In 2017, the Jaguars are taking a big leap in Colorado girls lacrosse. For the last two years, they have competed in the Continental League as a junior varsity team. But when play begins on Thursday, they’ll be taking the field at the varsity level.
Led by coach Kylie Smith, Rock Canyon is embracing the challenges that come with being a first-year varsity program. She’s doing it under the very simple principle that a seed can’t grow into something until it gets planted.
“We have a unique situation,” Smith said. “We have about 80 percent of our team that was on our JV team last year, but about 20 percent of them played varsity for ThunderRidge. They’re used to how the varsity world is. It might be a challenge for us because we have that 20 percent that is used to what varsity (competition) should be.”
The benefit of that situation is that the Jaguars are not being fed to the proverbial wolves. They have experience and they have leadership.
And maybe most importantly, they have an understanding of what it takes to be a successful program. The Grizzlies went 15-2 last season and the girls that will now suit up for Rock Canyon have been able to bring some of that winning culture with them.
“There’s a few girls that have taken leadership,” junior Lauren Likes said. “We’ve been able to implement some of the things from ThunderRidge into Rock Canyon.”
That’s something that Smith is going to rely on a lot this season. After all, this will be her first year as a varsity coach just like it will be the varsity season for many of her players.
She doesn’t expect to know everything right away, but she will definitely lean on those players coming in with high-level experience.
“JV is a total different ball game from varsity,” Smith said. “I think the biggest learning curve for me is needing to go and scout other teams and know what’s going on with them and put that into game plans. With JV, I didn’t really prepare or know what the status of the other team was.”
She’s welcoming of this problem. And it’s a problem that’s becoming more common.
Rock Canyon is one of four new programs to take the field this year. Conifer, Rocky Mountain and Bear Creek will also field teams for the first time. It’s a continuing sign that the sport of lacrosse over is in a constant state of growth.
“It’s growing like crazy,” Smith said. “Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in Colorado and in the U.S.”
It’s hard to argue the point with the number of new teams that popped up this year. From a player’s standpoint, it just seems like a sport that is easy to grasp on to and in maybe the simplest explanation possible, it’s a lot of fun.
“Because boys lacrosse grew so much, I just think girls wanted to play,” Likes said. “They found their way into it and it’s such a fun and fast-paced game. It’s really easy to catch on. We have a girl who started last Monday and she made varsity with just three days of tryouts just because it’s so easy to catch on to this game.”
And the more girls that catch on will only mean more participation across the board. If that trend continues, Colorado will continue to see more and more girls lacrosse teams sprout throughout the state.
Before you can knock down a row, the first domino has to fall.
For the Paonia girls track and field team, the tipping point was the 1,600 relay final at the 2013 state meet.
The Eagles trailed Akron by nine points in the team standings heading into the last event. Akron didn’t advance their group out of preliminaries, which meant if Paonia won the 1,600 relay the program’s first team championship would follow.
“We had to win it,” coach Brian Mitchem said. “We didn’t tell our girls where we were at (in points). I don’t know if they knew or not what was on the line. They ran the race of their lives and set a new state record and we won the title.”
Lindsay Russell, Ashley Van Vleet, Chelsy Reed, and Taylor Polson earned the necessary ten points needed to sneak past Akron 87-86 in the final tally. They established a Class 2A state record in the 1,600 relay that still stands with a time of 3 minutes, 58.16 seconds.
Van Vleet, Reed and Polson also teamed with Taylor Plymale to blow past the classification record in the 3,200 relay on the first day of competition, running 9:33.81.
“We started the meet with a state record and finished with a state record,” Mitchem noted.
Now, coming off four consecutive 2A team titles, Paonia is a dynasty. The Eagles are just the fourth program to win four in a row in any classification.
The Classical Academy topped 3A five times in succession from 2006-2010 and Mullen won 4A seven times in a row from 1997-2003. Limon is the only 2A program before Paonia to have achieved such a feat, conquering four in a row from 2004-2007.
So yes, Paonia is in rare company. And of course it takes special athletes to thrive to that degree.
2016 grad Ashley Van Vleet was a member of a championship squad every year of her career. A two-time state winner in the high jump, Ashley will soon reunite on the track at Idaho State with her younger sister, Brianna.
Before that, Brianna has unfinished business to attend. Although an outstanding class of seniors graduated, and the most complete team thus far in Mitchem’s eyes was the 2016 group, the cupboard is anything but bare.
“We’re swimming with athletes,” the younger of the superstar sister tandem said. “We want to strive for five.”
Nothing in life is guaranteed and Mitchem knows the competitiveness of the state. Lyons and Soroco would love nothing more than to claim the top perch, and each has the firepower to be in the mix.
(Courtesy of Paonia HS)
At the start of the spring, Paonia has a team worthy of being deemed the favorite again though. Van Vleet won the long jump and set a new standard in 2A with a mark of 18 feet, nine and a half inches last year. She’s back for more and will be joined by fellow multi-sport stars from volleyball (24-3 record in fall) and basketball (22-0 and No. 2 seed in 2A Great 8) in Sophia Anderson, Emily Pieper, McKenna Hartigan, McKenna Palmer, Randi Rapke, and Poppy Lightfoot.
Scott Rienks, the girls basketball coach, spends his time in the spring coaching the throwers and sprinters of the track program. Brent McRae led Paonia football to back-to-back 1A state titles in 2013 and 2014 and coaches the jumpers on the track team.
The Eagles have been potent in athletics in recent years—Paonia claimed three consecutive 2A titles in wrestling from 2012-14—and it’s easy to see why. Strong coaches and competitors are in place each season.
It’s been a collective effort in the spring, exemplified best by Paonia’s dominance in the relay events.
“We’ve just had some great kids come through the high school the last several years,” Mitchem said. “We’ve been a very welcome recipient of great athletic talent. Last year we scored 47 out of 50 points in the relays.”
Piling up 139 total points with placers in nearly every event (Wray was runner-up with 76), the Eagles really flew in the relays while triumphing in four of the five (800, 1,600, 3,200, and 800 medley relays). They placed third in the 400 relay and have finished first in at least two relays every season of their championship streak.
Now another group of seniors could finish their careers in the red and black never knowing the taste of defeat at state.
“That’s obviously a big deal to me, because track is my sport and I love it with a passion,” Van Vleet said. “Being able to look at my sister and say, ‘Hey, I won four too.’ I know we can do it.”
