CHSAA 5A Recap: Fossil Ridge Scores Most Points in State Meet History

2018 CHSAA Girls 5A State Championship

• Friday-Saturday, February 9-10th
• EPIC, Fort Collins, CO
• Short course yards
• Results

TEAM SCORES

1. Fossil Ridge – 424
2. Fairview – 319
3. Regis Jesuit – 235
4. Arapahoe – 165
5. Lewis-Palmer – 138.5
6. Rock Canyon – 131
7. Rocky Mountain – 127
8. Cherry Creek – 126
9. Mountain Vista – 120
10. Douglas County – 93
11. Grandview – 55
12. Chatfield – 51
13. ThunderRidge – 45
14. Smoky Hill – 41.5
15. Dakota Ridge – 40
16. Ralston Valley/Legacy – 38
17. –
18. Columbine – 24
19. Boulder – 22
20. Monarch – 21
21. Horizon – 15
22. Legend – 13
23. Broomfield – 11
24. Rangeview/Cherokee Trail – 4

Fossil Ridge ran away with the meet, winning 10 of 12 event, including all 3 relays, and breaking 3 Colorado high school records and 1 national high school record. On top of that, their team score of 424 is the highest score in CHSAA history. The national record breaking relay team of Bayley Stewart, Zoe Bartel, Coleen Gillilan, and Kylee Alons combined to also win all 7 of the individual events Fossil Ridge won.

That relay team kicked off the meet by taking down a national high school record that was set the day before they swam, with Stewart splitting 25.40, Bartel 27.43, Gillilan 23.43, and Alons 21.87 to finish in 1:38.13. Before this past weekend, the overall national high school record was 1:39.25, then on Friday, February 9th, the Harpeth Hall team in Tennessee went 1:38.77.

Bartel, Gillilan, and Alons went on to win a total of 4 events each, and Stewart won 3. Bartel took the 200 IM in a decisive victory, beating 2nd place finisher Delaney Smith by over 3 seconds, 1:59.17 to 2:02.51. Bartel was considerably off her best time of 1:56.23, which she swam in December at Winter Juniors. All 4 of her splits from Winter Juniors were faster, 25.82/29.09/33.11/28.21 compared to 26.98/29.30/34.18/28.71 at this meet. She then went on to win the 100 breast by well over 2 seconds, 1:00.47 to 2nd place 1:02.91 (Caraline Baker). Bartel’s splits were very tight for a breaststroke race (29.08/31.39), which is almost the same as her 2nd 50 split on her best time (58.98) 100 breast (31.36), but her first 50 in that race was much faster (27.62). Bartel then went on to give Fossil Ridge its 2nd fastest split on the 400 free relay (49.90).

Gillilan went best times in the 200 free and 100 fly to win them by a combined 8.28 seconds. In the 200 free, an event we typically don’t see Gillilan compete in, she dropped 4.62 seconds from her best time to finish over 5 seconds ahead of 2nd place finisher Shanley Kathryn (1:52.16). Gillilan’s last 3 50 splits were separated by only .22 seconds (27.19/27.41/27.37). She then won the 100 fly, setting the Colorado high school record in prelims with her new best time of 52.17. Her finals time of 52.57 was her 2nd fastest time ever, and she came into the wall 3.1 seconds ahead of Natalie Arky (55.67). She then was the only swimmer from the 200 medley relay to swim on the 200 free relay instead of the 400 free relay, leading it off in 22.82, which is .04 seconds offer her lifetime best. The relay went on to break the state record, with Madeleine Mason (23.82), Andrea Niemann (24.11), and Caraline Baker (23.40) combined for a 1:34.15.

Alons handled the sprint free events, taking the 50 and 100 in near-lifetime bests. In the 50, Alons won with a 22.91, but went 22.70 in prelims. That time was not too far off her lifetime best of 22.47. She then turned around in the 100 and won with a 49.64, just barely off her lifetime best of 49.60. She finished the meet by anchoring the 400 free relay with a quick 49.04.

Stewart came in 3rd in the 200 IM with a 2:04.49, then won the 100 back in 54.15. Her 1 back was nearly a second off her lifetime best of 53.37 from Winter Juniors in December. Stewart then led off the 400 free relay in 52.33, followed by Caraline Baker (51.26), then Bartel and Alons, finishing in 3:22.53. They were just off the state record of 3:22.42, which was set in 2011, and had Missy Franklin on it.

EVENT WINNERS

• 200 medley relay: Fossil Ridge (Stewart, Bartel, Gillilan, Alons) – 1:38.13 (National HS Record)
• 200 free: Coleen Gillilan (Fossil Ridge) – 1:46.98
• 200 IM: Zoe Bartel (Fossil Ridge) – 1:59.17
• 50 free: Kylee Alons (Fossil Ridge) – 22.91
• 1 meter diving: Franny Cable (Arapahoe) – 531.45
• 100 fly: Coleen Gillilan (Fossil Ridge) – 52.57 (Prelims 52.17 – (CO Record)
• 100 free: Kylee Alons (Fossil Ridge) – 49.64
• 500 free: Kathryn Shanley (Chatfield) – 5:02.44
• 200 free relay: Fossil Ridge (Gillilan, Mason, Niemann, Baker) – 1:34.15 (CO Record)
• 100 back: Bayley Stewart (Fossil Ridge) – 54.15
• 100 breast: Zoe Bartel (Fossil Ridge) – 1:00.47
• 400 free relay: Fossil Ridge (Stewart, Baker, Bartel, Alons) – 3:22.53