Category: Girls Swimming

  • Littleton’s Stringy Ervin named national girls swim coach of the year

    INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Twenty-one high school coaches from across the country have been selected as 2014 National Coaches of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association.

    Included is Littleton’s Maurice “Stringy” Ervin, who was named 2014 NFHS national girls swimming and diving coach of the year.

    The NFHS, which has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982, honors coaches in the top 10 girls sports and top 10 boys sports (by participation numbers), and in one “other” sport that is not included in the top 10 listings. The NFHS also recognizes a Spirit coach as a separate award category. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year for which they receive their award. This year’s awards recognize coaches for the 2013-14 school year.

    Recipients of the 2014 NFHS national awards for girls sports are:

    Carmen Jackson, track and field, Miami (Florida) Northwestern Senior High School; Curt DeHaan, basketball, Lynden (Washington) Christian Schools; Laurie Glass, volleyball, Leland (Michigan) Public Schools; Brian Song, soccer, Clarksville (Maryland) River Hill High School;  John Biedenbach, softball, Trenton (Michigan) High School; Johnette Goldman, cross country, Heber Springs (Arkansas) High School; Coleen Davis, tennis, Portland (Oregon) Episcopal School;  Maurice “Stringy” Ervin, swimming and diving, Littleton (Colorado) High School; and Leslie Bender, golf, Louisville (Kentucky) Sacred Heart Academy.  There was no national coach selected for girls lacrosse.

    Recipients of this year’s national awards for boys sports are:

    Dale Mueller, football, Ft. Thomas  (Kentucky) Highlands High School; John Lober, track and field, Traverse City (Michigan) Central High School; Pat Rady, basketball, Cloverdale (Indiana) High School; Rick Carpenter, baseball, Prosper (Texas) High School; Lee Mitchell, soccer, Sandy (Utah) Alta High School; Russ Cozart, wrestling, Brandon (Florida) High School; Frank Trammel, cross country, Benton (Louisiana) High School; Micheal Goll, tennis, Salina (Kansas) Central High School; Roger Lauzon, golf, Lynnfield (Massachusetts) High School; and Claude Valle, swimming and diving, Weston (Massachusetts) High School.

    The recipient of the National Coach of the Year Award for spirit is Tina Fortner of Minonk (Illinois) Fieldcrest High School, and Joan Ganim of Broadview Heights (Ohio) Brecksville High School was chosen in the other sports category for girls gymnastics.

    In addition to the 21 National Coaches of the Year, the NFHS Coaches Association has selected James N. Feldkamp of Troy, Michigan, as the recipient of the National Coach Contributor Award. This award is presented to an individual who has gone above and beyond and who exemplifies the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct and moral character, and who carries the endorsement of his or her respective state high school association.

    The NFHS has a contact person in each state who is responsible for selecting deserving coach award recipients. This contact person often works with the state coaches’ association in his or her respective state. He or she contacts the potential state award recipients to complete a coach profile form that requests information regarding the coach’s record, membership in and affiliation with coaching and other professional organizations, involvement with other school and community activities and programs, and coaching philosophy. To be approved as an award recipient and considered for sectional and national coach of the year consideration, this profile form must be completed by the coach or designee and then approved by the executive director (or designee) of the state athletic/activities association.

    The next award level after state coach of the year is sectional coach of the year. The NFHS is divided into eight geographical sections. They are as follows: Section 1 – Northeast (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT); Section 2 – Mideast (DE, DC, KY, MD, OH, PA, VA, WV); Section 3 – South (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN); Section 4 – Central (IL, IN, IA, MI, WI); Section 5 – Midwest (KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD); Section 6 – Southwest (AR, CO, NM, OK, TX); Section 7 – West (AZ, CA, HI, NV, UT); and Section 8 – Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY).

    The NFHS Coaches Association has an advisory committee, composed of a chair and eight sectional representatives.  The sectional committee representatives evaluate the state award recipients from the states in their respective sections and select the best candidates for the sectional award in each sport category. The NFHS Coaches Association Advisory Committee then considers the sectional candidates in each sport, ranks them according to a point system, and determines a national winner for each of the 20 sport categories, the spirit category and one “other” category.

