Kylie Behn soared to sixth place, as the Durango High School girls swimming and diving team completed the state meet in Thornton.
The Demons competed at the first Colorado High School Activities Association Girls Swimming Class 3A State Championships ever Friday and Saturday. Aspen won the championship with 209 points, while St. Mary’s Academy placed second with 187. Glenwood Springs was third with 173 points. Durango placed 17th as a team with 66 points. In all, 28 teams competed in Class 3A.
Behn was the top-finisher for Durango with her sixth-place finish in 1-meter diving. She finished with a score of 335.35. The diving title was claimed by Pueblo Central’s Kaylee Eakman, who scored 441.30.
Behn became the first Durango diver to reach the finals at state in a decade. It was the first time DHS had divers at state in three years.
“Kylie went into the finals calm, cool and collected,” DHS diving coach Mark Fleming said. “We’re insanely proud.”
Durango divers Ruby Epstein and Tess Burgwald did not advance out of the semifinals. Epstein placed 18th with a score of 216.75, and Burgwald was 20th with a score of 210.80.
Fleming was named the 3A Diving Coach of the Year after the meet.
“He really deserves that accolade,” DHS swim coach Thomas Joyner said. “He put a lot into it this season.”
Durango junior Mira Joyner took home a pair of eighth-place finishes in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard breast stroke. She was the lone individual from Durango to make the A Final to swim for a championship. Racing in an outside lane after qualifying for the eighth and final spot in each event, Joyner faced a tough battle in each swim. She finished the 200 IM in 2 minutes, 16.74 seconds. That race was won by Glenwood Springs’ Lauren Fetzko in 2:05.84. Joyner finished the 100 breast stroke in 1:12.23. That title was won by Pueblo County’s Amanda Blickensderfer in 1:05.26.
Jocelyn Earl won the B Final of the 500-yard freestyle in 5:35.42 to take ninth overall. Teammate Mina Willemin finished 12th overall and fifth in the B Final in 1:48.73. The state champion in the event was Abbey Selin of D’Evelyn, who finished in 5:01.15.
Earl also finished 12th overall and fourth in the B Final of the 200-yard freestyle in 2:05.87. The state champion in the event was Alex Reddington of St. Mary’s Academy, who touched the wall in 1:48.60. Reddington also placed first in the 100-yard butterfly by 5 seconds in 54:09, a time that would’ve been good enough for second place in Class 5A.
The Durango 200-yard freestyle relay team of Emily Doughty, Epstein, Joyner and Saylor Stottlemyer finished 13th overall and fifth in the B Final in 1:48.73. The state champion team of Pueblo County finished in 1:41.06.
It was the first year of a Class 3A swim meet for Colorado. Durango previously had competed in Class 4A and had difficulty qualifying for finals against the elite Front Range teams. After testing themselves this season in 3A and sizing up the new competition, the young squad will come back next year with a load of experience.
“The pool was fast, and there were swims every bit as good and faster than a lot of 4A,” coach Joyner said. “Just because it was 3A didn’t mean we saw less competition.
“The girls saw what is possible, and this experience will elevate our game for the all the ladies moving forward.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
