Creek is 5A state swim champ

Bruins take title for third year in a row

BY JIM BENTON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Cherry Creek’s Lawson Ficken won two events, Charlotte Wilson captured a third individual title and the Bruins’ three relay teams were also rst.

at all added up to Cherry Creek winning its third straight Class 5A state swimming championship on Feb. 10 at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in ornton.

It was the 29th overall state title for the Bruins since the sport was rst sanctioned in 1972.

“It’s always fun to win,” said Cherry Creek coach Karin Olmstead Dinsdale. “ is is an amazing group of kids. We have seven that have carried on the last four years and they have become part of my family and in many ways they are a special group.

“ e leadership we have on this team has been really good. When these seniors lost four years ago and were runners-up, they came back with vengeance and said never again. ey love to win and I love that.

ey’ve got that taste of winning.

Cherry Creek’s dominance can put a lot of pressure on Bruins swimmers to keep being one of the top state contending teams each season, but it seems like nobody feels any undue pressure.

“Pressure is a privilege,” added Dinsdale, who is a former Cherry Creek swimmer.

“I agree pressure is a privilege and I’m really lucky to be in a scenario to feel that. I put it on myself because I don’t want to let my team down but it’s fun. It’s de nitely scary. I was really nervous and I just tried to channel mine into being excited.”

Cherry Creek amassed 448 points in the title victory while Regis Jesuit was the runner-up with 367.5 points.

Two-time Class 4A state champion Heritage, which this season moved up to 5A, was third with 321 points. e Eagles’ Mary Macauley, a two-time state champ last season, added the Class 5A 200 IM individual championship with a winning time of 2:00.67.

Ficken, a senior who will continue her education and swimming at Auburn next season, won the 50 freestyle in 22.64 and the 100 freestyle with a time of 48.77.

“It feels so good,” she said. “I’m just so lucky to swim with these girls and I’m just so honored to be able to pick it up and compete.” e Creek foursome turned in a 1:30.81 clocking in the nals which was 11 hundredths of a second o the national record.

Wilson, a junior, captured the 100 backstroke in 52.95.

Both Ficken and Wilson were on the 200 freestyle relay team along with Alexis Greenhawt and Ana Loveridge that set a state record in the preliminaries and then broke it in the nals.

In the 200 medley relay, Wilson, Katie Cohen, Maren McDonald and Alana Maxey won in 1:47.81 while Creek’s 400 relay team of Greenhawt, Ficken, Loveridge and Teagan Steinmetz won with a time of 3:23.66.