    A total of 533 coaches will be recognized this year with state, sectional and national awards.

  • Photos: Regis Jesuit girls swimming wins Coaches Invitational

    THORNTON — Regis Jesuit’s girls swimming team claimed the annual Coaches Invite at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center on Saturday.

    The Raiders finished with 241.5 points, ahead of second-place Fairview (234.5) and third-place Fossil ridge (217). Arapahoe (144.5) and Valor Christian (127) rounded out the top-5 of the meet.

    Individually, Fossil Ridge’s Bailey Nero won the 200-yard individual medley (2:05.62) and the 100 butterfly (55.61). Rock Canyon’s Abigail Kochevar was also a multi-event winner, claiming the 50 free (23.47) and 100 back (55.86).

    Valor Christian’s Brooke Stenstrom won the 100 freestyle (51.65) and was second to Kochevar in the 50 free (23.49).

    Find complete results here.

  • Majority of ADs support adding another class of girls golf, tennis and swimming

    Girls swimming 4A state
    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    AURORA — The overwhelming majority of athletic directors who responded to a CHSAA survey indicated they were in favor of adding additional classifications for girls golf, girls tennis and girls swimming and diving.

    It may signal that each of those sports are ready to add a third classification as soon as 2016.

    “It would give us a chance to provide more opportunities for our young ladies around the state,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bethany Brookens, who oversaw the survey. “And this potential move could help schools add teams if they don’t already have one.”

    The CHSAA office sent a survey to all athletic directors around the state on Dec. 11. As of Thursday, 151 had responded. When asked if they were “in favor of adding additional classifications” in girls golf, tennis and swimming, 74.2 percent responded yes, 9.3 percent said no, and 16.6 percent responded that they were unsure.

    The question was asked in large part because of the new CLOC philosophy, which is seeking to evenly divide teams among classifications. That CLOC report is up for approval at January’s Legislative Council meeting.

    “Part of the impetus of that (new CLOC philosophy) was there are sports that lend themselves to more classes than we currently have,” said CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico. “Using the current method (of dividing classifications), we could never get there because there aren’t enough smaller schools.”

    Currently, girls swimming and diving, girls golf and girls tennis each have two classifications. Should the CLOC report pass in January, it would leave the following splits for those sports:

    • Girls golf: 154 teams, 77 in each class
    • Girls tennis: 148 teams, 74 in each class
    • Girls swim and dive: 122 teams, 61 in each class

    It was those numbers which raised the possibility of adding additional classes. In fact, girls golf and girls tennis have the highest number of teams in each classification of any sport. The average number of teams per classification in other sports is 54.

    Should each sport add a third classification, the breakdown would be as follows:

    • Girls golf: 51 per class
    • Girls tennis: 49 per class
    • Girls swim and dive: 40 per class

    Girls swimming used to divide its teams evenly back in the mid 1990s — “and I felt there was more competitive balance then than we have now,” Angelico said.

    This move all hinges on the CLOC report passing in January, though. The three sports cannot seek to add a third classification unless that happens. Should the report pass, a league would need to then bring a proposal to add the classifications at the April Legislative Council meeting.

    If that doesn’t happen, the three sports couldn’t add a class until the 2018-20 cycle because CLOC needs to set alignment for 2016-18 at its November 2015 meeting.

    However, assuming the CLOC report passes in January, the three sports each adding a third class seems likely to happen beginning with the 2016-17 season.

    “It should encourage those programs to grow because there will be more competitive balance,” Angelico said.

    The last sport to add a classification was girls soccer, which added 2A. That begins this coming spring.

