Chatfield Breaks State Relay Record; Fairview Repeats as Colorado Girls 5A State Champions

Photo Courtesy: CHSAA Twitter (@CHSAA)

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The 2020 Colorado Girls 5A State Championships took place on Friday, Feb. 14 at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center (VMAC) in Thornton, Colo.

The highlight of the meet came from Chatfield’s 4×50 free relay team who broke the overall Colorado state record by .03 with a final time of 1:34.12.

Despite not winning any events, Fairview showed their impressive depth to secure the team championship crown for the second-straight year – and fourth time in program history – with a final score of 382.5 points ahead of Cherry Creek (348) and Regis Jesuit (326).

Click HERE for full results and team scores.

Top 5 Team Scores:

1. Fairview – 382.5
2. Cherry Creek – 348
3. Regis Jesuit – 326
4. Fossil Ridge – 284
5. Arapahoe – 246

Fossil Ridge’s Renee Gillilan (25.71), Mahala Erlandson (28.93), Lucy Bell (23.34), and Emma Stahl (23.52) began the meet by winning the 4×50 medley relay in a combined time of 1:41.50. Fairview was second in 1:42.06 while Heritage finished third in 1:44.31.

After finishing second in the 200 freestyle last year, Chatfield’s Kathryn Shanley found herself with the gold medal this season as the only swimmer in the field to dip under the 1:50-marker in a final time of 1:49.41. Douglas County’s Margaret Kroening was second in 1:52.31 and Cherry Creek’s Elizabeth Brock took third in 1:52.83.

Shortly after helping her medley relay team to victory, Bell was back in the water to successfully defend her state title in the 200 IM. The sophomore touched in 1:58.16 as the only athlete to crack the two-minute barrier. Fariview’s Julianne Jones (2:04.36), and Cherry Creek’s Jenna Smith (2:04.81) rounded out the podium.

Heritage’s Anna Shaw, who earned bronze in 2019, swam away with the gold medal in the 50 free after posting a speedy 22.99 for the win. Rocky Mountain’s Meredith Smithbaker splashed-and-dashed to second in 23.12 while Arapahoe’s Lyndsey Wehr was third in 23.28.

Ralston Valley’s Isabel “Izzy” Gregersen dove to first on the 1-meter board with a final score of 497.45. Horizon’s Ally Brown followed her with a score of 487.40 for second place while Catherine Rodocker of Eaglecrest placed third with 480.80 points.

For the second year in a row, Gillilan, a sophomore, flew to the top of the podium in the 100 fly after getting her hands to the wall the fastest in 53.47. Fairview teammates Edith Simecek (54.24) and Jenna Reznicek (54.78) finished second and third, respectively.

Bell’s third gold medal of the meet came in the 100 free after the sophomore raced to the wall in 49.81 for the state title as the only racer in the field under the 50-second marker. 50 free champion Shaw was the runner-up in 50.10 while Regis Jesuit’s Jada Surrell-Norwood was third in 50.78.

Shanley added the 500 freestyle to match her 200 freestyle victory from earlier. She led the race from start to finish, posting a final time of 4:54.07 to win the event by 11 seconds. 5:05.19 was fast enough for Arapahoe’s Megan Bergstrom to place second and Legacy’s Sabrina Rachjaibun swam to third in 5:05.29.

Chatfield’s Avery Turner (23.91), Mia Norrid (23.32), Meghan Mulvihill (23.88), and Shanley (23.01) combined to win the 4×50 free relay in 1:34.12. Their time eclipsed Fossil Ridge’s state record of 1:34.15 set in 2018. Regis Jesuit was in second with a time of 1:34.53 as Cherry Creek wound up third in 1:35.47.

Gillilan clinched another gold in the 100 back: after being the runner-up in 2019, she powered home in 54.77 for the state title. She had to hold off a charging Reznicek who finished a close second in 54.97 and Legacy’s Sydney Bales posted a time of 55.41 for third.

After grabbing the silver medal in the 100 breast a season ago, Regis Jesuit’s Sophia Bradac claimed the gold this year after stopping the clock in a swift 1:02.22. Close behind her was Heritage freshman Aislyn Barnett in 1:02.87 for second and Erlandson finished third in 1:04.20.

Fossil Ridge’s Bell (49.17), Gillian (50.70), Erlandson (52.91), and Emily Rinker (52.77) concluded the meet by winning the 4×100 free relay in a final time of 3:25.55, over two seconds ahead of runner-up Cherry Creek’s 3:27.79. Regis Jesuit finished third in 3:27.98.

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