LAKEWOOD, CO- JANUARY 12, 2018: Colorado Academy swim meet at Green Mountain Recreation Center in Lakewood on Friday, January 12, 2018 (Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for Colorado Academy)
Athletics

Records Shatter as Swim & Dive Team Competes at State

Renee Rockford·

The Colorado Academy Varsity Girls Swim & Dive Team shattered seven team and individual school swim records as the girls competed in the 3A State Championships on February 9-10, 2018. The team scored its highest score ever at state with 145 team points. They also set a new school record, finishing in sixth place. It wasn’t the first set of records to be broken.  This year, with 32 girls, CA had the largest Swim Team in the school’s history.

New Relay Records

Coach Jason Koza says the Championship meet was,  “a fitting capstone to a phenomenal season.” Among the records broken were the school’s 200 and 400 Freestyle Relays. Says Koza, “The girls did not disappoint and continued to defy all of our expectations. Each swimmer played a pivotal part in setting a new relay record. I think our 400 relay sums up the season. Whether you are a freshman or a seasoned year-round senior swimmer, you matter and can make the difference.”

Says CA Director of Athletics Bill Hall, “We are super proud of this group. Their determination and effort are truly exemplary. It takes a lot of grit to get into the pool and compete, especially at the state level.”

Championship Highlights

  • Sophomore Kenzie Abbott placed seventh in Diving (CA’s highest finish ever for a diver). She set a NEW SCHOOL RECORD with a score of 362.70.
  • Junior Gretchen Carpenter finished 25th in the 50 Freestyle (27.41), and 26th in the 100 Freestyle. She had a personal best time of 59.87 seconds.
  • Sophomore Anne Freeman was 34th in the 200 Freestyle (2:15.74), and 31st in the 100 Freestyle (1:01.21).
  • Junior Aly Gallagher touched third in the 50 Freestyle with a personal best time of 24.42. She was the State Champion in the 100 Free with a NEW SCHOOL RECORD of 53.12.
  • Freshman Skylar Whitelaw placed 19th in the 50 Freestyle (27.11).
  • Senior Anne Younger took second place in the 50 Freestyle with a NEW SCHOOL RECORD (24.27). She was also third in the 100 Freestyle with a personal best time of 53.85.  Anne was also voted by coaches as the co-swimmer of the year for 3A.
  • The 200 Freestyle Relay team of 1 – Skylar Whitelaw (26.93), 2 – Aly Gallagher (24.27), 3 – Gretchen Carpenter (26.58), and 4 – Anne Younger (24.35), took third place with a NEW SCHOOL RECORD time of 1:42.13.
  • The 400 Freestyle Relay team of 1 – Anne Freeman (1:00.82), 2 – Aly Gallagher (52.47), 3 – Gretchen Carpenter (58.49), and 4 – Anne Younger (53.70), also placed third with another NEW SCHOOL RECORD time of 3:45.48.

Beckie Mutz, CA’s Head Swim Coach says the season is a testament to the dedication of the swimmers. “All the success really is because of the drive and determination of very strong, unique young ladies. When asked to fight harder to win a meet, there was no complaining, only more drive, effort, and a fight that only a strong, united team can display. I couldn’t be more proud of all of them.”

Both Mutz and Hall credited the coaching staff including Jason Koza, Paul Augustus, and Lise Kafka. Because the team was able to reach its goal of 145 points at State, two coaches, Koza and  Augustus will soon be sporting a new hairstyle, courtesy of the swimmers. The shears come out Monday afternoon. Congratulations to the state qualifiers and the entire team on a great season.

 

SaveSave

SaveSave