  • 2015 girls swimming and diving state meet qualifying standards

    Girls swimmers and divers qualify for the 2015 state meets by meeting the following standards during the regular season:

    Class 4A Class 5A
    Event Yards Meters Yards Meters
    200 Medley Relay 2:05.00 2:19.50 2:02.00 2:16.15
    200 Freestyle 2:08.00 2:21.82 2:03.00 2:17.39
    200 IM 2:26.00 2:42.06 2:19.50 2:35.96
    50 Free 0:26.60 0:29.66 0:25.80 00:29.00
    100 Butterfly 1:06.30 1:13.66 1:03.00 1:10.77
    100 Free 0:58.10 1:04.61 0:56.50 1:03.16
    500 Yard/400 Meter Free 5:46.00 5:03.51 5:32.50 04:52.60
    200 Free Relay 1:51.00 2:03.99 1:48.00 2:00.64
    100 Back 1:06.80 1:14.21 1:03.75 1:11.10
    100 Breast 1:15.50 1:23.96 1:13.00 1:21.51
    400 Free Relay 4:06.00 4:34.04 3:59.00 4:26.25
    *Diving-6 Dives 185 (9.8) 185 (9.8) 200 (10.1) 200 (10.1)
    **Diving-11 Dives 300 (11.2) 300 (11.2) 335 (12.1) 335 (12.1)

    * – In order to qualify under the 6-dive standard, the diver must meet the qualifying standard two times during the season.

    ** – In order to qualify under the 11-dive standard, the diver must meet the qualifying standard only once during the season.

  • Girls swimming preview: Thompson Valley’s Eryn Eddy is “The Eraser”

    Thompson Valley swimmer Eryn Eddy. (Courtesy of the Eddy family)
    Thompson Valley swimmer Eryn Eddy. (Courtesy of the Eddy family)

    [dropcap]T[/dropcap]hompson Valley girls swim coach Dale Leonhart, in his second season at the helm, likes the nickname his star senior Eryn Eddy had when he took over the program.

    “I’ve only been fortunate enough to coach her for a couple of seasons, but before I got here she already earned the nickname, ‘The Eraser,’ Leonhart said of Eddy’s ability to close gaps as the anchor leg on relays. “She is something else on the rear end of a relay. I’ve witnessed it myself. I’ve watched her literally run people down. I mean, she went 50.7 on the rear end of the 400 freestyle relay at Jeffco last year. We were in lane one and we were in second by a couple of tenths.”

    Eddy has been a force in the pool from the time she was a freshman. The University of Virginia signee has claimed four Class 4A individual state crowns with golds in the 100 freestyle in 2012 as a freshman, the 500 freestyle in 2014, and the 200 freestyle in 2013 and 2014. 

    Thompson Valley is a school with a rich tradition in both girls and boys swimming with 11 team state championships in the sport, five in girls, including four in a row from 2010-2013. The school records read as a who’s who of state champions, All-Americans, and Division I recruits.

    Eddy owns five of the records with top marks in the 100, 200, and 500 freestyles individually and as a member of the top 200 and 400 freestyle relays. She’s also the 4A record holder in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:48.34. 

    For all of Eddy’s success on her own, she’s most proud of her accomplishments with her teammates.

    “I think the most exciting thing for me, my favorite thing to do no matter what are the relays,” Eddy said. “I beg and ask Dale if I can be the anchor, because that’s my favorite spot. It’s the most exciting.

    "When everything’s down to the wire it’s because of that last place swimmer, so I love getting on the blocks, especially in a tight race when we’re behind," she added. "That’s when everyone’s the loudest and most excited, so I do everything to close the gap and sometimes I’m successful.”

    It’s safe to say Eddy’s successful more often than not as the anchor leg of three state championship relay teams. She was the closer on Thompson Valley’s title winning 200 freestyle relay her sophomore and junior year. The Eagles have won five 200-free relay state titles in a row and hold the 4A record in the event with a time of 1:36.54, set in 2013.

