AURORA -- Long before he joined the program, Barrett Kerrigan knew of Cheyenne Mountain’s success. 

“The swim club that I was a part of at the time practiced at the high school pool,” he said. “If you ever go into the Cheyenne Mountain pool, there’s banners all over the walls just showing the great teams that have been there in the past. I got to look up at all the record boards and see the past swimmers from Cheyenne Mountain that put up really impressive times.”

And now Kerrigan is one of them as a two-time state champion in the 500-yard freestyle in Class 4A. 

“He just has this unique ability of kind of knowing where everybody else is in the water,” Cheyenne Mountain coach Kate Doane said. “He knows when he can turn it on and put his hand on the wall first. He has a great ability of just turning that switch on, which is great in anything distance.”

The CHSAA Swimming & Diving State Championships for 5A and 4A are set for May 8 and 9 at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton.

During his high school career for the Hawks, Kerrigan has been atop the mountain as the top 4A long-distance swimmer by winning the 500 freestyle title his sophomore and junior years. He swam his personal best time at the state meet in 2025, cruising to the finish in 4 minutes, 35.60 seconds. 

Kerrigan has yet to break any school records, but the marks are lofty. After all, the boys program has won eight team state championships. The title haul began in 2000. 

Nonetheless, in his final high school season he may take down one or two program records. He is that fast. 

“I’m just excited to hopefully watch him fulfill some dreams this year,” Doane said about a senior who could top the 200 and 500 freestyle records for Cheyenne Mountain. 

The Air Force Academy recruit knows his work ethic and solid technique in the pool has paid off. He was instantly among the best in 4A in the 500 freestyle. Even as a freshman, he earned fifth place at the state championships. 

But he needed to make a significant jump in his performance to contend for a title sophomore year. 

In 2024, the standout held off Glenwood Springs’ William Jones by about one second to win the event in 4:38.84. 

”Winning the first one was an amazing feeling, something I had never done before,” Kerrigan said. “I had always wanted to win a state championship, but as an underclassman I didn’t know how achievable that was going to be. After I won that one it really put the pressure on to win again.”

Kerrigan was able to repeat as 4A’s premier long-distance swimmer by defeating Jones again with his personal record time of 4:35.60. This time, he was over three seconds ahead. 

Of course, one of Cheyenne Mountain’s greatest swimmers is looking for a three-repeat. He may have a shot at earning gold in the 200 freestyle as well though. Sixth-place finishes the past two seasons displayed his ability.

“I am sure he would love to be a two-time state champion individually (for this season),” Doane said. “I am sure he would love to be part of a relay state championship. We’re doing what we can to make that happen.”

The combination of swimming for his club team in Colorado Springs, as well as the powerhouse Cheyenne Mountain program, has pushed Kerrigan to even faster times.

In his Sectional meet, which was the final club meet of his season, Kerrigan notched several personal records. 

Oh, and in his only meet for Cheyenne Mountain so far in 2026 he immediately qualified for the state championships in the 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 100 freestyle, and 500 freestyle. 

Five of his teammates have also turned in the times they needed, including Doane’s son ,Townes. He is only a freshman, but has already notched six qualifying times. 

The Hawks certainly boast a talented group of swimmers and divers (two qualifiers), and sat at No. 3 in the preseason CHSAANow.com rankings. Defending team champion Monarch is the early favorite, while Evergreen is No. 2.

“We are building,” Doane said. “There’s a lot of really good swimmers out there. Swimming is fast in 4A and 5A. It’s a great compliment for sure. We are building to try and do the best that we can.”

Cheyenne Mountain nabbed fifth place as a team last year and third in 2024. It conquered 4A as the champions during Kerrigan’s freshman year. 

Doane was the boys coach for many years, with a tenure from 2010-22, but stepped away for three years. Now she is back. She has coached the girls program continuously since 2008. 

The Hawks earned four boys state titles under her, as well as three girls championships.

The only school other than Cheyenne Mountain that has won more team state championships across all sports in Colorado history is Cherry Creek.

“It starts at the top,” Doane said. “Excellence is expected in the district. I teach in the district and that’s what’s been taught. Excellence is important. We’re training over Spring Break. We’re still holding practices. There is no down time. We’re all training year-round. I think it’s fun to represent Cheyenne Mountain. I am proud to coach at Cheyenne Mountain.”

Kerrigan also believes strongly in the program and knows the team will be a contender again this season. It expects to compete well with fellow Pikes Peak Athletic Conference rivals Discovery Canyon and Lewis-Palmer, who were ranked seventh and eighth in 4A. The Hawks hope to seal a conference championship and finish top five in the state meet. 

“We have amazing coaching and then we also have a really good team culture,” Kerrigan said. “I think it’s just a really welcoming environment in which kids want to succeed and start to really improve in the pool.”

The progression has continued with Kerrigan as he looks to have a record-breaking senior season and lock up multiple state championships. 

Cheyenne Mountain swimmers have certainly thrived in the pool, as Daniel Carr placed eighth in the Olympic Trials and, for the girls, Caroline Bricker won a national championship individually for Stanford last year. 

Kerrigan knows what it would mean to be on the record board, as does his coach. 

“To be on the Cheyenne Mountain swimming and diving team, these guys are proud to represent,” Doane said. “I think he’s going to have a great year.”