THORNTON — Ten months ago, Christian Feiler left the Class 5A boys swimming and diving championships busted, disgusted and with a fair heaping of attitude.
A promising sprinter, the Boulder junior was only able to finish in fourth place in the 50-yard freestyle, sixth in the 100 and nowhere near where he wanted to be.
“Absolutely,” he said Saturday afternoon. “Ever since the day after state I set my goals to the next year at state, so I’ve been been training, been lifting, been doing everything I can to get into the next level.”
It looks like it’s working.
Feiler won the 50 and 100 freestyle, and capped the Panthers’ 200 medley team that opened the Dick Rush Memorial at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center. The coaches’ invitational gathering may have served as a breakout meet of sorts for the 6-foot-4, 180-pounder, who will compete next school year at Ivy League power Princeton.
“The first couple of dual meets (this season),” Feiler said, “I was doing my off events. I was just really eager to do my main events and see where I’m at.”
Feiler appears to be in a good place. He won the 50 freestyle in 21.02 seconds and the 100 in 45.96. Plus, the student with the 4.5 grade-point average is showing his smarts — in addition to club swimming, Feiler recently experienced his first winter in which he didn’t play basketball.
Boulder assistant coach Emily Sampl, who oversaw the team for Saturday’s meet, called Feiler “a great sprinter with great talent who has made some adjustments that have made a difference.”
Feiler also credited juniors Christopher Nicholson, Mick Bartholomew and P.J. Stapleton, who teamed to win the 200 medley relay in 1:34.45, as promising contributors who may have enough talent to keep the Panthers in contention for a team title at the state meet.
“Regis (Jesuit) always wins,” Feiler said of the longtime power in Aurora, “but I believe our team is one of the strongest in the state this year.”
Feiler also said he feels strongly “that our juniors are all-stars.”
They will get their big chance in May, when big-school competitors return for the first time in years to the Air Force Academy pool — where, swimmers know, “the air is rare.”
Highlands Ranch’s Gabi Sasia was named the top competitor of Saturday’s meet after winning the 100 butterfly (50.59) and 100 backstroke (51.13) and making relay contributions.
Teamwise, 5A swimmers owned the meet — Cherry Creek (258 points), Regis Jesuit (235) and Highlands Ranch (213) ran and hid from the rest of the field. The top 4A team effort came from D’Evelyn (89), which placed ninth overall.
RESULTS
Dick Rush Memorial at VMAC, Thornton
Top team scores — Cherry Creek 258 points, Regis Jesuit 235, Highlands Ranch 213, Fossil Ridge 203, Arapahoe 135, Grandview 120, Ponderosa 105, Heritage 98, D’EVelyn 89, Boulder 85, Smoky Hill 85.
200-yard medley relay — Boulder (Christopher Nicholson, Mick Bartholomew, P.J. Stapleton, Christian Feiler), 1:34.45.
200 freestyle — Sam Coffman, Cherry Creek, 1:41.67.
200 IM — Keegan Foulke, Pomona, 1:52.65.
50 free — Christian Feiler, Boulder, 21:02.
Diving — Kyle Goodwin, Regis Jesuit, 562.25.
100 butterfly — Gabi Sasia, Highlands Ranch, 50.59.
100 free — Christian Feiler, Boulder, 45.96.
500 free — Liam Gately, Thompson Valley, 4:36.25.
200 free relay — Cherry Creek (J.J. Strain, John Cremer, Hunter Fuqua, Sam Coffman), 1:27.60.
100 backstroke — Gabi Sasia, Highlands Ranch, 51.13.
100 breaststroke — Daniel Graber, D’Evelyn, 59.43.
400 free relay — Fossil Ridge (Loren Gilliam, Matt Willis, Sam Ybarra, Walter Dauksher), 3:13.65.
