FORT COLLINS — Leave it to the best of the best to ho-hum his remarkable performance.
With records falling left and right at the Class 5A boys swimming championships Saturday, perhaps no one made a bigger contribution to the madness than Steve Schmuhl, a Legacy sophomore who made it a perfect 4-for-4 effort in individual events by defending his state titles in the 100- and 200-yard freestyles.
Yet Schmuhl, who broke his own 5A records while posting the two victories, remained saddled with a hint of disappointment despite his unprecedented times. In a meet that saw Colorado records fall in two relay events while Regis continued its usual dominance in the team race, Schmuhl expressed his regret even as he palmed his two first-place medals.
“I’m happy and I’m excited with my times, but I was hoping to be a little faster this meet,” Schmuhl said. “My times were good enough, I guess. They’re acceptable.”
What Schmuhl found merely acceptable was a time of 1 minute, 38.40 seconds in the 200 freestyle, which shattered the 5A standard of 1:40.03 he established in 2008, and a time of 45.28 seconds in the 100 freestyle, which brought the 5A standard down from the 45.61 he posted, also last year.
Schmuhl’s performance was a continuation of the standard set by Regis in the state meet’s opening event, the 200 medley relay. The Raiders, who captured the team title for the 15th consecutive year and for the 17th time in 19 years, finished with a winning time of 1:33.84, breaking the all-classification Colorado record of 1:34.63 the Raiders established in 2007.
Regis won four events overall, adding the title in the 200 freestyle relay and earning two individual championships behind seniors Alex Reinhardt, who won a thrilling race in the 500 freestyle, and Blas Yslas, who defended his state title in the 100 breaststroke.
“We tried to build off that (medley relay) as best as we could,” said Yslas, who swam on each of the Raiders’ winning relay teams. “Our coach got us together, and we really came on strong in the back half. He does a really great job of being in the moment and making us do the best we can. If that is last, if that is first, that’s what we’re going to do. If we had lost this meet but everyone swam the best he could, our coach would have been just as proud. With that mind-set, it really keeps you working hard.”
Highlands Ranch, Cherry Creek, Boulder and George Washington rounded out the top five in team points, with Cherry Creek claiming a small victory against the powerhouse Raiders in the 400 freestyle relay by setting a state record in 3:06.13. That erased a Regis record that stood for 14 years.
“This is the third time we swam against those four guys (in the 400 relay),” Regis coach Mike Doherty said. “They really stepped it up today with that race.”
