LOVELAND — Kirsten Milberg is a perfect 10.
The Rock Canyon senior capped a brilliant prep career in style Saturday night, winning not only her fourth consecutive 100-yard backstroke title, but a 200 individual medley title and two relay championships as well, at the Mountain View Aquatic Center, to run her career total to 10 gold medals.
“It’s amazing. I’m so happy,” Milberg said with a huge smile. “I can’t think of a better way to end my prep career.”
There was a cherry on top of Milberg’s sundae.
The long-awaited team crown went the way of the Jaguars as well. Rock Canyon, two-time runners-up to Ralston Valley, totaled 417 points to win the first title for the school. Thompson Valley was second with 238 points, and Lewis-Palmer was third with 181.
“This was the best meet ever,” Kirsten’s mother and Jaguars coach Ruthie Milberg said. “It was everything I hoped it would be. It was a total team effort, and every one of those girls swam amazing.”
From the beginning, it was the Jaguars’ kind of night. Rock Canyon won the first of the three relays, the 200 medley, besting Thompson Valley by more than a second.
Kirsten Milberg, who led off the 200 medley relay, added the IM title to her collection by outtouching Wheat Ridge’s Kaitlyn Hack and Broomfield’s Kia Dobie at the wall.
“Wow, I’m so excited for the team right not, that really hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Ruthie, whose daughter will swim next season for DU. “I’m proud of her, she swam awesome, but again, so did everyone else.”
Rutgers-bound senior Taylor Curado of Rock Canyon left little doubt in the 100 butterfly. The two-time defending champion in the event made it three straight by more than a second over Dobie.
“To win a title is always great,” said Curado, who was a bit disappointed with her time. “As you grow up, you never want to be known as the person that was better when they were younger, so I had a lot of pressure on myself to make sure what I needed to do.”
It wasn’t all about Rock Canyon on Saturday night. Montrose’s Emily Stucky cemented herself as the 4A sprint champion. The sophomore’s victory in the 50 saw all eight competitors within 0.90 seconds of one another.
“My coaches told me before the race that I just can’t get hard,” said Stucky, who joined Carrie Nixon in 1996 and 1997 as the only Indians swimmers to double in the sprints. “I really tried to stretch out beforehand.”
The machine that is Thompson Valley diving produced its fifth champion since 1990, and first since 1995, when Justine Boddy nailed her final dive to overtake Lewis-Palmer’s Corinne Bangs.
“I was definitely questioning it,” said Boddy on her thoughts as she hit the water. “I’ve definitely done that dive a little better in the past.”
Other champions included Lewis- Palmer’s Jackie Cromer (200 free), Cheyenne Mountain’s Ashley Forsyth (500 free) and Wheat Ridge’s Hack (100 breast).
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