    Thompson Valley swimmer Eryn Eddy. (Courtesy of the Eddy family)
    Thompson Valley swimmer Eryn Eddy. (Courtesy of the Eddy family)

    Eddy lived up to her nickname at the state swim meet last season in the 400-freestyle relay, as well. In the final event of the day, D’Evelyn held the lead through three legs with Thompson Valley in second. Eddy had a lot of ground to make up. She erased D’Evelyn’s lead with 25 meters left and gave Thompson Valley their second straight state title in the event in a time of 3:32.07, just clear of D’Evelyn’s 3:32.66.

    Leonhart has been coaching at the high school level at a number of schools since 1971 and been coaching club swimming for the past 55 years. He has high praise for "The Eraser," saying she’s one of the premier swimmers he’s ever had the privilege to coach.

    “She’s right up there in the top half a dozen,” Leonhart said. “I had a couple of (Olympic) Trials qualifiers back in the middle 1980s, I’ve had several high school state champions and junior national champions. She’s right there in the top handful. She’s definitely one of the very best.”

    Eddy is the top individual returner in class 4A. Evergreen senior Lindsay Morrow, Windsor sophomore Morgan Friesen and Valor Christian junior Brooke Stenstrom all return to defend individual state championships of their own. 

    As far as 4A team pursuits go, Thompson Valley is expected to be strong with Eddy and fellow senior Mattea Wabeke, a six-time individual state placer and Saint Louis University signee, as the headliners.

    But Evergreen, coming off their first state championship in the sport, returns every girl who swam in last season’s state finals. Morrow (North Carolina State), Anna McDonald (Nebraska), Alissa Harmes (UNLV), Bailey Smith (Army), and Josie Pearson (Missouri State) are all Division I recruits in the 2015 class for the Cougars. As such, Evergreen is the team to beat.

    In Class 5A, ThunderRidge’s Annie Ochitwa, Loveland’s Brooke Hansen, Arapahoe’s Ella Moynihan, Fossil Ridge’s Bailey Nero and Bailey Kovac, and Rock Canyon’s Abigail Kochevar all are back to defend individual crowns.

    Regis Jesuit returns as the defending 5A team champion. The Raiders, who have nine all-state swimmers coming back, have claimed the last two titles and three of the last four. Fairview came within seven points of beating Regis last season, and returns a talented core, as does Fossil Ridge and Cherry Creek.

    [divider]

    Girls swimming preview

    Class 4A

    Defending champion: Evergreen

    Runner-up: Thompson Valley

    Regular season begins: December 1

    State championships: February 13-14, VMAC in Thornton

    All-State returners: Eryn Eddy, Thompson Valley, Morgan Friesen, Windsor, Kamryn Holland, Evergreen, Lindsay Morrow, Evergreen, Josie Pearson, Evergreen, Bailey Smith, Evergreen, Brooke Stenstrom, Valor Christian, Mattea Wabeke, Thompson Valley

    [divider]

    Class 5A

    Defending champion: Regis Jesuit

    Runner-up: Fairview

    Regular season begins: December 1  

    State finals: February 13-14, EPIC in Fort Collins

    All-State returners: McKensi Austin, Regis Jesuit, Sydney Cutler, Regis Jesuit, Jennae Frederick, Regis Jesuit, Brooke Hansen, Loveland, Abigail Kochevar, Rock Canyon, Bailey Kovac, Fossil Ridge, Amy Lenderink, Regis Jesuit, Ella Moynihan, Arapahoe, Bailey Nero, Fossil Ridge, Annie Ochitwa, ThunderRidge, Lindsay Painton, Regis Jesuit, Emily Protz, Regis Jesuit, Isabella Schultze, Regis Jesuit, Samantha Smith, Regis Jesuit, Taylor Wilson, Regis Jesuit

  • All-state girls swimming teams for 2013-14 season

    The 2013-14 all-state girls swimming teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

    These teams were created based upon results at the state meet.

    Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.

