Girls swimming: 2022-23 season preview capsules

Dec. 4----All events measured in yards

5A/4A Front Range League

Teams: Boulder, Broomfield, Erie, Fairview, Fort Collins, Fossil Ridge, Horizon, Legacy, Loveland, Monarch, Mountain Range, Poudre, Rocky Mountain,

Boulder Panthers

Coach: Emily Sampl

Last season's result: Did not score at Class 5A state meet

Spotlight swimmer: Senior Zara Zallen should be a shot in the arm for the program. Sampl said it is the club swimmer's first year participating in the high school season. "The majority of her best times are faster than our school records and she will definitely be in the running to win individual events at state in February," the coach said.

Notable: Sampl is back with the Boulder swim program after previously coaching at the school from 2013-19. And it appears at the outset at least, she has a cast of swimmers who could take the Panthers to the next level. Among them include Sloan Zallen, Lily Koehn, Margaret Stapleton and Embla Weibring. "We have a really strong team this year with a lot of experienced year-round swimmers," Sampl said. "We should have some really high finishes at the league and state meets."

Broomfield Eagles

Coach: Emily Austin

Last season's result: Finished 12th at 4A state meet with 112 points

Spotlight swimmer: Elli Effland is back for her senior season after scoring points in four state events a season ago. She helped the Eagles take seventh in the 200 medley relay and eighth in 400 freestyle relay. Individually, she was seventh in the 100 breaststroke and 11th in the 200 IM.

Notable: Front Range League co-coach of the year Austin heads into her 23rd year as the girls swim coach, her 25th overall at the school. She appears to have another strong core heading into the winter led by three-time state finalist Effland and senior Mia Leget. Her program also touts some promising freshmen in Myra Wherry, Ridley Hagerman, Ellie Foulke and LolaGrace Guthrie. "The sky's the limit for this talented group of 47 athletes," the coach said. "So pumped."

Erie Tigers

Coach: Daynia Lashaway

Last season's result: Finished 20th at 4A state meet with 51 points

Spotlight swimmer: Senior Anna Lillie returns to the program after scoring points in four state events last season. Lillie helped the Tigers to a 15th-place finish in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. She was 11th in both the 50 and 100 freestyles.

Notable: Lashaway takes over a program built up by Doug Simkins, and this winter, she will have a pair of returning state qualifiers leading the way. Lillie is a standout out of Elevation Athletics who will look to qualify in four more events this year. Fellow-senior Kambrie Payne, meanwhile, had a hand in the Tigers' state 400 freestyle and medley relay finishes and also qualified in the 100 free. Others to watch include seniors Hunter Kraus, Ameris Shores and junior Shelby VonLintel.

Fairview Knights

Coach: Francoise Bentley and Stacey Tobey

Last season's result: Finished runner-up at 5A state meet with 397 points

Spotlight swimmer: Edie Simecek is back after swimming to three silver medals at the state meet a season ago. The senior was second in the 200 medley, the 100 butterfly and the 400 freestyle relay. She was ninth in the 100 backstroke.

Notable: The Knights have another strong cast of senior swimmers, starting with Simecek, who her coach noted as a National Merit semifinalist along with budding-talent Angelina Mackay. Texas Christian University commit Sydney Inman, meanwhile, is back after she was fifth in the 200 freestyle and eighth in the 500 freestyle. The other standouts include Ella Ziegert, who helped the Knights take second in the 200 medley relay and was 11th in the butterfly and 12th in the backstroke. Julia Urbanowski was eighth in the 50 freestyle, 10th in the 100 free, and was part of the runner-up finishes in the 200 and 400 free relays.

Legacy Lightning

Coach: Leigh Dodd

Last season's result: Finished fourth at 5A state meet with 303 points

Spotlight swimmer: University of Denver commit Sabrina Rachjaibun had four top-five finishes at the state meet last season. She was second in the 500 freestyle, fourth in the 200 IM and was part of a fourth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay and a fifth-place finish in the 200 medley relay.