[divider]
Track and field preview
Important dates
Regular season begins: March 9
State meet: May 18-20 at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood
Defending champions in boys track:
5A: Pomona
4A: Mountain View
3A: Lutheran
2A: Cedaredge
1A: Heritage Christian
Returning all-state competitors in boys track:
5A: Malic Bonner, Fountain-Fort Carson, 4×400, Jr.; Max Borghi, Pomona, 4×100, Jr.; Sergio Cedano, Fountain-Fort Carson, 4×400, Sr.; William Dixon, Monarch, 4×800, Jr.; Adam Eckhardt, Pomona, 4×100, Sr.; Jason Farrell, Fountain-Fort Carson, 4×200 and 4×400, Jr.; Jeremy Gonzales, Pomona, 4×100, Sr.; Isaac Green, Monarch, 4×800, Sr.; Angel Heredia, Hinkley, 300 hurdles, Jr.; Zach Litoff, Monarch, 4×800, Sr.; Jalen Lyon, Fountain-Fort Carson, 4×200, Jr.; Miles Matulik, Pomona, 4×100, Sr.; Darrien Wells, Hinkley, 400 meters, Sr.; Donovan Williams, Fountain-Fort Carson, 4×200, Sr.
4A: Aaron McCoy, Canon City, 300 hurdles, Sr.; Ian Meek, Montrose, 1600 and 3200 meters, Sr.; Brandon Pappas, Palmer Ridge, 4×400, Sr.; Harry Steinberg, Durango, 4×800, Sr.
3A: Sunday Abarca, Aspen, 400 meters, Sr.; Luke Arkell, Lutheran, 4×100 and 4×200, Jr.; Bryce Coop, Manitou Springs, 4×400, Sr.; Jacob Dack, Lutheran, Shot Put, Sr.; Adam Dawson, Lutheran, Discus, Sr.; Isaiah Delacerda, Alamosa, 4×800, Sr.; Jasper Germain, Roaring Fork, High Jump, Jr.; Chad Jackson, Alamosa, 4×800, So.; Jared Keul, Manitou Springs, 800 meters, 4×400, Sr.; Oscar Martinez, Alamosa, 4×800, Sr.; Caleb Palmer, Alamosa, 4×800, Sr.; Luke Rodholm, Manitou Springs, 4×400, Sr.; Victor Zimmerman, Sterling, Pole Vault, Sr.; Conner Stahla, Resurrection Christian, 4×100 and 4×400, Sr.; Michael Stevenson, Resurrection Christian, 4×400, Sr.; Jack Taylor, Resurrection Christian, 4×100, Jr.
2A: Jaylen Hayes, Ellicott, 4×200, Sr.; Simon Kearns, Mancos, 4×800, Jr.; Ben Kelley, Soroco, 800 meters, Jr.; Jake McKie, Mancos, 4×800, Jr.; Chad Mikelson, Sedgwick County, Long Jump and Triple Jump, Sr.; Chiante Stewart, Ellicott, 4×200, Jr.
1A: Chris Athey, Lake City Community, 4×800, Sr.; Ian Beckett, McClave, High Jump, Jr.; Isaac Borchers, Lake City Community, 4×800, Jr.; Shiloh Bremer, Cheraw, 4×100, Sr.; Beau Dukes, Springfield, 4×200, So.; Bowman Ellis, Springfield, 4×200, Sr.; Blayden Fletcher, North Park, 110 hurdles, Jr.; Tate Goble, Otis, Pole Vault, Jr.; Cameron Klann, Flager, 100 meters and Long Jump, Sr.; Riley Moore, Lake City Community, 4×800, Jr.; Taylor Motschall, Heritage Christian, 4×400, Sr.; Brendon Trujillo, Cheraw, 4×100, Sr.; Fred Turner, Eads, 300 hurdles, Sr.
Defending champions in girls track:
5A: Fort Collins
4A: Classical Academy (now in 3A)
3A: Eaton
2A: Paonia
1A: Heritage Christian
Returning all-state competitors in girls track:
5A: Aumni Ashby, Cherokee Trail, 4×200, Jr.; Hannah Carlson, Arapahoe, 800 medley, Jr.; Gina Coleman, Fountain-Fort Carson, Discus, Sr.; Jamie Johnson, Cherry Creek, 4×800, So.; Audra Koopman, Fort Collins, Long Jump, Sr.; Sydnee Larkin, Cherokee Trail, Triple Jump and 4×100, Jr.; Allison Marizza, Arapahoe, 4×400, Sr.; Jordan McCurdy, Cherry Creek, 4×800, Jr.; Gabriella McDonald, Rocky Mountain, Shot Put, Jr.; Arria Minor, Denver East, 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters, So.; Brie Oakley, Grandview, 1600 meters and 3200 meters, Sr.; Jaiden Paris, Cherokee Trail, 4×100 and 4×200, Jr.; Devon Peterson, Cherry Creek, 4×800, Sr.; Emily Sloan, Rock Canyon, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles, Jr.; Taylor Watson, Cherokee Trail, 4×100 and 4×200, Jr.
4A: Anna Hall, Valor Christian, High Jump, So.; Rylee Anderson, Silver Creek, High Jump, Jr.; Tess Boade, Valor Christian, 4×100 and 4×200, Sr.; Alexis Buckhaults, Canon City, 100 hurdles, Sr.; Lauren Gale, Discovery Canyon, 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 medley, Jr.; Destiny Grimes, Valor Christian, 4×100, So.; Jenny Hall, Discovery Canyon, 800 medley, Sr.; Lilliana Hamilton, Air Academy, 4×800, Jr.; Ayannah Lang, Discovery Canyon, 800 medley, Jr.; Lily Lockhart, Delta, Shot Put, Sr.; Bianca Lopez, Valor Christian, 4×200, Jr.; Maria Mettler, Air Academy, 4×800, Sr.; Lianna Ubungen, Discovery Canyon, 800 medley, Jr.
3A: Maya Evans, Lutheran, Long Jump, Jr.; Lannan Abbott, Colorado Springs Christian, 4×400, Jr.; Morgan Barone, Lutheran, High Jump, Sr.; Kylie Chavez, Sterling, Long Jump and Triple Jump, Sr.; Dana Kotz, Coal Ridge, 4×200, Sr.; Chelsey Lockey, Eaton, 800 medley, Jr.; Santana Martinez, Coal Ridge, 4×200, Jr.; Quinn McConnell, Peak to Peak, 800 meters and 4×800, So.; Quinn Pinnt, Moffat County, 4×100, So.; Julia Ridgway, Colorado Springs Christian, 4×400, Sr.; Courtney Sabatino, Eaton, 800 medley, Jr.; Emma Samuelson, Moffat County, 4×100, Sr.; Anna Shults, Peak to Peak, 1600 meters and 4×800, So.; Tarynn Sieg, Eaton, Shot Put and Discus, Sr.; Erica Thompson, Colorado Springs Christian, 4×400, Sr.; Ivy Todd, Estes Park, Pole Vault, Sr.; Lily Tomasula-Martin, Estes Park, 3200 meters, Sr.; Sarah Yocum, Faith Christian, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles, Sr.
