Durango High School will be represented in all 12 events at the girls swimming state championship this year.
In the newly created Class 3A, the Demons added three more state qualifying times Saturday at the Cheyenne Mountain Invitational in Colorado Springs. Four divers also qualified for the state meet.
DHS finished with 187 points to take fifth out of 18 teams. Cheyenne Mountain won its home meet with 641 points, Highlands Ranch was second with 303, and Mountain Vista was third with 288.
“I’d say a very successful meet,” DHS swimming coach Thomas Joyner said.
Kylie Behn, Tess Burgwald, Ruby Epstein and Sadie McAliney all qualified for the state diving meet after a grueling 11-dive program. Behn took third place with a score of 356.60. Kyriana Chambo of Highlands Ranch was the first-place diver with 446.70. Burgawald placed eighth at 312.35, Epstein was ninth at 304.60, and McAliney placed 13th at 290.15.
Of the 15 athletes the Demons took to Cheyenne Mountain, 10 made the finals.
“In the preliminaries, all of our ladies had personal bests in their swims with notable efforts by rookies Olivia Mummery, Acacia Cofman and Addie Birgenheir.”
Joci Earl had breakout performances in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle races. She was sixth in the 200 in 2:07.31, and teammate Claire Larson was 14th in 2:14.89.
Earl was then fifth in the 500 free in 5:37.32, and Larson was 13th in 6:04.03. Joyner said Larson had perhaps the most significant swims with considerable time shaved off her previous bests to qualify for state in the 500 free.
Mira Joyner swam to eighth in the 100-yard breast stroke. She finished in 1:16.97 to qualify for state. She also qualified in the 100 free during a relay leg in the 400 free relay.
Mira Joyner added a 10th-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:26.44.
Durango placed 10th in the 200-yard medley relay in 2:09.09. That team consisted of Emily Doughty, Ruby Epstein, Lacey Hoselton and Mira Joyner.
Durango’s 200 free relay team of Early, Emily Doughty, Epstein and Hoselton was 12th in 1:54.82. The 400 free relay team was ninth in 4:05.85 behind the swims of Katley Doughty, Earl, Joyner and Claire Larson.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