    Go to: 5A | 4A


    [divider]

    Class 5A

    First Team
    Name Year School Event(s)
    McKensi Austin Sophomore Regis Jesuit 1-meter diving
    Sydney Cutler Junior Regis Jesuit 200 medley relay
    Jennae Frederick Freshman Regis Jesuit 200 medley relay
    Brooke Hansen Junior Loveland 200 IM
    Abigail Kochevar Sophomore Rock Canyon 100 backstroke
    Bailey Kovac Freshman Fossil Ridge 100 breaststroke
    Amy Lenderink Sophomore Regis Jesuit Relays
    Ella Moynihan Junior Arapahoe 200 free
    Bailey Nero Junior Fossil Ridge 100 butterfly
    Annie Ochitwa Junior ThunderRidge 50, 100 free
    Lindsay Painton Sophomore Regis Jesuit Relays
    Emily Protz Sophomore Regis Jesuit 400 freestyle relay
    Amanda Richey Senior Boulder 500 free
    Isabella Schultze Freshman Regis Jesuit 200 freestyle relay
    Samantha Smith Freshman Regis Jesuit Relays
    Taylor Wilson Junior Regis Jesuit Relays


    [divider]

    Class 4A

    First Team
    Name Year School Event(s)
    Alexa Beckwith Senior St. Mary’s Academy 1-meter diving
    Sydney Buckley Senior Cheyenne Mountain 100 butterfly
    Eryn Eddy Junior Thompson Valley 200, 500 free; relays
    Marina Fonseca Senior Thompson Valley Relays
    Morgan Friesen Freshman Windsor 100 breaststroke
    Kamryn Holland Junior Evergreen 200 medley relay
    Lindsay Morrow Junior Evergreen 200 IM, 100 back, relays
    Josie Pearson Junior Evergreen 200 medley relay
    Kelly Sheldon Senior Thompson Valley Relays
    Bailey Smith Junior Evergreen 200 medley relay
    Brooke Stenstrom Sophomore Valor Christian 50, 100 free
    Mattea Wabeke Junior Thompson Valley Relays
  • Notebook: 5A basketball Selection Show set for Sunday

    (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
    (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

    This season’s 5A basketball Selection Show is set for 3 p.m. Sunday at the WMDC Building just behind the Red Lion Hotel in Aurora.

    The Selection Show will reveal the 5A girls and boys tournament brackets on a team-by-team and region-by-region basis. The room can accommodate 150 people, though the Selection Show will also be shown on the NFHS Network. Additionally, the brackets will be concurrently unveiled on CHSAANow.com.

    Coaches, players and fans are welcome to attend the event.

    The 4A brackets will be posted immediately following this event, which should end around 5 p.m.

    Wheat Ridge announces Reardon as new coach

    In a release sent over email on Tuesday, Wheat Ridge officially announced that former Poudre coach Dan Reardon will head the Farmers’ football program.

    Reardon, 5-14 over the past two seasons at Poudre, has a long history of coaching. Included was a seven-year stint at Ursuline High School in Ohio, where he was 68-26 and won three state championships. From 2007-10, Reardon’s teams went 53-6. This past year, Ursuline, a private catholic school, had an enrollment of 507 kids.

    “Dan Reardon is a man of quality character and quality football knowledge and experience,” Wheat Ridge said in a statement. “He is an excellent role model that will help develop character and leadership with our students and athletes.  He will be an asset to Wheat Ridge High School.”

    Reardon replaces Reid Kahl, who had a very successful nine seasons at the school, including 4A championships in 2006 and 2008 and a runner-up finish in 2010. Kahl was 85-24.

    Football adds targeting rule

    Dangerous hits will be further penalized in high school football.

    The NFHS last week added a targeting rule, meaning hits that take “aim and (intiate) contact to an opponent above the shoulders with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulders,” will be penalized by a 15-yard penalty.

    The change was made “in an effort to reduce contact above the shoulders and lessen the risk of injury,” according to a release from the NFHS.

    The NFHS rules committee also added the following definition of a defenseless player: “A defenseless player is a player who, because of his physical position and focus of concentration, is especially vulnerable to injury.”

    Additionally, the committee limited the number of players that can line up on each side of the kicker during a kickoff, which should help avoid injury — especially in onside kick situations.

