Cheyenne Mountain senior Sophia Mezei will do whatever the swim team needs, even if that means swimming four events with little rest. 

Mezei, a team captain, competed in four events on the first day of the 2025 Cheyenne Mountain Invite on Friday, including backstroke, which she says is not her best event. Still, she qualified for Saturday’s finals in the 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard butterfly, and two relays. 

The leadership of seniors like Mezei is part of what makes the Red-Tailed Hawks so dominant: they swim for each other. 

“I’ll go where I need to go to get as many points as our team needs,” Mezei said. “Today our team needed backstroke, so I did backstroke. I’m exhausted, but I’m there to support the team as much as I can.”

Cheyenne Mountain is hosting 19 teams from the Pikes Peak region and surrounding area at its Aquatics Center this weekend. It is the first test of a new-look Red-Tailed Hawks team after the graduation of seven talented seniors, including Sam Synsvoll, who defended her 200-yard individual medley title at last season’s state meet, capping an already impressive high school career. 

Still, 2025 CHSCA Swimming Coach of the Year Kate Doane feels optimistic about this season with promising returners and freshmen. 

“I would say this team is 50% new,” Doane said. “There are more underclassmen than upperclassmen. But we had a great team last year and still do this year. … Each year is a rolling hill and right now we are trying to climb to the top.”

“The culture is a bit different than last year,” Mezei added. “Last year we knew what we wanted and what we could do. This year is a little more laid back but the same essence. We know what we want but it’s still early in the season.”

One of those promising returners for Cheyenne Mountain is sophomore Hailey Birkby, who is one of just two freshmen who competed on last year’s state team with fellow sophomore Maria Trinidad. Birkby and Trinidad, who also compete on Pike Peaks Athletics together, were both on the state runner-up team in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Trinidad will be competing in the 200-yard IM finals after placing fourth in the event at state last year, as well as the 500-yard freestyle. Birkby qualified for the 100-yard butterfly in Saturday’s final. 

“Hailey is awesome, super positive,” Mezei said. “She doesn’t know the magnitude of her positivity. She will do great things for this team.” 

Taking on a big role at state as a freshman may bring extra pressure, but Birkby’s confidence and love for competing is what sets her apart. 

“It’s always a good booster when you have someone who is confident in the way they swim,” Red-Tailed Hawks coach Jonathon Littles said of Birkby. “It brings fantastic energy to the entire team. That is something special that the girls rally around.”

Doane has helped the Red-Tailed Hawks earn three 4A state titles in the last decade, and during that time her love for coaching hasn’t wavered. It remains just as fun as her first year and she looks forward to continuing to help her swimmers reach their dreams. 

“It’s just fun,” Doane said. “Each meet we are focusing on getting better and trying to make sure we build our team to do the best we can. Our culture is really healthy, happy. It’s a very supportive group of ladies. They understand each other’s goals and try to make that happen. They are always behind each other and this year will be no different.” 

The Cheyenne Mountain Invite continues Saturday at 12:30 p.m.