LOVELAND — Cheyenne Mountain senior Patrick Scally became the second swimmer to break a record at the Class 4A championships Saturday in Loveland.
Scally won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:35.53, breaking the old record of 4:35.61 that was set in 2008.
Scally also won the 200-yard freestyle Saturday.
— Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post
Lewis-Palmer’s Arata breaks 100 butterfly record
Lewis-Palmer sophomore Ryan Arata broke the Class 4A state record en route to winning his second consecutive state title in the 100-yard butterfly.
Arata?’s time of 50.14 seconds broke the record of 50.52 set by Jon Banker of Pueblo Centennial in 2005.
Lewis-Palmer currently holds a substantial lead in the team standings, thanks to individual titles by Arata and sprinter Pat Cardillo in the 50-yard freestyle, as well as a relay win in the 200-yard medley relay.
— Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post
Banning of high-tech suits level create level playing field
For the first time in several years, there is a level playing field at the Colorado state boys high school swimming championships.
That?’s because the high-tech polyurethane full-body swim suits have been banned. The suits, which made headlines when they were worn by many Olympians in 2008, were outlawed by swimming?’s governing body effective Jan. 1, 2010, The ban has trickled down to age group and high school swimming across the country.
Boys competing in this weekend?s state championships in Loveland and Fort Collins are allowed to wear suits that go from waist to knee.
“It?’s great to have it all back on the same level,?” said Arvada junior Eric May, who repeated as 200 individual medley champion in Class 4A with a time of 1:53.47.
May wore a polyurethane body suit in the 2009 state meet when he won the 200 individual medley. Still, May has swam faster this year in many of his events, regardless of the attire.
“The old suit made it so that people who didn’?t practice their technique as much and didn?’t do a lot of distance swimming could get into races and go, and the suit would correct their stroke,”? May said. “?Now, the people who are the best swimmers and are really training the hardest are coming through. What’?s really great is that the people who are training the hardest and training the fastest are getting the best times and still going faster.?”
Finals at the Class 5A meet in Fort Collins and the Class 4A meet in Loveland begin at 2 p.m.
— Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post
Highlands Ranch sets medley record
FORT COLLINS — Highlands Ranch opened the 5A state swim meet by setting a new Colorado state record in the medley relay.
The Falcons’ team of Andrew Harbarger, Kyle Noser, Kyle Milberg, and Cole Hackney turned in a winning time of 1 minute, 35.50 seconds at the Edora Pool and Ice Center in Fort Collins. That mark broke the previous record of 1:33.84, set by Regis last year.
— Pat Rooney, Special to The Denver Post
