LOVELAND — This time, it wasn’t going to take five overtimes. Valor Christian found a more efficient way to get around Sam Simon and because of that, the Eagles are hockey champions once again.
Ryan Kayser scored twice, but it was Jameson Charles with a laser that got by Simon with 2:36 remaining in the third period to give Valor a 4-3 win over Fort Collins in the Class 5A hockey state championship game.
“I’m proud of these guys,” coach George Gwozdecky said. “Anytime you can win your last game of the season, it’s a heck of an accomplishment. Considering they’re defending a championship, that’s even tougher to do.”
Defending the title put a lot of pressure on the Eagles. Heading in, they were aware of the capabilities of Simon. They were fortunate a year ago that one goal did the trick, but at no point did they think that’d be the case in this rematch at the Budweiser Events Center.
“One hundred percent,” Kayser said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be just one. It was going to take four, five, six. We wanted to do whatever it took.”
Neither team found a scoring foothold in the first period and it was Aidan Beck breaking the scoreless tie, tipping the puck by Jace Ruth early in the second.
“That top line of theirs is really dynamic,” Gwozdecky said. “If we were going to give ourselves a chance, we had to shut them down and we didn’t do a very good job of that.”
But they were able to keep pace. The Eagles scored back to back goals as Kayser got his first and Pahos put the Eagles up 2-1 before Beck netted his second to tie the game after two periods.
A power play goal from Kayser put the Eagles back on top before Dennis White pulled the Lambkins even once again.
After an apparent goal got waved off, the Eagles moved with a bit more urgency and that’s when Charles fired a laser that got by Simon, sending the Valor fans into a frenzy.
“I thought mine was going to get called off, so I didn’t get too excited,” he said. “Our momentum was getting that goal back that we lost.”
They got it back and they didn’t give it up.
It’s the second straight championship win for Valor as they beat Fort Collins 1-0 in the final CHSAA unclassified championship game a year ago.
That game took five overtimes before Pahos broke the scoreless tie.
The Eagles were able to put 40 shots on the net through the course of the game, far fewer than the 80-plus they put on Simon last year. But this year just yielded better results.
To their credit, the Lambkins were more efficient offensively than they were a year ago as they put 19 shots on net, getting three of them past Ruth.
THORNTON — Evergreen overcame many obstacles to claim its third-straight Class 3A girls swimming and diving state championship Tuesday at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center.
The Cougars took second place in each of the last two races en route to 360 points. Aspen finished in second place (273), followed by Glenwood Springs (254) and Holy Family (219.5).
“It has been a crazy season, but it has been incredibly rewarding,” said Evergreen head coach Liz Hudd, now in her 21st season. “We had a way smaller team. We had girls that came back from illness, came back from not being able to swim because they couldn’t get into the water … and they brought it in the end.
“The girls just did their job,” she explained. “Some of them had best swims, some of them didn’t. But they just were resilient, and consistent and they did an amazing job. I have to hand it to them. They really picked it up at the end, and that’s when we were able to pull away with it.”
It marked the fifth-ever girls swim and dive state championship for Evergreen, which also won 4A titles in 2014 and 2015.
“It’s my first! It’s super-exciting!” said freshman Finley Anderson, who finished second in the 100 backstroke and fourth in the 100 butterfly.
“It was different from anything else that I’ve done. But it was an experience that I will never forget. It was so fun being in here and racing and being a part of such an amazing team. There was definitely some pressure to win a third, but it made me go faster; it made us push each other.”
Evergreen wasn’t the only big winner Tuesday.
(Paul Soriano)
Berthoud’s Jamie Dellwardt captured a pair of state championships on the day.
She blazed to a title in the 200 freestyle. The senior recorded a time of 1:54.51 to finish ahead of Jolie Kim of Kent Denver (1:55.93), last year’s champion in the event, and Tuva Siegel of Denver North (1:58.28).
