Highlands Ranch’s Caryn Jarocki celebrates career win No. 700

The all-time wins leader in Colorado high school girls basketball coaching history just hit yet another historic milestone.

Highlands Ranch head coach Caryn Jarocki and the perennially-contending Falcons won 50-31 over Mullen at the Fairview Festival on Thursday. That victory was the 700^th career win for Jarocki as a high school head coach, boosting the state’s longtime coaching wins leader into an entirely new stratosphere altogether as the first girls basketball coach and first female Colorado high school coach to reach that plateau.

Also a prominent figure on the club, national and international levels of basketball, Jarocki said there was something special about hitting No. 700 as a high school coach.

“I’ve had a great longevity in Colorado coaching, for sure, and a ton of good kids,” Jarocki said. “I think in high school, you have so many more opportunities to coach the kids on so many more areas. And you have the school aspect that ties you to the community. I’ve been privileged to help high school kids realize their goals.”

Jarocki coached at Colorado Academy for 11 years prior to taking over the top job at Highlands Ranch, where she has coached for over two decades. She surpassed 600 wins in December of 2017 and her program has continued to pile up victories since then. Jacrocki is also Colorado high school girls basketball’s all-time leader with seven state championships.

Despite her extensive resume, personal accolades are not something Jarocki keeps top of mind. She was reminded of how a player-focused approach has been such a linchpin of her career when her Falcons players surprised her with a well-orchestrated celebration following Thursday’s victory on the road at Fairview.

“It’s not something I think about at all until it’s right in front of me,” Jarocki said. “The kids and their accomplishments are more important to me. The most fun part is celebrating with my team and what I was really proud of (Thursday) was how hard they played in that game, knowing they were playing for something more than just the game.”

Highlands Ranch will host a celebration of Jarocki’s latest milestone after tonight’s home game against George Washington.