Girls Swimming & Diving: 3 Teams, 27 Individuals, 9 Relays Crowned State Champions

THORNTON – Following five days of the Girls Swimming and Diving State Championships at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center, all three teams, 27 individuals and nine relay state champions have been crowned.

Over the course of the three classification meets, four meet records were broken and nine top-10 marks were met across all events.

Pine Creek came away with its second-straight team title in 4A, while Cherry Creek captured its fourth-straight 5A championship. In 3A, St. Mary’s Academy swept the relays to capture its first-ever state title in girls swimming and diving.

Individually, in 3A, St. Mary’s Academy senior Caitlin Crysel won her fourth-straight 200 IM title to become the sixth swimmer in state history to win four titles in a single event, and the third person to do so in the 200 IM (Anna Trinidad – Cheyenne Mountain; Caroline Bricker – Cheyenne Mountain). She also won the 100 free to mark her seventh overall individual state title, making her the 10th swimmer in state history to win seven or more events at the state championships. Only two swimmers – Anna Trinidad from Cheyenne Mountain and Missy Franklin from Regis Jesuit – compelted their careers with more individual wins (8 each).

In 4A, Pine Creek junior Madison Mintenko stretched her undefeated streak to three-straight individual wins in two separate events, as she captured her third-straight 200 free and third-straight 500 free victory to move her career total to six individual state titles.

Meet Records

New 4A State Meet Records

200 Free (4A): Madison Mintenko (Junior, Pine Creek) – 1:44.35
500 Free (4A): Madison Mintenko (Junior, Pine Creek) – 4:44.75

New 3A State Meet Records

200 IM (3A): Caitlin Crysel (Senior, St. Mary’s Academy) – 2:03.11
400 Free Relay (3A): St. Mary’s Academy (Riley Mills, Blair Franciscus, Kate Callender, Caitlin Crysel) – 3:34.04

Team Champions

5A: Cherry Creek (fourth-straight, 30th overall)
4A: Pine Creek (second-straight, second overall)
3A: St. Mary’s Academy (first overall)

Individual Champions

Four-Time Champions

200 IM (3A): Caitlin Crysel (Senior, St. Mary’s Academy) – 2:03.11
- New 3A state meet record

Three-Time Champions

100 Back (3A): Finley Anderson (Senior, Evergreen) – 54.18
200 Free (4A): Madison Mintenko (Junior, Pine Creek) – 1:44.35
- New 4A state meet record
- Third-fastest time in state meet history, all classifications
500 Free (4A): Madison Mintenko (Junior, Pine Creek) – 4:44.75
- New 4A state meet record
- Fourth-fastest time in state meet history, all classifications

Two-Time Champions

100 Back (5A): Charlotte Wilson (Senior, Cherry Creek) – 52.90
- Third-fastest time in state meet history, all classifications
100 Breast (5A): Charlotte Burnham (Senior, Regis Jesuit) – 1:01.91
500 Free (5A): Mila Nikanorov (Douglas County) – 4:42.49
- Second-fastest time in state meet history, all classifications

First-Time Champions

50 Free (3A): Riley Mills (Junior, St. Mary’s Academy) – 23.74
50 Free (4A): Eliza Lennox (Junior, Monarch) – 23.41
50 Free (5A): Ella Gaca Thiele (Sophomore, Fossil Ridge) – 22.98
100 Breast (3A): Josie Stahl (Freshman, Liberty Common) – 1:05.46
100 Back (4A): Isabella Burton (Senior, Pine Creek) – 56.12
100 Breast (4A): Audrey Shambo (Sophomore, Monarch) – 1:04.34
100 Fly (3A): Riley Mills (Junior, St. Mary’s Academy) – 55.70
100 Fly (4A): Kamdyn Swanson (Senior, Pine Creek) – 56.89
100 Fly (5A): Isabella Forsman (Senior, Legacy) – 54.81
100 Free (3A): Caitlin Crysel (Senior, St. Mary’s Academy) – 51.06
100 Free (4A): Eliza Lennox (Junior, Monarch) – 51.16
100 Free (5A): Ella Gaca Thiele (Sophomore, Fossil Ridge) – 50.02
200 IM (4A): Samantha Synsvoll (Junior, Cheyenne Mountain) – 2:05.03
200 IM (5A): Charlotte Wilson (Senior, Cherry Creek) – 2:00.13
200 Free (3A): Cody Monajjem (Sophomore, Wellington) – 1:52.69
200 Free (5A): Marissa Inouye (Mountain Range) – 1:49.16
500 Free (3A): Tallaby Riddle (Sophomore, Evergreen) – 5:00.91
Diving (3A): Kailyn Japuntich (Senior, Gunnison) – 457.40
Diving (4A): Elizabeth Fay (Junior, Niwot) – 538.30
- Seventh-best score in state meet history, all classifications
- Third-best score in 4A state meet history
Diving (5A): Sydney Ovesen (Junior, Fossil Ridge) – 506.45

Relay Champions

200 Medley Relay

5A: Cherry Creek (Charlotte Wilson, Sydney Fernstrom, Jenna Fernstrom, Ana Loveridge) – 1:41.23
- Sixth-fastest time in state meet history, all classifications
4A: Pine Creek (Isabella Burton, Elizabeth Gray, Kamdyn Swanson, Madison Mintenko) – 1:45.69
3A: St. Mary’s Academy (Blair Fanciscus, Caitlin Crysel, Riley Mills, Madison Crysel) – 1:48.39

200 Free Relay

5A: Cherry Creek (Ava Ross, Ana Loveridge, Sydney Fernstrom, Alana Maxey) – 1:34.66
4A: Pine Creek (Evelyn Morris, August Ricca, Lily Kemmerer, Jacquelyn Erickson) – 1:40.54
3A: St. Mary’s Academy (Madison Crysel, Lauren Anderson, Annika Damon, Kate Callender) – 1:43.40

400 Free Relay

5A: Cherry Creek (Charlotte Wilson, Jenna Fernstrom, Madison Williams, Alana Maxey) – 3:24.99
- 10th-fastest time in state meet history, all classifications
4A: Pine Creek (Lily Kremmerer, Isabella Burton, Kamdyn Swanson, Madison Mintenko) – 3:27.72
3A: St. Mary’s Academy (Riley Mills, Blair Franciscus, Kate Callender, Caitlin Crysel) – 3:34.04
- New 3A state meet record