Dellwardt earned her second state championship with the top time in the 100 backstroke (56.91). Anderson finished second (57.31) while Holy Family’s Abigail Philipsen placed third (58.28).
Discovery Canyon junior Victoria Sanders began the day with a state championship in diving. Her score of 479.35 gave her the win over Holy Family’s Mary Kate Cavanaugh (432.30) and Libby Claassen of Glenwood Springs (420.70) and marked the third-straight diving state championship for Discovery Canyon. Rachel Alexander won the event in 2019 and 2020.
Aspen won the first relay event, the 200 medley. The Skiers (Lilly Huggard, Emily Kinney, Kayla Tehrani and Bennett Jones) swam to a mark of 1:49.76 to easily outpace Evergreen (1.51.76) and Glenwood Springs (1:51.92).
Caitlin Crysel of St. Mary’s Academy, cruised to an easy victory in the 200 Individual Medley. The freshman posted a time of 2:06.62 to finish ahead of Bennett Jones of Aspen (2:10.06) and Pueblo County’s Kandi Liberato (2:14.04).
Kalie Linden of St. Mary’s Academy was the top athlete in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.52. Discovery Canyon’s Eden Nolan finished second in 24.85, followed by Tehrani (25.01).
Tehrani then flew to a victory in the 100 butterfly with a time of 57.37 to edge Crysel (57.46) and Caitlin Beery of Thomas Jefferson (58.18).
In the 100 freestyle, Siegel won the state championship with a time of 53.35. Linden finished second (54.42) and Gunnison’s Ashlynd Harris placed third (54.74).
(Paul Soriano)
Kim improved on her second-place finish in the 200 freestyle with a state championship in the 500 freestyle. Kim, a senior, posted a time of 5:08.76 to win the event for the second-consecutive year. Beery finished second with a time of 5:09.46, while Amelie Ogilby of Glenwood Springs finished third (5:09.47).
In one of the most exciting races of the day, St. Mary’s Academy edged Aspen in the 200 freestyle relay. The Pirates (Crysel, Ella Yearsley, Charlotte Gaudet and Linden) earned a time of 1:40.73 to win the state championship, while the Skiers touched in 1:40.79
Isabella Kuzbek of Manitou Springs was the top-seed in the 100 breaststroke heading into the meet, and she did not disappoint. The senior captured her first state championship with a time of 1:07.36. Alyssa Cook of Evergreen finished second in 1:07.95, followed by Jillian Carlson of Delta (1:08.10), last year’s champion in the event.
D’Evelyn capped the evening with a stunning win in the 400 freestyle relay. Sammy Skrzekut, Kati Livingood, Ayla Pierce and Ava Anderson teamed up to post a time of 3:42.91. Evergreen’s Anderson, Kileigh Ackerman, Cook and Taylor Jacobson finished second in 3:43.06, followed by Glenwood Springs (Amy Madsen, Ogilby, Ellie MacPherson and Kylee Smith) in 3:44.21.
[divider]
2021 3A Girls Swimming and Diving State Champions
Diving: Victoria Sanders, Discovery Canyon
200 Medley Relay: Aspen
200 Freestyle: Jamie Dellwardt, Berthoud
200 Individual Medley: Caitlin Crysel, St. Mary’s Academy
PUEBLO — Of the 101 team state championships that Cheyenne Mountain now lays claim to, boys wrestling is a new one.
Never before had the school put together a solid enough season on the mat that a wrestling championship trophy was heading to the display case.
Volleyball? Several. Baseball? Multiple. Football? One very legendary run back in 1963.
Perhaps Cheyenne Mountain’s first wrestling title will carry as much folklore around Colorado Springs as that football championship. Uncertainty was the word of the 2021 season as the COVID-19 pandemic raised questions over whether or not a season could even happen.
Once it got off and running, Cheyenne Mountain quickly established itself as a top team in the state. The team entered the season as the No. 3 team in the rankings. But when all was said and done, it stood at the top of the podium.