“He’s got good skill and IQ, but really I think his top attributes are more on the intangible side,” said Mountain Vista coach Jamie Munro, who happens to be Colin’s father. “There’s plenty of guys that are bigger, stronger, faster and just as skilled, but the real key is can you be a good teammate, can you work hard, can you come through for your team in good moments and can you be a smart player?
“We always talk about play hard, play smart, play together. I respect that about him more than anything else.”
Munro won the prestigious Minto Cup championship in Canada this past summer — the 21-and-under national championship of the Junior-A league.
“He’s spent the last seven summers up in Canada playing box lacrosse, which has been a game-changer for him as far as being able to learn how to play a brand of lacrosse that so many Americans don’t get to,” Munro said. “The Canadians are known for being the best goal scorers and stick handlers. They’re really smart at moving off the ball because that’s what their game teaches.”
However, there’s just one thing missing from the accolades: a CHSAA boys lacrosse state championship.
“We spent a lot of time in January and February just meeting as a team and talking about it,” coach Munro said. “At the end of the day, you go into a year with the idea of wanting to be able to play for that championship on the last Friday of the season.”
Mountain Vista boys lacrosse came oh-so-close to a birth in the Class 5A championship last year, but fell short in a 9-8 loss to Arapahoe in the semifinals. The previous year, the Golden Eagles lost 11-4 to Regis Jesuit in the semifinals.
“The goal is to definitely get past that,” Munro said. “I know most guys have a pretty bitter taste in their mouths after last season. We want to play on the last day of the season.”
(Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
This season, Munro and Mountain Vista believe they have the tools and ability — they’re ready to get over that hump. The Golden Eagles are ranked No. 3 in the preseason.
“We’ve got the battle scars of experience,” the elder Munro said. “I think this team is more focused on the process of trying to do it right and play the right way. We know we have the ability to win games, what we really have to be able to do is just to be consistent. We’ve lost in the semifinals the last two years, and we’re hungry to take the next step and compete for a championship.”
The Golden Eagles are returning five of their top goal-scorers from last year: Munro (54), Jake Govett (36), Jake Frane (27), Ryan Nunes (19) and Evan Place (19).
“We are an unselfish team, he’s a pretty unselfish player,” Jamie Munro said. “Guys are willing to play whatever position, including him. He played midfield as a freshman and attack as a sophomore. We just move it around and see what the team need and go out and do it.”
Munro’s experience with indoor lacrosse gives him a unique skillset that has resulted in prolific stats. Indoor lacrosse uses a smaller goal, with a lot of movement off the ball. Where field lacrosse tends to be a one-on-one game, indoor lacrosse tends to be a picking, cutting and feeding game.
“His real advantage, actually, is that he’s received good opportunities to learn both games,” Munro said. “To be able to deal with tighter confines, the physicality of box lacrosse – that chippy, in-your-face type of culture that you get in Canada, combined with what he’s learned from field lacrosse. Everything from the X’s and O’s to the ability to dodge, it gives a good balance and versatility.”
Munro’s 84 points last year were second among juniors. He netted 54 goals, good for fifth best in Colorado — second for juniors.
“We have a really good offense and I think the best part about my points is they come off of team offense,” Colin Munro said. “We do a really good job of playing together and then whoever ends up with the ball at the end gets the goals. I did a good job shooting last year, so that definitely helped.”
The Munros credit Colin’s success to having opportunities like spending the summer in Canada and playing club lacrosse, both against older competition. Munro played in British Columbia for the last two years, and in Ontario for five years prior.
“Especially playing in Canada this past summer – playing with 21-year-olds that are really tough and physical makes coming back to kids your own age a lot easier,” Colin Munro said. “You get used to getting pounded all the time and when the pounding is not as gruesome, it makes a big difference.
(Lance Wendt/LanceWendt.com)
“It really allowed me to be more of an off-ball guy and learn to play different ways than I have in the past. Instead of just playing with the ball in my stick, I played with the ball out of my stick. It helped to learn the game more, learn different parts of the game.”
Another opportunity came as coach Munro had an 11-year stint as the head coach at the University of Denver.
“Definitely, that’s going to set me up for college,” Munro said. “I know what it’s like, I’m ready to go. Being around all the college players all the time and seeing their work ethics and seeing how intense their practice is, I think I can definitely take a lot of that with me.”
The Munros have been a player-coach duo since about first grade for Colin.
“It’s been the best thing for me as a player,” Munro said about his dad doubling as his coach. “Even though I know he definitely gets on me more than he gets on other players, he definitely knows what he’s talking about. He makes me a great player. I listen and take everything in, try to do everything he asks to the best of my ability.”
“I’m his dad and his coach, so I’m always going to be his biggest critic,” Jamie Munro said. “It’s a tough position to be in as the player of the coach of your dad. It’s also a tough position to be in as the coach when your son is a player. I hold him to the standards that are important for us and he probably has to hear about it more than other players, but luckily he’s got pretty thick skin, too, so it works out.”
This will be the last year of that relationship. The elder Munro will be able to be dad watching his son, simply a fan of spectacular talent.
“It’s going to be weird next year. It’s bittersweet. I think it’s going to be really weird to say goodbye to that special relationship that I have with him and his classmates,” Munro said. “At the same time, I’m psyched for him to take his next step in life and go off to college. It’s going to be sad to see him go, but happy for him. Then, I’m just a dad and I get to enjoy watching him.”
Before Munro moves on, the Golden Eagles have some business to take care of.
“We all have a bitter taste in our mouth after last year,” Colin Munro said. “Played three seasons, haven’t gotten a chance to play in the final game of the season yet, and I think it would be really special to do it for my dad, the rest of the seniors and the Hermann family. It would mean a lot to me just to play in the championship game.”
They start off with a home game March 10 against Legend. A week later, Mountain Vista has a date with the Arapahoe team that ended their season.
“I think we have a really good bond – especially in our offense,” Colin Munro said. “We’re moving the ball, sharing the ball, people know their roles. We have some big, athletic midfielders this year that will be able to make a difference. They’re going to really put some pressure on other teams.”
Coach Munro continually harped on doing things the “right way.” Yes, the talent is there. Yes, the experience is there. But the process needs to be trusted.
“Are we showing up on time, are we doing the extra workouts, are we being good leaders and good followers, good students and good kids off the field? These all add up,” Jamie Munro said. “Winning and losing, there can be some luck involved, but what doesn’t involve luck is doing it the right way.”