Notable: After their best finish in program history, the Lightning return a strong core that includes Rachjaibun, Purdue commit Abbie Kehmeier and standout junior Isabella Forsman. Kehmeier had a hand in the team's 200 medley (fifth) and 200 freestyle (third) relays and finished sixth in the 50 free and 100 backstroke. Forsman, also in those relays, was 14th in the 200 IM and 18th in the 100 breaststroke and is "already swimming faster than last year's state (meet)," the reigning 5A state meet coach of the year said. Others to watch include senior Allison Xin, junior Kaitlyn Eiring and sophomores Valerie Xin, Julia Raskay, Addie Donahue, Alivia Weaver and Jolie Nguyen.

Monarch Coyotes

Coach: KJ Kroetch

Last season's result: Finished 13th at 5A state meet with 96 points

Spotlight swimmer: Senior captain Mia Prater returns after she was the anchor of two school-record relays last season. At state, she was 15th in the 50 freestyle, 16th in the 100 free and led the 200 free relay to a sixth-place finish and the 400 free relay to 11th.

Notable: Kroetch has brought some consistency to the swim program after she became the team's fourth coach in four years last season. The Front Range League co-coach of the year helped this team maneuver forward in the wake of the Marshall Fire, which took the homes of five swimmers last year year and a total of seven on roster this season. Others to watch for a team that'll swim at the 4A state meet this year include senior captain Jen Dugdale, sophomores Gwyn Christensen and Eliza Lennox and freshman Audrey Shambo.

4A/3A Northern League

Teams: Centaurus, Greeley West, Holy Family, Longmont, Silver Creek and Windsor.

Centaurus Warriors

Coach: Cort Sharp

Last season's result: Finished 13th at 4A state meet with 108 points

Spotlight swimmer: Senior captain Tallis Kent had three top-20 finishes at the 4A state meet last season, going 19th in the 200 IM, 20th in the 100 butterfly and helped lead the 200 medley relay to 12th.

Notable: The sixth-year coach believes a top-10 finish at the 4A state meet is "definitely in the cards" this season, citing a core of talented underclassmen. Other swimmers to watch include sophomore Virginia Walsh, who was 10th in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, and had a hand in two point-scoring relays. Fellow-sophomore Abby Fitzgerald was in all three state relays and qualified in the 50 freestyle. Junior Kieren Berg was in two state relays and qualified in the 200 IM and 500 freestyle. Junior Zoe Maddocks is the team's talented diver.

Holy Family Tigers

Coach: Mary Whitney

Last season's result: Finished fifth at 3A state meet with 251 points

Spotlight swimmer: Junior Cate Chapman had four top-six finishes at the state meet last year. She was second in the 100 backstroke, fifth in the 200 IM and was part of a fifth-place finish in 200 medley relay and a 400 free relay that took sixth.

Notable: Whitney is excited about her underclassmen, which is led by a standout freshman in Lorelai Frauenfelder. The coach said the talented newbie is already swimming faster times than last year's 3A 100 butterfly and 100 free champions. Others to watch include senior diver Kathryne Johnson, junior Ivy Wood and sophomores Erin Chapman and Abby Moore. Moore, her coach said, is ranked sixth in the world in her age group for CrossFit.

Longmont Trojans

Coach: Carly Daelli

Last season's result: Finished 16th at 4A state meet with 71 points

Spotlight swimmer: Junior Jordan Bindseil reached the podium in both her individual events at last year's state meet, going third in the 100 freestyle and fourth in the 50 free. Her 50 free time of 24.01 is a school record, her coach said.

Notable: Bindseil is a state contender in the freestyle events and will again be a key cog in the team's relays. Hadley Larson is back after qualifying in four events, including the 200 and 500 freestyles. Senior Brynne Sullivan and sophomore Mira Capra each swam a relay at state last season and the coach said they are hopeful to qualify in individual events this winter. "We have a young team this year, so I'm looking forward to building our athletes' skills in the water and hoping to get some more individual state qualifiers," Daelli said.

Silver Creek Raptors

Coach: Debbie Stewart

Last season's result: Finished ninth at 4A state meet with 144.5 points

Spotlight swimmer: Junior diver Leslie Broz was sixth out of the state semifinal round and finished seventh in the finals. Four of the divers ahead of her graduated.

