(Courtney Oakes/Sentinel Colorado)

Girls Swimming

Girls Swimming & Diving: State Championship Roundup

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

Over the course of the three classification meets, two meet records were broken and a total of five classificiation meet records fell.

Cherry Creek won its fifh straight and 31st overall championship in 5A, while Cheyenne Mountain captured its fourth crown in 4A and 3A winner Discovery Canyon earned its first state title in girls swimming and diving.

Individually, in 5A, Pine Creek senior Madison Mintenko became the seventh swimmer in state history to win four titles in a row in a single event, and she did so in both the 200 and 500 freestyle events to finish a perfect 8 for 8 for her career at the state meet. Only two others swimmers - Anna Trinidad from Cheyenne Mountain and Missy Franklin from Regis Jesuit - completed their careers with eight individual wins.

Mintenko also set a meet record with her prelim time of 4:39.89 in the 500 free, bettering the record set by Franklin - eventually a five-time Olympic gold medalist - at 4:41.72 in 2013. Prior to this season, Mintenko and Pine Creek competed in 4A.

The other meet record to fall was previously held by Regis Jesuit, as its 2011 relay team clocked a time of 3:22.42. Cherry Creek's quartet of Ana Loveridge, Jenna Fernstrom, Madison Williams and Kate McKinnon bettered that mark, touching the wall in a combined time of 3:21.52. 

Other two-event individual winners were freshman Kate McKinnon of Cherry Creek (50 free, 100 free) in 5A, junior Hazel Huilman of Boulder (100 breast, 100 fly) in 5A, senior Abigail Perry of Lewis-Palmer (200 free, 500 free) in 4A, senior Eliza Lennox of Monarch (50 free, 100 free) in 4A, senior Addison Herl of Ponderosa (100 back, 100 fly) in 4A and junior Lorelai Frauenfelder of Holy Family (50 free, 100 free) in 3A.
 

Meet Records

New Overall State Meet Records
  • 500 Free: Madison Mintenko (Senior, Pine Creek) - 4:39.89 (prelims)
  • 400 Free Relay: Cherry Creek (Ana Loveridge, Jenna Fernstrom, Madison Williams, Kate McKinnon) - 3:21.52
New 5A State Meet Records
  • 500 Free (5A): Madison Mintenko (Senior, Pine Creek) - 4:39.89 (prelims)
  • 400 Free Relay (5A): Cherry Creek (Ana Loveridge, Jenna Fernstrom, Madison Williams, Kate McKinnon) - 3:21.52
New 4A State Meet Records
  • 100 Back (4A): Addison Herl (Senior, Ponderosa) - 54.18
New 3A State Meet Records
  • 100 Breast (3A): Brooke Gothard (Wheat Ridge) - 1:05.09
  • 200 Free Relay (3A) Kent Denver (Camryn Williams, Hadley Carrington, Emily Lin, Elsa Anderson) - 1:39.40


Team Champions

5A: Cherry Creek (fifth straight, 31st overall)
4A: Cheyenne Mountain (fourth overall, first since 2020)
3A: Discovery Canyon (first overall)