First Team: Colin Munro, Mountain Vista, A/M, Sr.; Asher Nolting, Cherry Creek, A, Sr.; Joey Soran, Regis Jesuit, D, Sr.
Second Team: Chase Douglas, Arapahoe, A, Sr.; Hunter Graefe, Chaparral, LSM, Sr.; Mac Tezak, Regis Jesuit, D, Sr.
4A:
First Team: August Johnson, Cheyenne Mountain, M, Jr.; Gianni Orlando, Valor Christian, M, Senior; Eric Pacheco, Valor Christian, M, So.; Gavyn Pure, Dawson School, A, Jr.
Second Team: Ryan Burdi, Green Mountain, G, So.; Mason Meyer, Conifer, A, Jr.; Kyle Sudol, Dawson School, M, Jr.; Lance Tillman, Valor Christian, A, So.; Dalton Ziegler, Valor Christian, M, Sr.
After four years of Regis Jesuit’s Kyle Goodwin reigning supreme over the Class 5A state diving arena, the question last year was who would be his successor?
Having finished second the previous season, Smoky Hill’s Devin Bellamy was the early favorite. But a wave of underclassmen invaded the finals – nine of the 16 finalists were sophomores – and a strong finish helped Bear Creek’s Octavio Lucero claiming the top spot by nearly 70 points.
“It was a powerful moment,” Lucero said.
It would make sense then for the Bears junior to enter 2017 as the diver to beat in the 5A ranks. For the rest of the state that may be the case – but it isn’t for Lucero.
Instead, he will treat the upcoming season as if he isn’t the defending champion in order to maintain that same drive and hunger.
“We’re looking at it as he has quite a few kids that he has to beat,” said Laura Waggoner, Lucero’s diving coach. “We’re not going into it confident – we’re going into it with a job to do. Now we’re training with a job and a purpose in mind.”
Of the 16 finalists last spring, only three were seniors. The rest of the field returns, including state runner-up Caleb Ives of Arapahoe. Lewis-Palmer’s Noah Bettner and Fairview’s Duncan Lester rounded out the top five in 2016 as juniors.
In 4A, only two of the final 16 were seniors, and Valor Christian’s Casey Fellows won state as a freshman. Lucero and Ives finished fourth and fifth in 5A as freshmen in 2015, part of a youth infusion that included four freshmen in the top 16.
“Normally if you’re a really good diver you’re going to dive on a club team in the offseason,” said Waggoner, who also coaches divers at Lakewood and Mullen, and occasionally Golden. “Some of the top divers from last year came from smaller teams, and some kids were just diving for their high school coach. It says a lot about my colleagues in diving. I think there are some amazing coaches out there doing wonders for their kids.”
Lucero’s path into the sport may not be the most typical. He got his start as a gymnast, but after sustaining a few ankle injuries, he made the switch to diving before entering middle school.
In a sport that’s centered around quiet and concentration, Lucero also thrives in a different atmosphere.
“I like it at state when the swimmers go at the same time,” he said. “I like that noise. I think it’s more intimidating when it’s quiet.”
He picked up a few lessons along the way from watching Goodwin at state, and not just the work he did on the diving board. Lucero noticed that Goodwin was always kind to everyone and never cocky, and he took that to heart.
Waggoner said that showed last spring. Lucero’s last dive, a reverse 2 ½, was the best he had ever put forth. When Bellamy wasn’t quite able to pull off the reverse twist he needed on his final attempt, Lucero realized he had won.
Instead of celebrating though, Waggoner said that Lucero had sympathy for Bellamy.
“He’s always really humble and kind, and he knows it’s anybody’s ballgame on that day,” she said. “Anybody can put a list of 11 dives together.”
While Lucero enjoys seeing the same faces each year and the camaraderie those divers have established, he also knows full well that the competition will ramp up come May and everyone will be looking to take their turn at the top.
“I’m assuming there’s going to be some bigger dives done, which means everyone is going to have to work that much harder to be able to come out ahead,” Waggoner said. “There’s some really good divers out there, and he’s aware how good they are.”
Fossil Ridge claimed its second consecutive 5A team championship last spring, rolling to the title over Regis Jesuit. Danny Kovac (100 backstroke) is the team’s only returning individual champion, while Fairview’s Michael Zarian (200 individual medley and 500 freestyle), Arapahoe’s Griffin Eiber (100 free) and Regis Jesuit’s Elijah Warren (100 breaststroke) also return.
Cheyenne Mountain was the runaway champion in 4A, taking the title with 99 more points than Valor Christian. The Indians were fairly young as well, returning a number of swimmers from their three relay titles and two individual champions in Kyle Leach (200 free) and Brayden Love (100 breaststroke).
[divider]
Boys swimming preview
Important dates:
Regular season begins: March 9
State meets:
5A: May 19-20, VMAC in Thornton
4A: May 19-20, Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs
To appreciate where Valor Christian’s girls soccer team ended up last spring – and where the Eagles hope to go in 2017 – it’s significant to take a brief trip back in time.
Two years ago Valor Christian entered the 2015 playoffs as the No. 7 seed, looking to get back into the title hunt in Class 4A. Instead, a rash of late-season injuries hit the program hard in the first round. Centaurus handed the Eagles their first opening-round loss in the team’s brief history, ending Valor Christian’s run before it could even get started.
“I think that team that year was poised to make a deep run in state, and just had the injury-bug hit them like crazy right at the end of the regular season,” said current Valor Christian coach Brian Shultz, who returned to lead the program last season. “They lost some major contributors right before the playoffs started, and just probably didn’t have enough time to figure it out before it was go-time in the playoffs.
“Did that light a fire under the girls to get back? Absolutely, I think it did.”
Enter Shultz, who had coached Valor Christian to its only state title in 2011 and two semifinal appearances the following two seasons. He stepped down before the 2014 season to focus on teaching and coaching the Valor boys, but returned last spring.
The Eagles rediscovered their playoff magic, making it back to the championship game for the first time in five years before falling to Lewis-Palmer 1-0.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“That was a really painful ending,” said Eagles senior Camryn Dyke, who has signed with Notre Dame. “We had a really great season last year. We definitely want to be back there this year.”
Valor Christian, ranked first in the CHSAANow.com 4A preseason rankings, returns two first-team all-state talents in Camryn and younger sister Cori, who made an immediate impact as a freshman last spring. Versatile talent Caroline Noonan was a second-team selection, and the team has five seniors who have signed to play collegiately.