En route to the team championship, it won two individual titles with Nico Gagliardi taking the 195-pound title with a pin over Montrose’s Raul Martinez. Jake Boley took the 220-pound championship when he pinned Broomfield’s Morgen Watt.
Nicholas Grizales (126) and Jesse Boley (285) each reached their championship matches, but couldn’t capture titles. Still, their road to the finals played a crucial role in Cheyenne Mountain capturing the team title.
Soren Herzog (182) took third, Raife Manjarrez (145) took fourth and Chase Johnsonn (132) took fifth. But even without individual medals, they still get to go home champions after their efforts helped bring the team point total to 123.5.
Pueblo County narrowly too second as a team as Richard Palomar took third in the 152-pound bracket to break a 100-100 tie with Pueblo East.
Elsewhere in the classification, five wrestlers entered the tournament as defending state champions and three of them claimed a second title.
Loveland junior Kobi Johnson won his second title and will have a chance to go for three in a row as a senior next year. He beat Mesa Ridge’s Frankie Gallegos by a 14-5 major decision to claim his title.
Pueblo East sophomore Weston Dalton was hoping to win a second title to keep his hopes for four alive, but Loveland’s Cody Thompson got a 11-4 decision to win the state title in 138. With Dalton’s loss, the class of 2023 will be the first class to not produce a potential four-time state champion since 2013. Woodland Park junior Brady Hankin won his third title Friday night, so the class of 2022 already has a shot to get a four-timer.
Seniors Vance Vombaur (Windsor) and Isaias Estrada (Thomas Jefferson) defended their titles to become two-time champions.
PUEBLO — Down 12 points heading into the placing matches on Saturday night, Pomona roared back to win yet another state wrestling championship.
The Panthers had 12 wrestlers place, including four individual champions, as they won a third-straight Class 5A championship, and eighth overall.
Winning titles for Pomona were:
Jakob Romero, at 120 pounds
Elijah Olguin, at 126 pounds
Daniel Cardenas, at 145 pounds
Franklin Cruz, at 220 pounds
Also placing were:
Mark Cardenas, fifth at 106 pounds
Jeramiah Steele, third at 113
Josiah Parsons, third at 132
Gage Bernall, third at 160
Jacob Judd, third at 170
Roman Cruz, sixth at 182
Justin Cullen, fifth at 195
Jose Rosales, fifth at heavyweight
Heading into the final round of the event, Pomona trailed Ponderosa’s 155 points to their 143. But the Panthers’ depth quickly helped them close the gap.
Wrestling two weight classes at a time in the final session, Pomona shrunk the lead to 155-150 after two weight classes. After four, they jumped into the lead at 157-155.
They never trailed again.
A key match came in the 120-pound bracket when Pomona’s Romero beat Ponderosa’s Jett Strickenberger 7-5 thanks to a late takedown. His win, coupled with the fifth-place finish by Cullen at 195, expanded the lead to 163-155.
They two teams also had a head-to-head championship matchup in 126, where Pomona’s Elijah Olguin beat Ponderosa’s Jacob Bostelman with a 3-0 decision.
Pomona, which ended with 180 team points, has now finished either first or second at the tournament in each of the past seven years.
Ponderosa ended up having 10 wrestlers place, and finished the event with 159 team points, which earned them the runner-up trophy.
Pomona’s Daniel Cardenas positioned himself to potentially join that club next season with his third state championship. Cardenas, a junior, won the 145-pound division with a 13-3 major decision against Ponderosa’s Jaron Mahler.
It was a night for multiple-time champions.
Three others also won a third championship: Regis Jesuit senior Antonio Segura, who captured 152 pounds; Pomona senior Franklin Cruz, who won at 220 pounds; and Brighton senior Kenny Sailas, who won at 113.