Individual Champions

Four-Time Champions
  • 200 Free (5A): Madison Mintenko (Senior, Pine Creek) - 1:43.20 
    • Second-fastest time in state meet history, all clasifications
    • Previous championships in the event were in 4A
  • 500 Free (5A): Madison Mintenko (Senior, Pine Creek) - 4:51.50 
    • Prelim time of 4:39.89 is state meet record, all classifications
    • Previous championships in the event were in 4A
Two-Time Champions
  • 50 Free (4A): Eliza Lennox (Senior, Monarch) - 23.21
  • 100 Breast (4A): Audrey Shambo (Junior, Monarch) - 1:03.60
  • 100 Fly (3A): Riley Mills (Senior, St. Mary's Academy) - 55.32
  • 100 Free (4A): Eliza Lennox (Senior, Monarch) - 50.64
  • 200 IM (4A): Samantha Synsvoll (Senior, Cheyenne Mountain) - 2:02.33
  • 500 Free (3A): Tallaby Riddle (Junior, Evergreen) - 5:04.43
  • Diving (5A): Sydney Ovesen (Senior, Fossil Ridge) - 527.19
  • Diving (4A): Elizabeth Fay (Senior, Niwot) - 529.50
First-Time Champions
  • 50 Free (5A): Kate McKinnon (Freshman, Cherry Creek) - 22.79
  • 50 Free (3A): Lorelai Frauenfelder (Junior, Holy Family) - 23.27
  • 100 Back (5A): Elise Ramsden (Senior, Heritage) - 56.11
  • 100 Back (4A): Addison Herl (Senior, Ponderosa) - 54.18
    • Class 4A state record
  • 100 Back (3A): Cody Monajjem (Junior, Wellington) - 56.98
  • 100 Breast (5A): Hazel Huilman (Junior, Boulder) - 1:02.11
  • 100 Breast (3A): Brooke Gothard (Wheat Ridge) - 1:05.09
    • Class 3A state meet record
  • 100 Free (3A): Lorelai Frauenfelder (Junior, Holy Family) - 51.15
  • 100 Fly (5A): Hazel Huilman (Junior, Boulder) - 53.98
  • 100 Fly (4A): Addison Herl (Senior, Ponderosa) - 55.38
  • 100 Free (5A): Kate McKinnon (Freshman, Cherry Creek) - 49.91
  • 200 Free (4A): Abigail Perry (Senior, Lewis-Palmer) - 1:51.10
  • 200 Free (3A): Emma Lindstrom (Senior, Glenwood Springs) - 1:52.47
  • 200 IM (5A): Elliana Wiesen (Freshman, Valor Christian) - 2:03.42
  • 200 IM (3A): Madison Wagner (Senior, Discovery Canyon) - 2:07.59
  • 500 Free (4A): Abigail Perry (Senior, Lewis-Palmer) - 4:56.85
  • Diving (3A): Mia Williams (Junior, St. Mary's Academy) - 471.75

Relay Champions


200 Medley Relay
  • 5A: Cherry Creek (Sydney Wasylenky, Sydney Fernstrom, Kate McKinnon, Jenna Fernstrom) - 1:42.38
  • 4A: Monarch (Gwyneth Christensen, Audrey Shambo, Sophia Banjo, Eliza Lennox) - 1:46.08
  • 3A: Discovery Canyon (Anna Clayton, Reyna Halleen, Alaia Sloan, Madison Wagner) - 1:50.11
200 Free Relay
  • 5A: Fossil Ridge (Gracie Thornton, Paige Nguyen, Madison Arnold, Ella Gaca Thiele) - 1:34.66
  • 4A: Lewis-Palmer (Grace Perry, Abigail Wallace, Zoe Charron, Abigail Perry) - 1:37.17
  • 3A: Kent Denver (Camryn Williams, Hadley Carrington, Emily Lin, Elsa Anderson) - 1:39.40
    • Class 3A state meet record
400 Free Relay
  • 5A: Cherry Creek (Ana Loveridge, Jenna Fernstrom, Madison Williams, Kate McKinnon) - 3:21.52
    • Fastest time in state meet history, all classifications
  • 4A: Lewis-Palmer (Grace Perry, Abigail Wallace, Zoe Charron, Abigail Perry) - 3:33.38
  • 3A: St. Mary's Academy (Kate Callender, Madison Crysel, Lauren Anderson, Riley Mills) - 3:37.03


Event Recaps:

5A Swimming: Freshman McKinnon Leads Cherry Creek to 5th Straight 5A Swim Title; Pine Creek's Mintenko Dazzles
5A Diving: Sydney Ovesen of Fossil Ridge Repeats as State Champion
4A Swimming: Cheyenne Mountain Hits Gold Once Again at the 4A Swimming and Diving Championship
4A Diving: Niwot's Izzy Fay Repeats 1st Place Finish with Clutch Dive
3A Swimming: Discovery Canyon Takes Home First 3A Girls Swim and Dive Championship
3A Diving: Mia Williams of St. Mary's Academy Grabs First Gold Medal


Final Results