Camryn Dyke will compete for the Fighting Irish, and Grace Collins (Wyoming) and Tess Boade (Duke) are also going to Division I programs. Bri Johnson (Westmont College) and Paige Kula (John Brown) will play for NAIA schools.
“We have a great group of seniors this year, some amazing girls,” said Camryn, who shared the team lead in goals scored with Johnson at 15. “I think we all just want to do it for each other and leave a legacy here.”
Kula missed last spring with a knee injury, though Shultz said her leadership still helped play a critical role in helping the team reach the title game. Boade competed for Valor’s track and field team as a junior, but is back with the soccer program for her final season.
Noonan is a junior, as is goalkeeper Alex Daws, who rotated as a sophomore but was in net during the playoff run and has committed to Wyoming.
Valor Christian finished second in the 4A Jeffco League a year ago, but took out Evergreen and league champion Wheat Ridge in the postseason. Those same two teams handed the Eagles back-to-back losses in late April, which helped reinvigorate the squad, according to Shultz.
To keep Valor Christian sharp and on its toes at all times this season, the coach strengthened the schedule even more with non-league games against the likes of two-time defending 5A champion Grandview; a Cheyenne Mountain team that won 4A titles from 2013-15; and Colorado Academy, which won 3A in 2014 and 2015 and took second last year.
That doesn’t include the gauntlet that the 4A Jeffco League serves up each spring.
“We’re just trying to prepare ourselves for the playoffs, so that any team we face at the end of the season is not going to surprise us,” Shultz said. “It’s the toughest schedule we’ve had.”
Lewis-Palmer returns a pair of first-team all-state selections, including reigning Player of the Year Brianna Alger, who has signed with Washington State. The Rangers enter the season ranked second in 4A, followed by Cheyenne Mountain, Windsor and Mullen. In addition to Valor, three more Jeffco League teams – Wheat Ridge, D’Evelyn and Evergreen – are also ranked in the top 10.
In 5A, Grandview is looking for a third consecutive 5A crown after going 18-0-1 a year ago. Kent Denver and reigning 3A POY Sage DiGuilio entered the season ranked first, with two-time defending 2A champion Vail Mountain make the jump to the 3A classification as well.
Dawson School returns 2A POY Hannah Isenhart as the Mustangs seek their first state crown.
[divider]
Girls soccer preview
Important dates:
Regular season begins: March 9
Postseason begins: May 9
State championships:
5A: 7 p.m. on May 24 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
4A: 5 p.m. on May 24 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
3A: 7 p.m. on May 23 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
2A: 5 p.m. on May 23 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
Class 4A: Brianna Alger, Sr., Lewis-Palmer (1st team); Hannah Burgo, Sr., The Classical Academy (2nd team); Camryn Dyke, Sr., Valor Christian (1st team); Cori Dyke, Soph., Valor Christian (1st team); Lauren Jones, Sr., Cheyenne Mountain (1st team); Chaynee Kingsbury, Jr., Windsor (1st team); Caleigh Michael, Sr., Mullen (2nd team); Caroline Noonan, Jr., Valor Christian (2nd team); Karly Sandoval, Sr., Lewis-Palmer (1st team); Adalyn Vergara, Jr., Windsor (2nd team).
Class 3A: Jennika Chapman, Sr., Jefferson Academy (1st team); Sidney Chong, Soph., Kent Denver (2nd team); Sage DiGiulio, Sr., Kent Denver (1st team); Alex Loera, Sr., The Academy (1st team); Brooklyn Mack, Jr., Manitou Springs (1st team); Sarah Masinter, Sr., Colorado Academy (1st team); McKenna Monk, Sr., Founain Valley (2nd team); Kristi Nagai, Sr., Jefferson Academy; Anna Ponzio, Jr., Colorado Academy (2nd team); Shelby Schumacher, Sr., Kent Denver (1st team); Hannah Wilson, Sr., Colorado Springs Christian (2nd team).
Class 2A: Mikayla Grubbs, Soph., Cornerstone Christian Academy (1st team); Emma Hall, Jr., Vail Mountain (1st team); Hannah Isenhart, Sr., Dawson School (1st team); Tess Johnson, Jr., Vail Mountain (1st team); Maggie Kirkpatrick, Sr., Evangelical Christian (1st team); April Mann, Sr., Evangelical Christian (1st team); Samantha O’Brien, Jr., Clear Creek (1st team); Anwyn Urquhart, Soph., Vail Mountain (1st team).
Colorado Academy’s Caroline Jordaan takes at the green. The Mustangs will compete as a 3A team in 2017. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
With great numbers comes great opportunity.
In high school athletics, that is the name of the game after all: opportunity.
That will be afforded to more girls this spring as golf will begin play with a third classification for the first time.
In 2017, the state of Colorado will feature 104 golf programs. The numbers are there, meaning that it was time to widen competition and add a third class in order to provide more chances for girls from smaller schools not just to participate, but to compete.
“It was going to be very difficult with a classification as big as 4A and 5A was for a lot of our smaller schools to be able to compete,” said golf committee chair Mike Hughes, the athletic director at Vista PEAK. “Even though it’s an individual sport, there is still a team component. To have a sport with such a big swing from the smallest schools in the state to schools with about 1,300 kids makes it fairly tough for those schools to compete.”
That’s not to say that schools that are 3A schools that were competing in Class 4A weren’t succeeding. Colorado Academy claimed the overall team title. This year, the Mustangs will compete as a 3A team.
Kent Denver’s Marin Halvorsen and Rifle’s Elly Walters both excelled individually last year and as a result, made the CHSAANow.com all-state team. Both will return to the links this spring, looking to claim individual golf championships and better placings for their teams.
“It’s exciting,” Walters said. “Obviously Colorado Academy is still in our classification and they’re going to be really good again, but I’m excited because as a team too, I really think we have a chance (to compete).”
But for smaller schools with some potential lower participation numbers, the overall addition of a 3A class can provide girls a chance to do things they maybe couldn’t do a year ago.
“I think it’ll give more girls an opportunity to say that they’ve played in a state tournament,” Manitou Springs coach Ken Vecchio said. “I know in the past, I’d bet that about 65 percent of the kids that qualified were from 4A schools and the 35 were below. Having a 3A and below, I think that’ll be good for girls.”
In each of the last two 4A tournaments, the Mustangs have only qualified one golfer for the state tournament. But now the door is open for more girls from schools like Manitou, Alamosa, Wray, Swink, and others, to step on the course at a state championship event.
It’s not just a benefit for those at smaller schools. The creation of 3A will also see positive results in the 4A and 5A classes as well. With the classes evened out through enrollment it should provide tough competition at events such as regionals or state championships.