Additionally, Columbine teammates Jack Forbes and Zach Schraeder are now two-time champions. Forbes won his second title at 195, while Schraeder won at heavyweight.
In terms of the team race, Monarch (65 points), Chaparral (53) and Brighton (52.5) also finished among the top-5.
PUEBLO — Moments after Centauri narrowly wrapped up the team title, Eyan Chavez put an exclamation point on the night for the Falcons.
Tied 0-0 after three periods in the final match of the Class 2A boys wrestling state tournament, Chavez, a junior, earned a 2-0 sudden victory win against Peyton’s Clint Brown to win a championship in the 145-pound division.
Minutes later, Chavez and Centauri were posing with the gold trophy as they earned the program’s third title and first since winning back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.
The title was only locked up after the second-to-last match of the event.
Heading into the placing matches, Centauri led the team race with 92 points. Cedaredge and Wray were just behind at 84, and Buena Vista also in the hunt with 81.5.
Things only tightened as the placing matches continued, wrestling two weights at a time. Through the first six weights of the final session, Centauri and Cedaredge were deadlocked with 95 points apiece. Buena Vista sat in third with 87.5 points, and Wray was fourth with 84.
Through eight weights, Centauri inched ahead of Cedaredge at 97-95. Through 10, the lead expanded to 100-95. Through 12 weights, the team race stayed the same.
Then, finally, as the 145- and 152-pound divisions wrapped up and the tournament concluded, the picture was finally clear: Centauri had won the title, The final margin? 104 points to Cedaredge’s 99.
Chavez was the lone individual title for Centauri, but the Falcons had seven wresters place. Included: Riley Valdez (2nd, 106); Jordan Martin (2nd, 152); Erik Mestas (2nd, 160); Mario Vigil (3rd, 113); Zach Buhr (5th, 170); and Byron Shawcroft (5th, 182).
The tournament also featured a number of standout individual performances.
The 132-pound match was a monster battle between two two-time champions: Rye senior Michael Atencio and Lyons senior Oran Huff. Huff took a tough 3-2 decision.
Huff won 126 as a junior and sophomore, after he finished fourth place in that weight as a freshman.
Cedaredge’s Lane Hunsberger, a junior, won the 120-pound championship in sudden victory, beating returning champion Brady Collins of Wray 5-3. Collins, a sophomore, won the 106-pound title last season.
Meeker senior Colby Clatterbaugh beat two returning champions in the 195-pound bracket to claim the title. Clatterbaugh beat previously unbeaten Fabian Lopez of Sedgwick County/Fleming in the semifinals with an 8-4 decision, and pinned Adam Schulz of Crowley County in 3:49.
Wray senior Tyler Collins won his second championship in defending his championship at 152. Collins got a 7-1 decision over Centauri’s Martin.
Wray finished third as a team with 95 points. Buena Vista (89.5) took fourth, and John Mall (69) was fifth.
PUEBLO — For the first time in school history, Pagosa Springs is a team state wrestling champion.
The Pirates put together a solid Class 3A state tournament performance across the board, ending the night with one state champion and three additional top-three placers. They finished with 110.5 points. After clinching a share of last year’s team title, Eaton finished second with 84.5 points.
They got their first state champion of the night when Cameron Lucero finished off an undefeated season, beating Fort Morgan’s Cael Langford in a 9-6 decision to claim the 160-pound title. The win gives Lucero his third state championship and it gives him a win in his final match as a high school wrestler.
After falling in the semifinals, Erik Wyman battled back to get a third-place finish after pinning Elizabeth’s Andrew Kramer.
Dylan Tressler had a chance to give the Pirates two gold medalists on the night, but ran into two-time state champion, Zane Rankin. The Lamar senior is no stranger to the big stage as he had previously won to wrestling titles and was also named the 2A football player of the year last fall.
Even with Tressler’s second-place finish, the Pirates had plenty to celebrate. They get to go home with their first team trophy in the sport and they got to watch head coach Dan Janowsky get honored for his 20-plus years of service to high school wrestling. He has been coaching the Pirates for 40 years, the last 31 as head coach.
