview), 194.45; 7. Danielle Gonza Ga Gonza (Rangeview), 187.70; 8. Jacia Aguilar (Rangeview), 169.30; 9. Griselda Landa Posas (Hinkley), 1:49.55; Kellie Bohrer (Hinkley) DQ

100-yard butterfly: 1. Mariah Franklin (Rangeview), 1 minute, 14.92 seconds; 2. Kaitlin Hoffman (Gateway), 1:21.69; 3. Kelsi Richardson (Rangeview), 1:24.11; 4. Amanda DiMarino (Gateway), 1:24.32; 5. Lizzie Lansdown (Aurora Central), 1:25.89; 6. Yovanna Carabello Estrella (Gateway), 1:30.45

100-yard freestyle: 1. Jordan Groeschel (Rangeview), 1 minute, 2.75 seconds; 2. Zoe Thomson (Hinkley), 1:05.12; 3. Savi Lester (Gateway), 1:07.02; 4. Emma Hug (Rangeview), 1:08.84; 5. Alex Aguayo (Rangeview), 1:09.16; 6. Alexis Helmbold (Rangeview), 1:09.29

500-yard freestyle: 1. Christina Horstman (Gateway), 6 minutes, 28.38 seconds; 2. Kasydi Valentine (Hinkley), 6:50.08; 3. Brenna Fugelberg (Aurora Central), 7:02.42; 4. Kylie Comet (Rangeview), 7:07.06; 5. Livi Bauder (Gateway), 7:14.26; 6. Yvonna Devora (Rangeview), 7:18.92

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Rangeview (Jordan Groeschel, Demi Hassan, Jasmine Koch, Mariah Franklin), 1 minute, 53.96 seconds; 2. Gateway (Savi Lester, Amanda DiMarino, Christina Horstman, Barbara Barocio), 1:54.97; 3. Hinkley (Morgan Zugelder, Kim Egli, Zoe Thomson, Kasydi Valentine), 2:05.26

100-yard backstroke: 1. Barbara Barocio (Gateway), 1 minute. 4.69 seconds; 2. Demi Hassan (Rangeview), 1:16.10; 3. Olivia Tyce (Gateway), 1:24.81; 4. Becky Bowers (Rangeview), 1:24.88; 5. Shannon Lee (Hinkley), 1:25.48; 6. Jelena Durdic (Hinkley), 1:26.31

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Mariah Franklin (Rangeview), 1 minute, 17.95 seconds; 2. Amanda DiMarino (Gateway), 1:25.84; 3. Jasmine Koch (Rangeview), 1:27.92; 4. Natalie Provancal (Rangeview), 1:28.65; 5. Kim Egli (Hinkley), 1:29.17; 6. Hannah Espinoza (Gateway), 1:31.35

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Gateway (Beth Reeves, Kim Burd, Kaitlin Hoffman, Christina Horstman), 4 minutes, 31.91 seconds; 2. Rangeview (Alexis Helmbold, Megan Meitler, Emma Hug, Alex Aguayo), 4:34.75; 3. Hinkley (Morgan Zugelder, Kasydi Valentine, Charissa Samaniego, Zoe Thomson), 4:41.22; 4. Aurora Central (Mayumi Johnson, Laura Valle, Lizzie Lansdown, Brenna Fugleberg), 5:12.63