FORT COLLINS — Jay Kim was good to the last stroke . . . literally.
The Regis senior capped a brilliant prep career in style Friday night at the Class 5A swimming and diving championships at Edora Pool and Ice Center, winning his 11th gold medal (both individual and relays) by .01 seconds in the 400-yard freestyle relay and helping the Raiders capture their 14th consecutive team title and 16th in the last 17 years.
The Raiders finished with 351 points, followed by Cherry Creek (238), Heritage (199), Boulder (174) and Highlands Ranch (171).
“I can’t even believe it. It seems like just yesterday I walked into this pool during my freshman year,” said Kim, who didn’t speak any English when he arrived from his native South Korea. “I have to thank my parents, who came to every meet to support me, and Coach (Michael) Doherty, who has been the biggest role model in my life.”
After helping the Raiders’ 200- medley relay team win the initial event of the meet, Kim hit the pool in the 200 individual medley with more than hopes of just defending his title. Arapahoe’s Dave Denniston set the 200 IM record of 1 minute, 50.25 seconds 11 years ago, a number Kim knew was within reach.
With Denniston on hand for the first time since his high school days, Kim not only beat the record but became the first Colorado high-schooler to break the 1:50 mark by going 1:49.98.
“I was really happy to break the 1:50 mark and the Denniston record,” said Kim, who added the title in the 100 butterfly title. “I’ve heard all about (Denniston), and how great of a swimmer he actually was. I’m glad he could be here.”
Said Denniston, who was left paralyzed from the waist down after a sledding accident in 2005 and will compete in the Beijing paralympics in September: “I’ve been hearing for a couple of years that Mr. Kim was going to break that record, and I’m glad he waited ’til I could show up to do it. This brings back a lot of memories, and it is neat to see the record finally go down.”
While one great career was coming to an end, another was just beginning. Legacy’s Steve Schmuhl became the first Lightning swimmer to win a state title when he captured the 200 freestyle in a Class 5A record-setting time of 1:40.03.
The 6-foot-5 Schmuhl would go 2-for-2 a little later by edging 50 free champion Conor Brennan of Heritage by .13 seconds in the 100 free final.
“I thought I was going to win, but I didn’t think the 100 would be as close as it was,” Schmuhl said. “(Brennan, who set the Class 5A record with a 20.66 time in the 50 free) is basically the first person to pressure me since I was 13 years old. It was the first time I had competed against him, and that was a good challenge.”