And while the Pirates left the Southwest Motors Event Center as the ultimate winner, there were plenty of other notable achievements from the 3A wrestling tournament, some of which will have an impact for next season.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Woodland Park’s Brady Hankin needed a 5-3 sudden victory to advance to the 138-pound championship match. Hankin, a junior, is going for his third state title and with Jefferson’s Angelo Lozado getting beat in the 126-pound semifinal, Hankin will be one of two wrestlers to have a shot at a fourth state championship next year as Pomona junior Daniel Cardenas will be going for his third title on Saturday.
Hankin cruised to his second state title last year, beating La Junta’s Isaiah Gamez with an 11-6 decision in the championship match. He became just the third state wrestling champion in school history when he won the 106-pound title as a freshman in 2019.
Should he win a state title next year, he would be the first wrestler from Woodland Park to be a four-time state champion.
Valley’s Isaiah Rios won the 152-pound title to also claim his third state championship.
Platte Valley’s Jeremiah Garcia beat Pagosa Springs’ Skyler Hill to claim the 220-pound title. This comes 24 hours after his sister Navea Garcia won the 161-pound girls championship, making the Garcias the first brother/sister combo to claim state wrestling titles in the same year.
The Eagles scored 495.5 points in a dominating win to finish ahead of second-place Mullen (322) and third-place Niwot (307).
Shaw blazed to a state record in the 50 freestyle when she posted a time of 22.22. It eclipsed the time of 22.41 set in 2011 by Regis Jesuit alum and Olympic champion Missy Franklin. Shaw also won the event in 2018 as a freshman. Last year’s champion, Lindsey Immel of Rampart and Claire Chahbandour of Mullen finished in a tie for second place (23.52).
(Paul Soriano/CHSAANow.com)
“Anna is an incredible human being and an incredible athlete, obviously,” said Heritage head coach Tom Byorick. “She made a huge statement today that she’s the best swimmer in Colorado.”
Shaw cemented her status as a star with another state-record-setting win, this time in the 100 freestyle. She posted a time of 48.24, good enough to erase another “Missy-mark” from the record book. Franklin established the previous standard of 48.45 in 2012.
“I’m so excited! It’s just the culmination of the ups and downs of high school swimming,” said Shaw, who is Stanford-bound in the fall. “To be a senior and to finally accomplish these high school dreams is so incredible for me. And to have both of my parents here too … I’m just very lucky.”
Like many young swimmers, she was a huge fan of Franklin’s at a young age.
“I have looked up to her since I was about 9-years-old,” Shaw revealed. “Especially as a Coloradan, there is something special about Missy Franklin, just kind of that magic. I had the chance to meet her and she’s incredible. There is something super-special in knowing that I broke Missy’s records.”
“It’s a heck of a day when you set two state records, overall state records,” Byorick added. “And when those records belong to Missy Franklin, that’s just an incredible honor and amazing thing to witness her do.”
While Shaw crafted a high-school career to remember, she has bigger aspirations in mind. She will compete at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Neb., in June.
“It’s a huge goal of mine,” Shaw admitted. “The Olympic Trials is just a culmination of all my hard work. I’m just excited to go out there and enjoy the experience.”
Heritage captured the first swim event of the day, the 200 medley relay, and the domination was underway. Shaw, Aislyn Barnett, Inge Ehm and Amaia Sherman raced to a time of 1:42.86. Mullen took second (1:44.11), followed by Rampart (1:46.74).
“It’s just so incredible to see how the energy started at the beginning of the day,” said Shaw. “We won the medley relay, and that gave us such a strong start. And getting to watch all of my teammates have such strong races was exciting, too.”
Barnett, a sophomore, added a state title later in the evening with the best time in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.44) to edge Mullen’s Chahbandour (1:02.44) and Charlotte Burnham (1:02.91). Barnett trailed nearly the entire race until she pulled out the win at the touch line.