    Short stuff

    • Awards from this past weekend’s state swim meets: Ralston Valley’s Maddie Myers was named 5A swimmer of the year; Douglas County/Castle View’s Kaitlin Costello was named diver of the year; Regis Jesuit’s Nick Frasersmith was name swim coach of the year; Regis Jesuit’s Kim Hagger was named dive coach of the year. In 4A, Niwot’s Marjorie Driscoll was named swimmer of the year; St. Mary’s Academy’s Alexa Beckwith was named diver of the year; Manitou Springs’ Roy Chaney was named swim coach of the year; St. Mary’s Academy’s Lisa Kafka was named dive coach of the year.
    • A slight rule change in boys and girls soccer requires a goalkeeper to leave the field when they are injured and the referee has stopped the clock. Previously, an injured player in the field was required to leave when injured and the referee had stopped the clock, but goalkeepers were not.
    • Jefferson County has started a new Facebook page encouraging good sportsmanship.

     

  • Regis Jesuit wins 5A girls swim title on final leg of final event

    5A girls swimming state
    More photos. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

    THORNTON — You couldn’t have asked for a better finish.

    With one event remaining, the 400-yard freestyle relay, Regis Jesuit High School held a half-point lead over Fairview in the quest for the team title in the Class 5A girls state swimming and diving championships.

    The two teams  lined up by side in adjoining lanes for the 400-yard relay final. They were that way, in first and second, entering the final 100-yard leg.

    Taylor Wilson stepped up for Regis, swimming the winning anchor leg and propelling the Raiders to their second consecutive team title and third in four years.

    Wilson actually relished the challenge.

    “When I was getting ready I was smiling,” she said. “Nothing makes me happier than that kind of pressure.”

    This was a different Regis team than the ones four years prior. With no Missy Franklin piling up points, the team had to find another way to get it done. It did so, in part, by winning all three relays.

    5A girls swimming state
    More photos. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

    “We can in (to the season) knowing we could make it that far,” Wilson said of repeating as state champions. “We knew it — we wanted everybody else to know it.”

    Regis finished with 254.5 points, with Fairview second with 248.

    After back-to-back second-place finishes the previous two years, ThunderRidge junior Annie Ochitwa finally earned her first state title, winning the 50 freestyle by an impressive 0.15 of a second over Lauren Moden of Legend.

    Ochitwa had finished second and third the previous two years in the 100 freestyle. Again, she rectified that by earning her second gold medal.

    The Grizzlies spent Friday night in a hotel, ate dinner and watched television. Ochitwa’s inspiration came from the Food Network.

    “Definitely cake, lots of cake,” she said of what she’d been holding off from eating while training, an indulgence with which she plans to reward herself. Then it’s back to the pool, where a repeat of her feats will provide her with off-season motivation.

    Ella Moynihan of Arapahoe, who entered the state meet as the top seed in the 200 freestyle, retained that position through the preliminaries and followed that up with a victory in the finals, winning by more than a second in defeating defending champion Erin Metzger-Seymour of Ralston Valley.

    5A girls swimming state
    More photos. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

    Bailey Nero of Fossil Ridge, who took fifth in the 200 freestyle, capped off her day with the title, edging Metzger-Seymour by 0.3 of a second.

    Loveland’s Brooke Hansen surprised the field in the 200 individual medley. Seeded fourth entering the meet, she edged out top seed Madeline Myers of Ralston Valley by 0.08 of a second.

    Boulder senior Amanda Richey was the distance champion, winning the 500 freestyle by a second over Madeline Myers of Ralston Valley. The backstroke title went to sophomore Abigail Kochevar of Rock Canyon. Honors in the breaststroke went to Fossil Ridge freshman Bailey Kovac, who edged Hansen at the wall.

    Regis Jesuit sophomore Mckensi Austin won the state diving title. With a score of 494.45 points, she outdistanced Kaitlin Costello of Douglas County by 31.05 points