Windsor’s Morgan Friesen, pictured during her win in the 200 IM. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
NORTHGLENN – Morgan Friesen is three-quarters of the way to pulling off a rarity in Colorado high school swimming.
The Windsor junior won her third Class 4A state title in the 100-yard breaststroke Saturday, putting her in position to pull off a quadruple in the event next year.
It is one of the hardest strokes for a competitive swimmer to master, but Friesen has achieved that. In fact, she set the all-classification record in the event last year.
“I had issues learning it,” she said. “It was my weak stroke.”
Because of that, she began working harder.
Then, “Something clicked,” she said of the mechanics starting to come together.
It was doubly sweet as earlier in the afternoon she won her first state title in the 200 individual medley.
Friesen is already focused on next year. She swims year-round and her club workouts begin Monday.
The day belonged to Valor Christian, however. The Eagles ran away with the team title at the state meet. Scoring 320 points to outdistance Evergreen by 68 points. Cheyenne Mountain was third with 249.
Valor Christian won the 4A team championship. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The Eagles’ Brooke Stenstrom set a 4A state record in the 50 freestyle. Her time of 23.22 seconds eclipsed her year-old mark by .21. It was also an All-American time. It marked Stenstrom’s third straight state title in the event.
She also took the title in the 100 freestyle, which she also won as a sophomore, in All-American time (50.63).
Stenstrom capped off her day by anchoring the Eagles’ winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams.
The medley team broke Manitou Springs’ 4A record, which was set in Friday’s preliminaries. Both teams swam All-American times.
For her efforts, the Stanford-bound senior was selected as the meet’s swimmer of the year.
Her mother Lori is the Eagles’ head coach. She came into the state meet knowing her team was good. She just wasn’t sure how good.
“They exceeded my expectations,” Lori Stenstrom said. “Every single girl on this team stepped up.”
Kate McDonald of Evergreen was a repeat champion in the 500 freestyle.
Alex Reddington of St. Mary’s Academy swam an All-American time in the 100 butterfly, setting a 4A record of 55.05 and edging out last year’s champion, Cat Wright of Cheyenne Mountain.
FORT COLLINS — In a captivating final day of the Class 5A state swimming championships at the Edora Pool and Ice Center in Fort Collins, Fairview outlasted both Fossil Ridge and Regis Jesuit for the team championship in a race with three programs racking up major points.
Fairview won the 5A team title. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
The Knights, who finished with 288.50 points, only won two of 12 events, but had a pair of individual state crowns from junior Brittney Beetcher (200- and 500-yard freestyle), and moved up in virtually every event in finals.
It was enough for Fairview to win its second state title in girls swimming and diving, the first since 2004, and their 22nd state championship overall in school history.
“If you look at it statistically, it was about the rank-and-file of girls who were in the consolation heat, not the championship heat,” long-time Fairview coach Bob Smartt said. “That kind of relentless over-and-over made the difference.”
Despite the fact Regis Jesuit, the runner-up with 260 points, touched the line first in both the 200 and 400 free relays, while Fossil Ridge (259, third place) cruised to a win in the 200 medley relay, and relays count for double points, Fairview’s depth in the top-16 of each event paid off.
And, it’s not as if the Knights did poorly in relays with a third-place showing in the 200 medley (1:47.00), a third in the 200 free (1:37.31), and a fourth in the 400 free (3:32.62). Senior Julia Benz earned silver in diving while racking up 467.80 points. Fellow senior Adee Weller was fifth in the 200 free (1:53.92) and third in the 500 free (5:07.51).
According to Smartt, Fairview’s team title came from earning points from the Knights at all levels, eight freshmen placed individually and each class was strong, and coming together as one united group.
“There’s always a struggle to build team when you’re so large and when we have girls from four different club teams,” he said. “We also have girls who aren’t club swimmers. Pulling that all together is a big challenge.”
“We have 125 girls on the team, so all season long it’s a management issue trying to cope with so many swimmers,” he added. “It wasn’t until today that it came together.”
As for Beetcher, the junior added to an impressive resume, which includes four state runner-up finishes in the 200 and 500 free her freshman and sophomore seasons, by winning her first-ever state championships.
“It was great to take home wins in both,” she said. “I think the 200 meant a little more, because I’m more of a distance swimmer, so to be able to do that for myself, I was proud of that. It’s so amazing to share it with this amazing team of mine.”
Regis, sneaking past Fossil by one point for second place, had the queen of 5A diving again as McKensi Austin claimed her third state title in a row with 539.90 points. She fell just short of her 5A state record of 540.30 from 2015.
Fossil Ridge, in serious contention for back-to-back titles, was undone a bit in the team competition by a DQ of Bailey Kovac in the 200 IM. The junior finished well clear of her challengers in the event, but the judges ruled that she failed to touch the wall on one turn, an unfortunate turn of events for both individual and team pursuits. Nonetheless, Kovac did cruise to a third consecutive 100 breaststroke crown in a time of 1:03.67.
The Sabercats added to their championship haul with a win by freshman Coleen Gillilan in the 100 butterfly in 53.60, a time close to Bailey Nero’s state record of 53.22. Nero is a 2015 Fossil Ridge grad. Gillilan was the runner-up in the 50 free in 23.53 as well.
Rock Canyon senior Abigail Kochevar capped off a spectacular career — which included three gold medals in the 100 back and one in the 50 free — by winning two events in one state meet for the first time. After rolling in the 50 in a time of 23.29, she came back for her third and final 100 back championship.