The Eagles finished the evening with a rousing victory in the final race of the night, the 400 freestyle relay, with a time of 3:27.50.
“We have this incredible group of freshmen, and seven of them were here scoring points for us,” said Byorick. “We have an amazing returning group of sophomores, and they stepped up. Our juniors stepped in and took advantage of opportunities right and left.
“And obviously, our seniors … they came in and all posted best times today, by significant margins. Not just season-bests, but best times in their lives,” he revealed. “They did it with big smiles on their face and a lot of happiness and love for the rest of their teammates.”
While Shaw and the Eagles garnered the lion’s share of headlines on the day, two other swimmers each won a pair of individual state championships and deserve their time in the spotlight.
Caroline Bricker of Cheyenne Mountain added another state championship to her resume with her second-straight victory in the 200 IM. Bricker, who is just a sophomore, raced to a 2:00.87 time to finish ahead of Mullen’s Charlotte Burnham (2:03.62) and Barnett (2:06.02).
Bricker secured her second championship on the day in the 100 butterfly. Her time of 54.51 beat out Jamieson Legh (55.75) of Niwot and Inge Ehm (56.03) of Heritage.
Niwot’s Mary Codevilla defended her crown in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:47.63. Chase Davison of Mullen finished second (1:49.38) and Emily Kahn of George Washington placed third (1:52.20).
Codevilla then reached the top of the podium for the second time on the day when she defended her state championship in the 500 freestyle in record time. Codevilla finished in 4:51.98 to shatter the 4A state record set by Evergreen’s Lexie Malazdrewicz in 2012.
Rampart senior Maggie Buckley capped a stellar career by winning her third-straight 4A diving state championship to kick off the days’ events. Buckley, who finished second as a freshman, posted a score of 529.85. Ivy Buckley, Maggie’s freshman sister, finished second (486.40), while Cheyenne Mountain senior Kaelyn Hinesley placed third (465.60).
Mullen’s 200 freestyle relay team (Gabrielle Zinis, Chahbandour, Lindsey Sowitch and Davison) secured the state championship for the third-straight season with a top-time of 1:34.84. Niwot finished second (1:35.05) and Rampart finished third (1:37.55).
Mullen’s Davison won the state crown in the 100 backstroke with a time of 54.74 to finish ahead of Rampart’s Claire Timson (55.92) and Legh of Niwot (57.39).
Chase Kelly owned the mountain as the state skiing championships continued at Loveland Ski Area on Thursday.
The Aspen freshman won both the giant slalom and the slalom race as he started his high school skiing career off with two titles. His strong performance helped to clinch the team championship for Aspen, which started off the event with standout performances in the nordic events.
In the morning event, Kelly finished with a two-run time of 1:38.17, finishing in 49.7 in his first run and 48.47 in his second. Steamboat Springs senior James Lahrman was second with his time of 1:38.4.
Durango’s Toby Scarpella (1:39.07) was third, Battle Mountain’s Will Bettenhausen (1:39.16) placed fourth, and Aspen’s Connor Stephen (1:39.62) was fifth.
Aspen also had Davis Colon finish seventh, Sasha Forman finish eighth, and Hank Sweeney place 10th as they had five among the top 10.
Kelly and Aspen extended their dominance to the afternoon’s slalom race. His two-run time of 1:30.87 was the fastest of the field. He finished his first run in 48.61, and his second in 42.26.
Larhman was also runner-up in the slalom, capping an outstanding day. He finished his two runs in 1:31.93.
Also finishing in the top-5 in the slalom were Aspen teammates Colon Davis (1:33.05) and James Kelly (1:33.61), and Durango’s Toby Scarpella (1:33.93). Aspen also had Connor Stephen place sixth (1:33.96).
