FORT COLLINS • Ask anyone – coach, athlete or fan – at the 5A state girls’ swim meet to describe Regis Jesuit sophomore Missy Franklin, and the first response almost always is a long pause followed by some stuttering.

Rampart coach Pat Burch was the exception, immediately saying “awesome.”

Missy Franklin of Regis, shown on Friday, broke Natalie Coughlin’s U.S. high school backstoke record on Saturday. Franklin might be the best female swimmer in the country right now, high school or otherwise. Photo by KARL GEHRING, DENVER POST