“I think it’s the right thing to do,” Cheyenne Mountain coach John Carricato said. “What my understanding is that the top third in enrollment are in 5A, the middle third is in 4A and the bottom third is 3A. When you look at it that way, it certainly levels out the playing field. You still have to have stud players.”
And that will be the case for each class. Stud players will remain atop the leaderboards, but now girls who may have finished in the top 20 now have a chance to bring home a medal.
And with 252 total golfers set to compete at the state championship tournaments in May, more of those opportunities exist today and will continue to grow in the coming years.
“The opportunity comes from more people and more teams potentially having success because there’s three classes now,” Carricato said. “I can draw back to last year and even though we were three-time state champs, taking second was still rewarding. Now another team gets to take second.”
It’s another sign of increased interest and participation in high school athletics. And with 2017 marking the first year of additional chances for new players and teams to compete, it’s only a matter of time before more athletes begin taking advantage of them.
“Anything we can do as a state and as an association that can positively impact the development and growth of a child in a positive way is going to be a win for us,” Hughes said. “How we go about structuring that and how we go about offering opportunities for kids and schools to compete is something that’s going to adjust every couple of years.”
[divider]
Girls golf preview
Class 5A
Defending individual champion: Mary Weinstein, Regis Jesuit (graduated)
Defending state champion: Grandview
Regular season begins: Mar. 2
Regional tournaments: May 11-12
State tournament: May 22-23, The Club at Rolling Hills, Golden
Returning all-state golfers: Julia Baroth, Sr., Denver East; Amy Chitkoksoong, So., Grandview; Leigha Devine, So., Fossil Ridge; Jaclyn Murray, Sr., Regis Jesuit; Jordan Remley, Sr., Regis Jesuit.
Class 4A
Defending individual champion: Erin Sargent, Silver Creek (graduated)
Defending state champion: Colorado Academy (now 3A)
Regular season begins: Mar. 2
Regional tournaments: May 11-12
State tournament: May 22-23, Colorado National, Erie
Whoever wins this season’s Class 3A girls tennis championship will be the first to ever do so.
As for who will be hoisting the trophy, well, the race is wide open.
“It’s still going to be very competitive,” Colorado Academy coach Bob Ulrich said. “It’s going to be a wide open race for 3A at the state tournament. I don’t think anybody can be counted out because we haven’t even hit our first tennis ball yet, but I think it’s going to be pretty wide open.”
It could be Ulrich’s Colorado Academy team that finished fifth in last year’s 4A state championships and third the year before. Just below Colorado Academy in the final standings are D’Evelyn or Holy Family — both of whom have moved to 3A. The Jaguars and Tigers finished tied for sixth with 16 points each.
Or it could be any number of the schools chomping at the bit with a new opportunity in competition.
“With this new classification, it’s a great opportunity for the girls that might not have had a chance to get in the top 3 of state at 4A, but now it’s wide open,” D’Evelyn coach Woody Oliver said. “They could even win state. It’s pretty cool that they’re changing the level but they’re still going to be able to qualify for state and probably do even better.”
“It’s opened up the possibility to compete at a higher level for all of our spots,” Holy Family coach Brittany Storgaard said. “We were always feeling really competitive at three or four of our seven spots a year, but now the door is open top to bottom on the ladder for qualifying and competing at the state level.”
It goes even deeper than the Varsity 1 teams. The new classification gets girls on lower teams more competition and opportunity, too.
“We can get our Varsity 2 a little more play because we’re playing an independent schedule with our Varsity 1 and we’re putting our Varsity 2 in league,” Storgaard said. “Our Varsity 2 girls get to compete at a higher level now, too. Across the board it’s helping our program up its competition level.”
Cheyenne Mountain has five of the nine returning all-state players from last year. They won the last eight championships and nine of the last ten. They scored 10-plus points at all seven positions in last year’s championships.
But, Cheyenne Mountain is in 4A.
(Renee Rockford/Colorado Academy)
“It’s the same competition that we’re used to seeing, I just think there’s more equal playing ground,” Storgaard said. “We’re able to compete against each other and not have the automatic knockouts from a Cheyenne Mountain or one of those schools. It’s going to be a tough tournament. We’re really excited for that.”
This year’s first-ever 3A state meet will be at Centennial Park in Greeley on May 11-13.
Last season, Colorado Academy was largely carried by its No. 1 and No. 2 singles players at last year’s state meet.
“We graduated our number-one singles player and half of our number one doubles team who were very experienced players, but we have a number of players returning who have been to state at least once if not several times,” Ulrich said.
D’Evelyn, meanwhile, scored on the strength of its doubles teams. The Jaguars had the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 doubles carried the load, grabbing 14 of 16 points.
(Kara Robbins/Courtesy photo)
“The strength of our team, what carried us, was the back end — the depth,” Oliver said. “We might not have the top-tier one singles talent that is going to win state, but the reason that we’ve been doing so good is because the whole team is really deep. I expect once again the strength of the team will be that we are deeper than everyone.”
Speaking of strength in the back, Holy Family follows the D’Evelyn model as the No. 3 doubles slot secured nine of 16 points at state.
“This is one of the hardest working groups of girls. From the preseason, I don’t think we’ve ever been more prepared,” Storgaard said. “We have about half our team returning, and they’re returning state qualifiers with great experience. The girls that we’re looking to absorb and fill (other) spots, they’re just as competitive.”
Each team has different definitions for success this year.
“If we did a good job of coaching, if the players work hard, you stay injury and illness free, I would definitely like to do the best we could — maybe get in top five and then go from there,” Ulrich said.
Oliver has less conservative aspirations for his first year as head coach at D’Evelyn.
“In terms of actually competing for a state championship, that’s the goal,” Oliver said. “We’re definitely capable of winning it. This is my first year as head coach, so that would be a pretty awesome way to start. To come aboard my first year, the first year of 3A, and win the school’s first state championship, that’s definitely the goal.”
Storgaard and Holy Family aren’t backing down, either.
“To get a state championship has always been our goal regardless of the competition,” Storgaard said. “It’s a little bit of both. We’re excited for the opportunity at 3A, but we were going to fight wherever we were.”
But, really what it’s about is opening a window of opportunity that otherwise wasn’t there.
“I think it’s incredible,” Urlich said. “For the girls that have been fortunate enough to qualify, it’s always been an amazing experience. I think that’s one of the reasons why they went to 3A is to give more girls an opportunity to experience the state playoffs. For that reason, I think it’s excellent.”
Storgaard said the announcement of a 3A classification lit a fire under her team.
“They’re really fighting for spots,” Storgaard said. “We’re already seeing upsets on the ladder and it’s really great when you can see that kind of excitement from the girls to know that a door has been opened that maybe wasn’t open before and they’re ready to push through it. I think the girls can taste the blood and they’re that much more eager to go at it.”
