4A Swimming & Diving: Monarch Holds Off Competition to Repeat as State Champions

ARVADA – Monarch had to hold its breath a bit longer this season.

The Coyotes led the 4A state boys swimming and diving meet most of the afternoon Saturday, but they couldn’t shake Mullen or Glenwood Springs in team standings for that sigh of relief.

As Coyote athletes walked to their lane for the 400 freestyle relay finals, team places flashed on the board at Arvada Aquatics Center: Third, Mullen. Second, Glenwood Springs. First, Monarch.

Finally, the celebration could begin.

“It was nerve-wracking,” senior Tobin Howe said after the Coyotes collected their second-consecutive boys swimming and diving title. “We were about halfway through the meet and going into finals we knew if we kept our seed places, we had enough points to win. … Mullen was doing really well and I was a bit nervous. I was thinking it might come down to the last event. It almost did, but we pulled through.”

Monarch won the event with 355.5 points while Mullen placed second with 344 and Glenwood Springs earned 340.5 to place third. The Coyotes finished with 409.5 points in 2025 to earn their first title in school history.

The Coyotes lost several notables from that team including Ethan DiFronzo and Gavin Keogh, but this year’s team flexed depth and confidence that paved the way to a second-consecutive championship.

Howe led the Coyotes in points with 48 and earned the 200 IM title with a time of 1 minute, 51.67 seconds and secured the 100 breaststroke championship at 55.32. Isaac Skillern collected the 100 fly gold medal at 50.11. Skillern was second on the team in scoring and finished with 43 points.

Both swimmers missed those championships last year but remained dedicated throughout the season to ensure they’d earn those keepsakes as personal goals and to assist the Coyotes in their repeat bid.

Amber Austin said Howe and Skillern’s success is a microcosm of the team and what they’ve accomplished throughout the season.

“Everyone has a strong desire to be really good and the best they can be,” Austin said. “That gets them up when they’re going to multiple practices a day and they want to improve. They like being good at everything they do and we’re happy to be here to assist them with that.”

Austin said she loves her athletes’ “drive and commitment” to the grind and she’s not surprised by the results of Saturday’s meet. While Howe will cap his career with a pair of individual championships and two team trophies, Skillern will return for his senior campaign.

Is there a shot at a third-consecutive title for the Coyotes?

“Hopefully,” Skillern said. “We have a great program and I can see it happening again. I look forward to next year with this team and this environment.”

In addition to Howe, Cheyenne Mountain’s Barrett Kerrigan captured two titles – and was named the CHSCA Swimmer of the Meet. Kerrigan won the 200 free with a time of 1:40.46, before picking up his third 500 free title with a time of 4:36.79. Glenwood Springs’ Breck Boyd won the 100 back (49.92), while Mullen’s Thomas Bradac won the 50 free (20.21) and Mountain View’s Julius Phillips claimed the 100 free title (44.42).

Yesterday, Evergreen’s Henry Palmquist won the diving title.

In relays, Glenwood Springs won the 200 medley relay (1:31.78) and the 20 free relay (1:24.18), while Mullen touched first in the 400 free relay for a second-straight season; with a time of 3:07.12 this year.