The Durango High School girls swim and dive team has beaten almost everyone in its path this year. However, the talent-loaded team from Glenwood Springs has been a pesky thorn in the Demons’ sides in recent weeks, and it was the same story over the weekend at the Southwestern Conference League Championships.
Durango was the runner up twice last weekend by very narrow margins, nearly beating Glenwood Springs’ swimmers in their own pool both meets. The Demons had another impressive showing at the league championships with 326 points, but came up just shy of Glenwood Springs’ 353 total to earn second place.
“It was a challenging meet, so I’m absolutely encouraged and proud of what I saw out of the girls,” Durango High School swim coach Tom Joyner said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “I didn’t know what to expect this year because a lot of new teams are in the mix. Our girls have just killed it. This one was a nailbiter, and we had the lead for awhile, but Glenwood Springs just got us again.” It was no surprise to see the dominant diving duo of Ruby Epstein and Kylie Behn finish first and second in the one-meter dive, which has been a regularity in this year’s meets. Epstein blew the rest of the field out of the water in the final with 351.80 points. Behn took second with 336.70 and Tess Burgwald finished fourth with 287.60. All three divers will be at the state meet next weekend as will Sadie McAliney, who placed seventh.
Mira Joyner knocked nearly 10 seconds off her time in the 200 individual medley to earn third place and also came in fourth in the 100 breaststroke.
The 200 freestyle relay team of Emily Doughty, Jocelyn Earl, Epstein and Joyner posted a second-place finish in 1 minute, 47.91 seconds.
To top it off, Mina Willemin and Saylor Stottlemeyer each posted state qualifying times and will join a large group of Demons next weekend at the Colorado Activities Association’s 3A Girls Swim and Dive State Meet in Thornton. The Demons will have competitors participating in all 12 events at the state meet.
“I’m expecting for us to go to the state meet and do the best we can,” Joyner said. “It’s been a successful year already and the experience of competing at state will be a great way to finish it off.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