Only time will tell who will hoist the first 3A trophy.
“The girls are excited to be out there on the court and let it rip,” Ulrich said.
“We were fighting for it at 4A, we’re going to be fighting for it at 3A,” Storgaard said. “I’m really proud of my girls and the preseason effort that they put forth. We’re excited to see how we stack up in this new classification.”
The greatest player in Colorado high school history led George Washington to a pair of state championships. He was named Mr. Basketball three times and was selected as a McDonald’s All-American his senior year.
The point guard, who thrived at the University of Colorado and in the NBA, earning Finals MVP honors in 2004 during a championship run with the Detroit Pistons, piloted the Patriots to their last basketball crown. They won 6A over Horizon in 1994.
Basketball has always meant a great deal to the school. This year’s team has a chance at snapping a 22-year title drought.
“It would mean a lot, because we haven’t won a state championship since Chauncey,” said Calvin Fugett, the current floor general for the Patriots. “It would put George on the map again.”
In many ways, George Washington is already on the map again. They are the two-time defending Denver Prep League champions, boasting a 16-0 record in league play over that span. That came after 3-4 and 4-4 city records the previous two seasons.
“I think the last two seasons were very exciting, because we won the Denver Prep League,” said Jon’il Fugett, Calvin’s brother and capable sidekick. “I remember when Calvin was a freshman and I would go and watch his games. I would see him lose to some of these DPS teams. They got so sad when they lost. They had so much pride. The fact that I haven’t had a loss and haven’t had to feel what they felt is pretty good.”
The program has also reached the 5A Sweet 16 the past two seasons, their deepest tournament runs since 2011, and been one of the more compelling teams to watch.
(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Now they want more. A state championship is in their sights and they are brimming with talent. Hoops are alive and well at the traditional city contender.
“When I first got here, a lot of students didn’t go to the games but our style of play is exciting,” said fourth-year coach Reggie Hammons, a former Patriots player. “The crowd is involved again. We have a nice little buzz around the school about the team.”
George Washington, ranked sixth in the preseason CHSAANow 5A poll, might have the fastest group in Colorado. They have the personnel to be in that conversation and love to take advantage, consistently pushing the pace and pressuring opponents with their athleticism.
“We definitely are an athletic, running team, because we’re really guard-heavy,” Calvin Fugett said. “We’re going to be a team that can shoot better this year. We’ve been working on that. We’re going to be a defensive team as well.”
“I don’t really see any team that can hang with us man-to-man or can press us full-court,” Jon’il Fugett added. “If that happens, we’re going to take advantage and attack them.”
Although Daylen Kountz, perhaps Colorado’s best junior prospect, transferred to Denver East, the Patriots still have sufficient star power.
Jon’il (14.4 points per game, 2.1 steals per game as sophomore) and Calvin Fugett (11.1 ppg, 5.8 assists per game as junior) are dynamos in the open court. And 6-foot-5 guard Jervay Green is uber-talented, a senior that Coach Reggie Hammons describes as one of the best in the state. 6-foot-8 Tre Pierce is mobile, a rim-protector who accounted for 2.5 blocks a night as a sophomore.
Above all else, the Patriots will no longer be one of the youngest teams in 5A. Upperclassmen lead the charge, a virtue George Washington hopes will push them into the state finals. Their last appearances in the championship game were in 2009, an overtime loss to Regis Jesuit, and 2001, a 40-39 defeat at the hands of Mullen. The program does have five state championships (1994, 1993, 1986, 1982, 1961).
“To win the state championship, it would be our legacy,” Jon’il Fugett said. “Just like Chauncey has his legacy at George, we would be able to leave our own legacy.”
Returning All-State Players: Sam Masten, Jr., Rock Canyon (1st team); Colbey Ross, Sr., Eaglecrest (1st team); Hunter Maldonado, Sr., Vista Ridge (1st team in 4A); Braxton Bertolette, Sr., Fossil Ridge (2nd team); Jake Belknapp, Sr., Mountain Vista (Honorable mention); Elijah Blake, Sr., Rangeview (Honorable mention); Daylen Kountz, Jr., Denver East (Honorable mention); Jaizec Lottie, Sr., Cherokee Trail (Honorable mention); Kolton Peterson, Sr., Lakewood (Honorable mention).
Championship: March 11 at Denver Coliseum
Class 4A
Defending champion: Pueblo West
Preseason No. 1: Pueblo West
Returning All-State Players: Jalen Sanders, Sr., Valor Christian (1st team); David Simental, Sr., Pueblo West (1st team); CJ Jennings, Sr., Sierra (2nd team); D’Shawn Schwartz, Sr., Sand Creek (2nd team); Kayle Knuckles, Sr., Valor Christian (Honorable mention); Trey McBride, Jr., Fort Morgan (Honorable mention); Nieyeme Smyer-williams, Jr., Pueblo West (Honorable mention).
Championship: March 11 at Denver Coliseum
Class 3A
Defending champion: Colorado Springs Christian
Preseason No. 1: Colorado Springs Christian
Returning All-State Players: Justin Engesser, Sr., Colorado Springs Christian (1st team); Tanner Ervin, Sr., Resurrection Christian (1st team in 2A); Ryan Brubacher, Sr., Alamosa (2nd team); Conner Martin, Sr., Strasburg (Honorable mention); Lucas Rodholm, Sr., Manitou Springs (Honorable mention); Robert Williams, Sr., Sheridan (Honorable mention); Will Willis, Sr., Lutheran (Honorable mention).
Having been on the doorstep of the Class 5A state championship game so many times in recent years, Grandview’s girls basketball team truly believed its time had come last March.
The Wolves were undefeated coming into the state tournament and were the top overall seed. But the team couldn’t quite overcome a slow start against ThunderRidge in the semifinals, and it was the Grizzlies who went on to celebrate a state championship.
Grandview senior Michaela Onyenwere remembers the outcome didn’t truly hit her until she reached the locker room.
“All the emotions started filling the room. We worked so hard and the results showed. They were an amazing team, but we had beaten them before,” she said. “It felt like a lot of things were in our favor.
“It was hard in the locker room. I felt terrible and didn’t want to talk to anyone the next day. It was just an awful, awful feeling.”
So it goes without saying that the Wolves are willing to do what it takes to avoid that sentiment again. After graduating only two seniors, Grandview is eager to get the 2016-17 season underway and prove it can finally break through. The Wolves are ranked No. 1 in the preseason.
For a team that has 114 victories in its past five seasons but no title-game appearances to show for it, close won’t cut it anymore.