“It was bittersweet, because I’m sad that it’s ending,” Kochevar said of her last high school meet. “It was exciting though. I’ve never gotten two wins.”
The 50 free had proved elusive for Kochevar in the past with ThunderRidge’s Annie Ochitwa (University of Arizona) winning the last two while dropping the fourth fastest time in Colorado history last season (22.86), the quickest time ever by someone not named Missy Franklin.
“I’ve never been able to win it, because of Annie,” Kochevar, a soon-to-be Wisconsin Badger, said. “It meant a lot to me. I wanted it to be my turn.”
Heritage sophomore Kylie Andrews won the 100 free in 50.91. Arapahoe sophomore Delaney Smith claimed the 200 IM in 2:05.19.
THORNTON – Brooke Stenstrom has her future planned out. At least for the next four months.
The Valor Christian senior doesn’t really need any more hardware from her days as a high school swimmer.
She won the Class 4A state title in the 50-yard freestyle as a sophomore and junior as well as the 100 freestyle two years ago.
A couple of other gold medals at this season’s 4A state meet, which began Friday, might be a nice capper to a great career, but she’s got more important things to focus on.
“This weekend I’d love to do my best and leave it in God’s hands,” she said of a whatever-happens-happens attitude.
It’s the next few months she’s really looking forward to.
Stenstrom will be heading to Omaha for the U.S. Olympic trials in late June. She’s shown she can compete against the best in the state. At the Olympic trials, she’ll be swimming against the best not only in the country, but in some cases, the world.
After that, she’s set for another exciting venture – a mission trip to Rwanda.
But her real future, at least for the next four years, is a dream come true. Strenstrom has signed a letter of intent to swim at Stanford University beginning this fall.
“Stanford’s always been a dream,” she said. She did check out arch-rival, Cal, the school where Colorado swimming sensation Missy Franklin swam for two years, but in the end, the Cardinal won out.
Part of that may be legacy. Her father Steve was a starting quarterback at Stanford. Her mother Lori was a national-caliber swimmer for the Cardinal
“I am so excited,” Brooke said. “My coaches are world class.”
Stenstrom has always been drawn to sports. She played most all of them growing up. By her sophomore year, she had decided to narrow her focus to swimming.
She trusts her mother, “Just knowing I have complete and utter faith in her judgement.”
Fortunately, she said, Lori — Valor’s coach — doesn’t treat Brooke or her sister Lindsay, a freshman, any different than she doesn’t with any of the other Eagles swimmers.
“I’ve coached them both their whole lives,” Lori said.
Stenstrom might well be on her way to her fourth and fifth individual state titles. She posted the fastest time in both the 50 and 100 free in Friday’s state 4A preliminaries.
In addition, she swam legs on the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams, which both qualified for Saturday afternoon’s finals with the fastest time.
“(Friday) is by far the best day ever for Valor swimming,” Lori said, proud of all 42 of her charges.
In fact, the Eagles are in great position to wrest the 4A team title away from two-time champion Evergreen, with Manitou Springs and Cheyenne Mountain both in strong contention.
With team scores and individual state champions still to be decided on Saturday, the preliminary rounds were about ensuring spots for finals. The top-8 competitors in each prelim advanced to championship finals, while the next eight sealed bids to the consolation finals.
In the state’s highest classification, reaching Saturday’s final rounds can put you in rarified air.
And yet, the results, while impressive, weren’t the only source of interest.
Colorado swimming’s grandest stage — just as the wrestlers take to the Pepsi Center and basketball players the Coors Events Center in the coming weeks — was a spectacle.
At the Edora Pool Ice Center in Fort Collins, different colored swim caps took to the waters, gliding and powering through the ripples. With team camps down below, spectators above, and a facility that has seen the likes of Missy Franklin and Bonnie Brandon, the 5A state championships are a cool culmination of another Colorado swim season.
In her first-ever state meet, Fossil Ridge freshman Coleen Gillilan, for a team looking like it has a legitimate chance at back-to-back crowns, placed first in prelims of the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 54.41. She was also second in the 50-yard freestyle in 23.88, within striking distance of Arapahoe junior Laurel Eiber (23.66).
“It was a new experience for me,” Gillilan said. “I didn’t really know what to expect. The 100 fly stood out more, because that’s my favorite event.”
Gillilan will not only compete in her two individual events on Saturday, but will also swim legs of Fossil Ridge’s 200 medley (first in prelims) and 400 freestyle relays (second). The Sabercats also touched the line before anyone in prelims of the 200 freestyle relay and Bailey Kovac, a junior, will be after her third consecutive state title in the 100 breaststroke after another first-place finish in prelims for Fossil.
Rock Canyon senior Abigail Kochevar, the two-time defending champion in the 100 backstroke, was first in prelims with a time of 54.95. Heritage sophomore Kylie Andrews was tops in the 100 freestyle (51.13) and Fairview junior Brittney Beetcher was first in both the 200 freestyle (1:52.09) and the 500 freestyle (4:58.06).
“Brittney really looked strong,” long-time Fairview coach Bob Smartt said. “It’ll be fun to watch her compete tomorrow. I think she’s ready to go.”
For a Fairview team with a mixture of experience with four D-I recruits in the senior class, along with a good amount of youth, including an impressive seven freshmen onto finals, the Knights figure to be among the top teams in the final standings on Saturday, along with the likes of Fossil Ridge, Cherry Creek, Regis Jesuit, Heritage, and Arapahoe.
Saturday’s competition at EPIC, deciding both individual and team champions, will begin at 9 a.m. with the diving prelims. Finals start at 2 p.m.
