FORT COLLINS — The 2015 Class 5A girls swimming and diving meet Saturday was nearly a duplicate of 2014 … with one large exception.
On a day with eight repeat winners in the 12 events, the big-school team title went to Fossil Ridge of Fort Collins, an unusual winner from outside the Denver-metropolitan area. How rare? Fossil Ridge won it in 2012. Prior to that, the only other champion among large schools outside the Denver area since sanctioning in 1974 was Colorado Springs’ Palmer, in 1980.
“It’s incredible,” a drenched SaberCats coach Tasha Marchant said after taking one final plunge into the Edora Pool Ice Center water with her team.
Fossil Ridge’s Bailey Nero, who led the surge by being a champion in two individual races as well as on two relays, said she heard “other Denver teams cheering for us” as the SaberCats unseated two-time defending champion Regis Jesuit. All told, the two schools have won the past five team titles.
Nero, who has signed to compete at Auburn next school year, burned the rest of the field, which was as experienced as it was talented. She repeated as champion in the 100-yard butterfly by setting a state record in 53.22 seconds, topping the previous mark by 1.03 seconds.
And she opened her individual efforts by unseating 2014 200 individual medley winner Brooke Hansen of Loveland, who’s headed to Texas, finishing in 1:59.20 and winning by more than a second.
As for relays, Nero swam the third leg of the winning 200 medley relay that opened the competition, then capped the meet by helping the ‘Cats slip past Regis Jesuit in the 400 free relay.
“I was very surprised to win four,” Nero said. “It feels so great.”
Indeed it was a talented pool of swimmers, with 20-of-21 individual and relay champions from the last season back, including two other double winners.
ThunderRidge’s blur of a sprinter, Annie Ochitwa, won her two specialties, the 50 and 100 frees. The Denver Post swimmer of the year in 2014 is bound for Arizona.
Arapahoe’s Ella Moynihan (Notre Dame) won her second straight 200 freestyle, then also took the 500 free, the only event in which a champion did not return. And Regis Jesuit junior McKensi Austin repeated as diving champion, this time with a state-record 530.40 points.
Rock Canyon’s Abigail Kochevar was first in the 100 backstroke, and Nero’s teammate, Bailey Kovac, ran away in the 100 backstroke.
Runner-up Regis Jesuit finished first in the 200 free relay.
Results
Teams — Fossil Ridge 347, Regis Jesuit 277, Fairview 226.5, Cherry Creek 170, ThunderRidge 153.
CHAMPIONS
200-yard medley relay — Fossil Ridge (Bayley Stewart, Bailey Kovac, Bailey Nero, Lesley-Ann Knee), 1:43.04
200 freestyle — Ella Moynihan, Arapahoe, 1:48.29
200 individual medley — Nero, F. Ridge, 1:59.20
50 freestyle — Annie Ochitwa, ThunderRidge, 22.86
Diving — McKensi Austin, Regis Jesuit, 540.30 points*
100 butterfly — Nero, Fossil Ridge, 53.22*
100 free — Ochitwa, T’Ridge, 48.60 (hand held)
500 free — Moynihan, Arapahoe, 4:54.92
200 free relay — Regis Jesuit (Lindsay Painton, Jennae Frederick, Amy Lenderink, Taylor Wilson), 1:34.72
100 backstroke — Abigail Kochevar, Rock Canyon, 54.17
100 breaststroke — Kovac, Fossil Ridge, 1:03.03
400 free relay — Fossil Ridge (Zoey Bartel, Riley Hoffman, Kovac, Nero), 3:25.26
* state record