This is Aspen’s fourth consecutive team title, and 11th overall. They are the first team since Summit won five consecutive from 1986-1990.
Aspen finished with 683 team points. Battle Mountain was second with 581.5. Rounding out the top five were Middle Park (570), Vail Mountain (553.5), and Steamboat Springs (549).
PUEBLO — A year ago to the date, it felt like the world was ending. But after a night of tough competition and well-earned medals, high school wrestling in Colorado indeed stepped into a brand new world.
Two years ago, the CHSAA Legislative Council sanctioned girls wrestling as the newest sport. At the Southwest Motors Event Center in Pueblo, a year after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Chatfield became the very first face of that sport as the Chargers claimed the first official state championship.
“This has been the best thing we could ask for,” coach Sandra George said. “We’ve been having duals all season the. To just come into a tournament and fight from the beginning was special. At regionals we had to fight to get here and here we had to fight to be on top.”
Overall, the Chargers finished with five placers and totaled 91 points. Jeffco League rival Pomona took second as a team with 65.
The championship night for Chatfield was highlighted by the 127-pound championship performance from Savannah Cosme.
Her 9-3 decision over Doherty’s Sarah Savidge was the Chargers only gold medal of the night, but it served as the perfect representation of the effort the overall team gave since the start of the season in mid-January.
“It means a lot to me,” Cosme said. “I love my team. We put in a lot of hard work together. To all come together and be able to win this is really amazing.”
Janessa George took second in 105 while Journey Ruiz (111) and Taylor Miess (136) each finished third.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
But the real winners of the night were each every single girl that stepped on a mat; from the very first 100-pound match of the day to the 215-pound championship. It will be something that each girl can point to in five years as a significant moment in Colorado school sports history and identify their role in laying the foundation.
“I’m going to look back and see that we made history,” Cosme said. “We’ve created something where people can continue to come and continue to grow. We’re going to make Colorado one of the top states for girls wrestling.”
The Chargers will have the unenviable burden of heading into the 2020-21 season with a target on its back as the first defending state champion.
But with the way the girls competed throughout the one-day, it’s a challenge their eager to take on and they’re anxious to get back on the mat, continue competing and using every opportunity to get better.
“My girls are such a great group of girls,” George said. “They’re appreciative of everything we’ve worked for. It’s amazing. We’re all on Cloud 9 and we’re going to keep wrestling through the summer. Next year will be even better because hopefully we’ll do this at (Ball Arena).”
While the future of the event’s home has time to get sorted out, one very important fact is clear: the evolution of girls wrestling in Colorado has only just begun.
The future is bright, but the historic night that saw the first state champion crowned will forever serve as a launching pad for future generations of student-athletes.
THORNTON — Cherry Creek, the winningest girls swim program in Colorado history, added another team title to its collection at the 5A swimming and diving state championships at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center Thursday night.
The Bruins ended Fairview High School’s two-year reign as state champ as they won the meet by a score of 430-392 over the Knights. Regis Jesuit finished third overall with 298 points.
It is Cherry Creek’s 27th state crown in girls swimming and diving, and its first since the 2010 season capped a run of six-straight championship results.
“These last 10 years we’ve had our share of ups and downs, mostly down,” said Cherry Creek head coach Eric Craven, now in his 30th year. “This year we got it done, and it sure is nice to be back on top.”
The Bruins finished second to Fairview last season (382.5-342), a result that stuck with Cherry Creek all year.
“Last year the girls were kind of hoping and wishing they could win state,” Craven added. “We had the athletes. Finishing second last year gnawed on them a little bit. This year, they just had that look in their eyes that said “We’re going to win it.”
For senior Jenna Smith, Thursday’s win was especially sweet.
“Last year we came really, really close, and it was pretty heartbreaking for all of us,” she said. “We were really proud of our team last year, but it was hard to get that second place. Just going into this season, even though it was a lot different than past seasons, we were like: “It’s time for the Lady Bruins to take the win!”
