The Durango Swim Club took second place at the Cortez Summer Invite last weekend.
The high-powered Durango and Montrose teams went back and forth for three days battling for first place. Montrose ended up taking the title with 1,797 points to Durango’s 1,767. Farmington finished third with 1,677 points.
“We were pretty evenly matched with Montrose,” Durango Swim Club head coach Alex Martinek said. “For our 13 and overs, both us and Montrose didn’t rest either of our groups. More than anything it was a battle of who could swim fast while tired and who was the toughest team. Our championship meets aren’t until July and August, so the focus is still on training and not hitting our peak fitness until those months.”
Everyone on the Durango Swim Club scored points for the team. Jayden Craig’s 50-meter freestyle time of 39.45 seconds qualified the 9-year-old for Colorado State Championships in the 10 and under group.
Fellow 9-year-old Alister Reese also achieved a state-qualifying mark with a 37.45 time in the 50-meter freestyle.
Aside from swimming, many of the participants camped together and shared in festivities outside of the pool at the three-day event.
“Cortez was filled with laughter, jokes, and lots of great swimming out of everyone,” Durango’s Mina Willemin said. “It was a great way for the club to kick off the outdoor season.”
Next up for the swim club is a week-long training camp for the 13-and-over swimmers in Grand Junction. The team will host a home meet June 17-18 before going back to Grand Junction for the mid-season championship meet June 22-25.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
