5A boys swimming: Regis Jesuit claims 23rd state championship

The last Raiders team to hoist the Class 5A state championship trophy came back in 2018, when they needed to win the meet-closing 400 yard freestyle relay to hold off their closest pursuer.

Saturday evening at the Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center, Regis Jesuit won the 400 freestyle relay — courtesy of seniors Gio Aguirre and Mack Dugan and juniors Ronan Krauss and Hawkins Wendt — but they didn’t have to, as coach Nick Frasersmith’s team already had an insurmountable lead over runner-up Cherry Creek.

“Going into that 400 free relay, we knew that if we DQ’d, we could still win the meet, so that was a little bit more comfortable than 2018,” said Frasersmith, whose team finished with 467 points to the Bruins’ 403, with Legacy third with 295.5.

“But we always want to walk out of here winning at least one event,” he added. “It just put everything together and put the icing on the cake.”

Frasersmith was selected as the 5A Swim Coach of the Year in leading his team, which had an outstanding preliminary session Friday and built a big lead with overwhelming depth. 

Aguirre finished second in the 100 yard freestyle — the event he won a year earlier — and Krauss finished as the 500 yard freestyle runner-up for the top individual results for the Raiders. Aguirre got the championship-winning feeling in the final event when he held off Fossil Ridge’s Carter Ruthven on the anchor leg to secure the win.

“We were all ready to celebrate, but at the same time we wanted to get one last first place,” Aguirre said. “It was super, super exciting. …It was an amazing swim to say the least.”

Cherry Creek got off to an early lead in the team chase with the help of the 1-meter diving state championship won by senior Conrad Eck in the morning session. Eck racked up a score of 596 points on his way to the victory, while fellow senior Caleb Liban (522.45) finished fourth to lead four top-12 placers that amassed 69 points for the Bruins in the event.

A 200 yard medley relay win by the team of Cade Martin, Carson Morris, Liam Bekerman and Jason Fan to open the swim finals also gave Cherry Creek a boost, but it would be the last event the Bruins would win.

Individual stars had the chance to shine on the day, as Fort Collins’ Jack Ballard — the 5A Swimmer of the Year — Columbine’s Chase Mueller and Chatfield’s Tristen Davin won two events apiece.

Ballard was part of a Fort Collins area-tinged 200 yard freestyle, as he won the championship in 1 minute, 39.99 seconds and Fossil Ridge’s Owen Watkins took second. Ballard triumphed again in the 500 yard freestyle, when he got a late edge on Krauss and took it to the wall to win in 4:37.91.

“I’ve always wanted to be a high school champion, ever since I was freshman,” Ballard said. “I’m like ‘I want to be on top of that podium.’”

Mueller cruised to victory in the 200 yard individual medley, as he pulled away from the field in the final lap on his way to an Automatic All-American time of 1:48.88, while he also proved he could win a close race in the 100 backstroke. Going stroke for stroke with Martin, Mueller finished in front by 0.42 of a second.

Davin prevailed in a super fast 50 yard freestyle heat in which the 10 finalists were all separated by 0.85 of a second from top to bottom. His time of 20.57 brought him an eyelash before Legacy’s Kyle Raskay, who swam 20.60.

Later, Davin denied Aguirre a second 100 freestyle state title when he touched the wall in 44.94 seconds to Aguirre’s 46.10.

Other state championships went to Heritage junior Mitchell Oliver in the 100 yard breaststroke, Ruthven in the 100 yard butterfly and to Legacy’s 200 yard freestyle relay team of Raskay and fellow senior Aidan Shepston and juniors Sam White and Tegan Barrier.

Despite several close races, no state or 5A state meet records were established.