In an action-packed meet at El Pomar Natatorium on Sunday, Feb. 2, Denver Swim and Dive defeated Air Force during the 2019 Colorado Sprint Championships. During the meet, Denver Swim and Dive honored their seniors and set six new El Pomar Natatorium records. The women’s posted 260 points to Air Force’s 62 while the men’s team posted 225.5 to Air Force’s 96.5.
Junior Colin Gilbert (Kamloops, B.C.) was the first to break a record, doing so in the 200 free after touching in 1:37.85, a time that was 0.73 seconds faster than the previous record. Gilbert broke another record in the 500 free after finishing in 4:28.23, a time that was .42 seconds faster than the previous time. Freshman Patrick Groters(Santa Cruz, Aruba) set a new 200 IM pool record with 1:50.29, and sophomore Cameron Aunchinachie (Binghamton, N.Y.) broke the 50 free record with a time of 19.76.
In the women’s 200 medley relay, in which Denver’s squad of senior Annelyse Tullier (Dallas, Texas), freshman Brandi Vu (Longmont, Colo.), junior Josie Valette (Boulder, Colo.) and senior Lauren Moden (Parker, Colo.) combined for a record-setting 1:39.39. They were followed close behind by the foursome of redshirt-senior Heidi Bradley (Victoria, B.C.), sophomore Charlotte Simon (Saint Remy, France.), junior Kylie Cronin (Marblehead, Mass.) and junior Sarah Lingen (Maple Grove, Minn.) in 1:41.36. On the men’s side junior Neil Wachtler (Waco, Texas), sophomore Cy Jager (Moscow, Idaho), sophomore Adriel Sanes (Rosharon, Texas) and Aunchinachie led the way with a 1:27.53. Teammates freshman Finn Kennard-Campbell (Hamilton, New Zealand), sophomore Anthony Nosack (Beaverton, Oregon), junior Peter Webster (Odense, Denmark) and sophomore Jackson Gainer (San Jose, Calif.) followed in second with a 1:30.02.
The relays were followed by the 50 butterfly, in which the men took the top two spots, and the women swept the podium. On the men’s team, Wachtler and Webster finished one and two with times of 21.67 and 22.26. Valette (24.34), Cronin (25.06) and junior Blair Williams (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) (25.51) swept for the women.
In the 50 backstroke, Bradley finished first after touching in 25.72 and Tullier took third in 26.05 for the women. On the men’s side Wachtler took second with 22.77, and Kennard Campbell posted a time of 23.09 to take third.
Vu, senior Courtney Laird (Overland Park, Kan.), sophomore Emily Vandenberg (Ajax, Ontario) and sophomore Ally Yancy (Cave Creek, Ariz.) took the top four spots in the women’s 50 breaststroke, touching in times of 28.62, 29.30, 29.36 and 29.90 respectively. In the men’s 50 breaststroke, Jager finished in front with a time of 25.18.
The women swept the top three spots in the 50 freestyle after Moden, sophomore Aysia Leckie (Georgetown, Ontario)and Bradley finished first, second and third with respective times of 23.25, 23.86 and 23.90. The men swept the top two spots in their 50 freestyle after Aunchinachie touched in 19.76 to finish first and Gainer touched second in 20.51.
In the 200 freestyle, Gilbert finished first with his record-setting time of 1:37.85, followed by teammates, junior Hugo Sykes (Weston, Conn.) who touched in 1:39.02, and senior Kyle Ewoldt (Gilbert, Ariz.) who finished in 1:40.69. On the women’s side junior Andi Johnston (Fort Collins, Colo.) first in 1:50.70, Tullier second with 1:51.13, senior Avery Neimann (Oklahoma City, Okla.) third in 1:53.26 and freshman Izzy Smith (Leawood, Kan.) fourth in 1:54.42, swept the top four spots.
In the 500 freestyle, Tullier finished first with a time of 4:53.49, followed by teammate Johnston in 4:59.61. Smith finished fourth with a time of 5:10.61. Gilbert finished first for the men, and junior Jesse Haraden (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) finished third in 4:40.24.
In the last individual race, the 200 IM, the Pioneers took five of the top six spots, with the women sweeping their side. Vandenberg touched in 2:04.34 for first, followed by Cronin in 2:05.55 and Simon in 2:05.73. In the men’s race, Groters finished first with his new pool-record time of 1:50.29, while Ewoldt finished second with a time of 1:51.66.
In the last two races, the 200 freestyle relays, DU picked up wins on both the men’s and women’s sides. The women swept the top three spots with several different squads. In first was a quartet comprised of junior Sarah Lingen (Maple Grove, Minn.), Valette, Leckie and Moden, combining to touch first with a time of 1:31.83. The second squad, freshman Melissa Funes (Seattle, Wash.), freshman Livi Schmid (Fairfax Station, Va.), freshman Angie Lindsay (Beaverton, Ore.) and Williams, touched in 1:36.33. The final foursome was made up of junior Molly Kuettel (Lake Jackson, Texas), Tullier, Johnston and Smith, touching in 1:36.67. The men’s team took the top two spots with a team made up of Aunchinachie, Gainer, junior Robin Keubler (Centennial, Colo.) and Sanes touching first in 1:20.52, while the second team comprised of Wachtler, Sykes, Webster and freshman Darragh Mahns (Missoula, Mont.) finished in 1:22.08.
The Pioneers compete next in the Summit League Championships on Feb. 20, where they look to defend their title from last year.
