Colorado has zero miles of coastline, isn’t known for lakes and most of its streams and rivers are too rugged — or cold — for a dip.

But when it comes to racing in the water, female high school athletes from the Centennial State leave others in their wake.

“The girls in Colorado are the best girls in the nation,” Lewis-Palmer coach Alan Arata said. “They’re better than the girls in California, they’re better than the girls in any other state. Missy Franklin, Bonnie Brandon — those are the top girls in the nation. And they’re not the only ones.”

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