“I think everyone realizes how far we can go again this year,” said senior point guard Kennede Brown, who played varsity as a freshman with Onyenwere. “Practices I think are a lot more competitive this year and people are taking it more seriously.
“We realize we don’t have that much time left and this is the last season. We have to go get it this season.”
Grandview coach Josh Ulitzky understands the talent that lines his roster, starting with the reigning 5A Player of the Year. Onyenwere, who recently committed to playing for UCLA, has been a first-team all-state selection in each of her first three seasons. The 6-foot forward averaged 24.5 points a game as a junior to go along with 10.6 rebounds and four steals.
(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
“It’s just been a real privilege to get to work with her and see her mentality. She’s being more of a leader, and she’s about as selfless of a player as I’ve seen,” Ulitzky said. “Under the amount of notoriety she’s gained, she’s incredibly humble. She cares about her teammates.”
Brown, junior Jaiden Galloway and sophomore Alisha Davis each averaged a little more than seven points a game last season. Ulitzky pointed out that while Onyenwere receives a lot of the accolades, she doesn’t do it by herself on the court.
“I think it takes every single one of us. Not one player, not two, not three – every single player has to contribute,” Onyenwere said. “Everyone has to have that winning mindset. Everyone has to know we want it more than every other than in the state. We have to realize this is what we want; we want to do something that’s never been done in Grandview history.”
Brown said it doesn’t matter how talented and how skilled the players might be, because if the team doesn’t work together it won’t go very far in the end. But the team’s past postseason history – three semifinal losses over the previous four seasons – won’t be a primary focus.
“We always talk about what we can control. We’ve talked about that for five years,” Ulitzky said. “We control how we execute and the effort with which we play. The focus honestly I don’t think is going to change that much.”
But in the back of their minds, the players still remember the bitter feeling from last March 10 at the Coors Events Center in Boulder. The calendar may have turned a handful of pages, but that doesn’t mean the memory fades.
“Just losing that game propels us to want to win. You can tell even now these girls want it,” Onyenwere said. “I want it more than anything just because of last year. I want it for the girls, I want it for the team, I want it for my coach and I want it for the school.
“That one loss is going to be the driving force for this season.”
Holyoke swimming assistant Aly Brinkema was one of the original 11 swimmers on the school’s inaugural girls team of 1997-98. She qualified for state all four seasons under her mother, head coach Adria Colver, and was named the 2001 4A girls swimmer of the year as a senior after placing first in the state 100 freestyle and second in the 200.
But that’s the only time a swimmer from this program has picked up such accolades.
For a small swim team like Holyoke, state dreams aren’t impossible. But it is very, very difficult for girls to qualify.
“People don’t embrace the year-round intensive swimming program here, and when you look at the qualifying standards for 5A, even 4A, they are hard to reach unless you live in the water,” Colver said. “Although, we’ve always proven it could be done with relays going to state, and we have had some individuals over the years. It can be done.”
Brinkema went on to have a four-year collegiate swimming career at the University of Kansas before returning to help her mother coach at Holyoke in 2007.
Now the two stand at the helm of 2016-17’s 11-woman squad that has very real chances of qualifying for state in multiple events with CHSAA’s addition of a new Class 3A for girls swimming.
Colver, who is set to step aside and let Brinkema take over the team at the conclusion of the season, said the additional classification is a blessing, as going to state is now more attainable than ever for these young women competing at a small 2A school.
“It’s hard to say to a group of girls, come swim for us and work hard, but state might be out of reach for you,” Colver said. “So this is going to be a sweet ending for a season to have qualifying standards that are already achievable.”
Holyoke’s team has drawn from other northeastern towns, including Sterling, Julesburg, Wray, Haxtun and Sedgwick County. The town of approximately 2,300 boasts the only pool within a 50-mile radius, and it’s also the only place in that corner of the state with an indoor six-lane, 25-yard pool.
The Holyoke swimming pool is owned and operated by the city, which makes for a unique relationship between the school and town that most teams don’t have.
“This pool is unique here, and it’s not used a great deal because pools are extremely expensive to operate,” Cover said. “So, when it is open, we all have to use it and use it hard.”
Holyoke’s team doesn’t train nearly as much as other schools, so when the girls do practice, Colver and Brinkema ask for 100 percent focus. Brinkema, who has also coached in Greeley and Loveland, is on the CHSAA swimming committee and really pushed to get the smaller class.
“This 3A means everything to me, because now I can work these girls with the limited time I have and go far with them. Every once in awhile you’ll get a kid that’s really phenomenal and can really run with that one individual, but swimming is a team sport, and in town and school like Holyoke, I may have the stars, but not necessarily the depth,” Brinkema said.
“By creating 3A and adjusting those qualification times, I’m able to take more than one or two to state, and it really becomes a team experience. The team culture change has already been dramatic and the girls are working hard because they know they have a chance now.”
There will be 42 schools competing in 3A, with Mitchell (1,231) being the largest and Holyoke (167) the smallest. February 9-11, the 5A and 3A meets will be together at VMAC in Thornton.
Of the 11 girls on Holyoke’s team this year, three are seniors and five are freshman.
Senior Emily Krogmeier has qualified for multiple state events before. She swims in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 medley relay and 200 free relay.
“As a senior, it’s really an awesome opportunity to swim with schools that are more our size,” Krogmeier said. “We’ve been swimming with 5A-4A, and it’s really great competition, but now we have a better chance at state.”
Junior Regan Van Overbeke (100 breast, 500 free, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay) said Holyoke’s team is tiny, but mighty. And on top of that, the small school culture is to get involved in as many activities as possible.
“Coming from a small school, we’re expected to participate in everything – academics, sports, extra curricular activities, all of it. It’s cool we get to do so much, but it will also be nice competing with the other schools being pulled in all different directions.”
But Krogmeier and Van Overbeke agree their coaches make all the difference in their swimming practices. Even though Holyoke may not practice as much as Front Range schools, it’s the quality over quantity than counts.
It also helps to learn from another Holyoke swimming state champion, who has be in the athletes’ shoes before and understands what it takes.
“A lot of coaches will stand there and yell at you, but Aly will work out with us, whether or not we’re swimming or in the weight room, and that’s just so much motivation for us,”Krogmeier said. “She’s in there with us, not just telling us what to do, but she’s also going through the same pain with us.”
Brinkema is the most decorated girls swimmer in Holyoke history, and she’s helped usher in change that benefits the program, and will hopefully grow the team and produce even more state champions.
“3A is opening up doors for a lot of girls, and even the boys,” Brinkema said. “It’s created a lot of excitement in the town of Holyoke, and it’s changing history in our town.”
