Academy District 20 athletes make waves in pool, statements on track and field in busy weekend
In what’s become an annual occurrence, Academy School District 20 athletes put their stamp on state-championship events in swimming and track and field.
The 4A state boys’ swimming championships, held at Veterans Memorial Aquatics Center in Thornton, featured plenty of highlights representing several D-20 schools.
Discovery Canyon placed second in the final team standings for the second straight year and also got a state-champion swim from Quintin McCarty, who touched first in the 50-yard freestyle. He almost won a second but had to settle for a runner-up finish in the 100 backstroke.
Teammates Tommy Rauchut (third in the 100 butterfly) and Braden Whitmarsh (second in the 500 freestyle) also made key contributions during Saturday’s finals.
Joshua-Ryan Lujan put Pine Creek back on the podium’s top step after Nicholas Sherman won two events last year. Lujan took first in the 100-yard breaststroke after finishing sixth in the 200 individual medley.
Air Academy got into the act as well after Jack Elbert finished second in the diving competition and Griffin Ayotte took sixth in both the 50 and 100 freestyle races.
At the 5A state swim meet, Rampart diver Psymon Perkins qualified for the finals and took 10th overall.
On dry land, the highlights came in at a frenetic pace at the state track-and-field championships at Lakewood’s Jeffco Stadium.
Kaylee Thompson, a distance runner from The Classical Academy, stood on the top step of the podium not once, but twice, after winning the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races in the 3A division. Her classmate Erika Willis, claimed the 3A pole vault state title.
There were a number of runner-up performances, including Cal Banta of Air Academy (4A boys’ 1,600); Air Academy’s Dillon Powell (4A boys’ 3,200); Rece Rowan of Pine Creek (5A discus); Liberty’s Jasmine Charles (5A girls’ 100 hurdles); Katie Flaherty of TCA (3A girls’ 1,600); and relays teams from TCA (3A boys’ 800), Air Academy (4A boys’ 3,200).
TCA’s girls placed a close second in the final 3A team standings, just three points behind state-champ Lutheran. On the boys’ side, Air Academy took third in the 4A race and Pine Creek finished fifth among 5A competition.
Third-place efforts were turned in by Banta (4A boys’ 800), Flaherty (3A girls’ 3,200), Rowan (5A boys’ shot put), along with TCA distance runner Mason Norman (3A boys’ 1,600) and Titans field athlete Greta Corneliusen (3A girls’ triple jump).
TCA also finished third in four girls’ relay events (800, 800 sprint, 1,600 and 3,200).
Discovery Canyon’s Quintin McCarty takes second in the 100-yard backstroke Saturday at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton. McCarty also took the 50-yard freestyle title.
TCA’s Kaylee Thompson runs in the 3A 1600 meters on the final day of the state track-and-field championships Saturday at Jeffco Stadium.
