After setting off the meet by rounding up points in the 200 medley relay, the Cougars got to work in the 200 free. Leanne Telle, 9, who competed at state in the event, cinched a seventh place finish, and captain Chloe Cassens placed tenth. Junior Mia Shaeffer brought home her first top three finish of the day, placing third in the 200 IM. Although she had a state-qualifying mark, she did not compete in it at state, however, as swimmers can compete in a maximum of four events.

In the next event, Coronado’s Erin Field placed second in the 50 free. The event- which Field qualified for state in- held fierce competition: Rampart’s Edenna Chen, who won the 50 free, is ranked third in the state for 100 backstroke, and fifth for the 100 free. However, Field’s performance is not too shabby either; she has posted the fifth fastest time for a freshman in 4A in the event. Another solid performance came from Alex Costa, who got fourteenth place and a new personal best of 27.89.  

Shaeffer posted another strong performance in the 100 fly, in which she was only second to Rampart’s Alanna Clarke. Clarke and Shaeffer faced off again at state, as they are both top ranked in the event. Soon after, freshman Stephanie Boyd, picked up some points with her 6th place in the 100 freestyle.

In the next team event, the 200 free relay, Mia Shaeffer, Stephanie Boyd, senior Lindsey Murray, and Erin Field placed third with their speedy time of 1:44.77. Leanne Telle placed 7th in the 100 back, and was closely followed by teammates Stephanie Boyd and Lindsey Dwinell, who placed ninth and tenth respectively. The Cougars finished off the meet with a 3rd place in the 400 free relay.

Rampart ran away with the team title, not claiming first in only one event. The Cougars came away from the meet with a solid fourth place finish.

At state only a weekend later, a seven member delegation of Cougars journeyed to Thornton to compete against the toughest competition in the state.

Mia Shaeffer had a magnificent meet, and placed in the top fifteen in three out of four of her events. In her first individual event, the 100 butterfly, she swam a fantastic 57.55 to get sixth place. She also claimed eleventh in the 100 yard backstroke only a few events later.

The best relay performance of the meet by the Cougars was the 200 free relay, in which they placed eleventh. Erin Field, Lindsey Murray, Stephanie Boyd, and Mia Shaeffer swam to a solid 1:44.32.

Overall, the Cougars showed fantastic potential this season. Although they will be hurt by the graduation of several solid seniors, the team’s manpower grew this year, and the team will benefit in coming years from the development of already strong freshmen. Mia Shaeffer reflected on the coming change in the team’s dynamic, saying, “The team won’t be the same next year without the seniors. I have swam with this group of girls for three years, and they are definitely some of our strongest competitors and all around great people. They will be sorely missed by every member of the team. However, I really look forward to next season because we have so many amazing freshman with tons of potential, and I can’t wait to see them continue to improve next season.” Shaeffer also applauds the “strong relays” the the team fielded, as well as the the “improvement from everyone on the team.”

Congratulations to Cougar swimming on another fantastic season and performance at state!