“We pulled together all season long and we trained so hard. I have never seen this team work so hard,” Smith added. “I don’t really have words for how happy I am right now. This is absolutely incredible, especially being my senior year. We’ve set a standard for years to come, and so I think there will be a lot more state championships in our future.”
For junior Elizabeth Brock, winning the state championship is “kind of a surreal moment. A lot of us were expecting this to happen, but we didn’t realize the enormity of it until it happened.”
“This win means more than anything, especially this year,” she added. “I’m going to look back on this when I am an adult and be so happy that we did it, and that I spent time with people that are hilarious and work hard and make me feel good.”
While Cherry Creek dominated the team competition, a trio of swimmers — Lucy Bell of Fossil Ridge, Kathryn Shanley of Chatfield and Emma Weber of Regis Jesuit— each won two individual events during the meet.
Bell, a junior, flew to an easy win in the 100 butterfly with a time of 52.50. It marked the first time since 2015 that someone without the last name Gillilan captured the state championship.
Coleen Gillilan of Fossil Ridge won the title from 2016-18. Her sister, Renee, earned state crowns for the SaberCats in 2019 and 2020.
Fairview took the second- and third-place spots in the race thanks to Edith Simecek (53.87) and Jenna Reznicek (54.51).
Bell rung up another state championship in the very next race as she defended her crown in the 100 freestyle with a time of 50.23. Lyndsey Wehr of Arapahoe finished in second place (51.03), followed closely by Ana Rojas of Doherty (51.11).
(Paul Soriano/CHSAANow.com)
Shanley, a senior, repeated as state champion in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:48.65. Karolina Bank, a junior from Fairview, finished second (1:49.93), followed by Brock of Cherry Creek (1:50.77).
In the 500 freestyle, Shanley hit the repeat button once again. The 2020 champion lit the scoreboard with a time of 4:51.18. Brock finished second in 4:56.04, while Sabrina Rachjaibun, a sophomore from Legacy, took third place with a time of 5:02.94.
Weber, a junior, earned a victory in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:01.71. Fossil Ridge’s Mahala Erlandson finished second (2:02.51) and Rachjaibun claimed the third spot (2:04.16) just ahead of Julianne Jones of Fairview (2:04.59).
Weber then blew away the field in the 100 breaststroke to win her second state title in the event. Her time of 59.93 set a new state record, eclipsing the mark of 1:00.22 set by Zoe Bartel of Fossil Ridge in 2017.
Weber was a freshman at Fairview in 2019 when she captured the title for the first time with a time of 1:02.04.
Dahlia Allen, a junior from Lewis-Palmer High School, began the day by winning the state championship in 1-meter diving with a score of 503.10. Isabel Gregersen of Ralston Valley, last year’s champion, finished second (485.45), while Catherine Rodocker of Eaglecrest finished third (469.20).
Fossil Ridge captured the first swim event of the day, the 200 medley relay. The SaberCats (Gillilan, Erlandson, Rylee O’Neil and Bell) blazed to a time of 1:40.88 in Lane 1. Fairview finished second (1:41.54), followed by Regis Jesuit (1:43.12) and Cherry Creek (1:43.26).
In the 50 freestyle, Wehr of Arapahoe won the state championship with a time of 23.22. Lawson Ficken of Cherry Creek finished second with a time of 23.32, followed by Morgan Lukinac of Fairview at 23.46.
Fairview earned the state championship in the 200 freestyle relay with a record-time of 1:33.80. That mark — set by Samantha Mosier, Julia Urbanowski, Bank and Lukinac — shattered the Colorado state record in the event set by Chatfield High School in 2020 (1:34.12). Cherry Creek finished second with a time of 1:34.45 as the Bruins barely edged Chatfield (1:34.47).
Sydney Bales of Legacy won the 100 backstroke in 54.07 to edge Fairview teammates Reznicek (54.53) and Simecek (55.16).