Notable: Stewart keeps her program environment rather simple: "For the girls to go out and have fun because then the rest will just fall into place." It's been a successful way to lead. Returning for her is senior Lara Martin, who was on state relays and finished 15th in the 100 butterfly and qualified in the 200 freestyle. Junior Mary Rosa was also in the relays and qualified in the 50 and 100 freestyle. Senior Emma Robinson is back after qualifying in the 500 freestyle.

4A/3A Longs Peak League

Teams: Berthoud, Frederick, Mountain View, Niwot, Roosevelt, Skyline and Thompson Valley

Frederick Golden Eagles

Coach: Cheri Giammo

Last season's result: Finished 31st at 3A state meet with six points

Spotlight swimmer: Freshman Addisyn Murray. Her coach said she has "been a club swimmer for many years and has a very positive, encouraging influence on everyone around her."

Notable: The Golden Eagles qualified four swimmers to the state meet last season and are excited about their group this year, including a promising freshman class. Addisyn Cast, Jessica Ellinger and Lila Marsolek are all newbies who the second-year coach said "have hit the water blazing." Out of 26 swimmers on roster, the coach said there are only two seniors and two juniors.

Niwot Cougars

Coach: Ella Thramann

Last season's result: Finished fifth at 4A state meet with 238.5 points

Spotlight swimmer: Senior Jamieson Legh. She could be the Cougars' next individual champ after Mary Codevilla graduated. She took second in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke at state last season.

Notable: The Cougars will look quite a bit different this season. They will be without one of the best area swimmers of all time in Mary Codevilla, who won seven state titles and claimed two 4A records before graduating. She is now at Notre Dame. They also have a new coach in Ella Thramann, who is a 2019 graduate of the program. Senior Stephanie Mow was part of two state runner-up relays in the 200 and 400 freestyles and the 10th-place finishing 200 medley relay. She was also 13th in the 50 freestyle. Charlotte Heuer also scored in four events, including a fifth-place finish in the 100 freestyle. Rowan Lavigne and Ava Altenborg are others to watch.

Skyline Falcons

Coach: Michelle Scott

Last season's result: Did not score at the 4A state meet

Spotlight swimmer: Senior captain Raelynne Baucom. A talented swimmer and a whiz in school, her coach. "She has worked extremely hard this offseason swimming year round."

Notable: "We graduated 14 seniors on our team last year, so this year we are looking to rebuild those numbers with lots of young talent," Scott said. "We have a great group of girls, half of whom are brand new this year who are excited to improve and grow as athletes this season." Some names to watch include senior Kiya Augustad, junior Sydney Zeroll and sophomore Isha Shah.

Point me to the postseason

All three state meets will take place at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton. Class 5A (Feb. 7-10), 4A (Feb. 8-9) and 3A (Feb. 10-11). Swimmers and divers qualify for their respective state meets based on minimum time and points requirements.

From the CHSAA bulletin:

2022-2023 State Qual Times

3A (yards, meters); 4A (yards, meters); 5A (yards-meters)

200 Med. Relay: 2:12.00, 2:27.31; 2:08.00, 2:22.85; 2:03.00, 2:17.27

200 Freestyle: 2:17.50, 2:32.35; 2:09.00, 2:22.93; 2:02.50 2:15.73

200 IM: 2:36.00, 2:53.16; 2:26.00, 2:42.06; 2:18.00, 2:33.18

50 Free: 27.50, 30.66; 26.50, 29.55; 25.60, 28.54

—Diving-6 Dives: 180 (9.0), 180 (9.0); 195 (9.5), 195(9.5); 220 (10.0), 220(10.0)

—Diving-11 Dives: 290 (10.8), 290 (10.8); 320 (11.0), 320 (11.0); 355 (12.0), 355 (12.0)

100 Butterfly: 1:10.50, 1:18.33; 1:07.00, 1:14.44; 1:02.20, 1:09.10

100 Free: 1:01.50, 1:08.39; 58.20, 1:04.72; 56.40, 1:02.72

500 Yard Free/ 400 Meter Free: 6:18.00, 5:31.58; 5:50.0, 5:07.02; 5:35.00, 4:53.86

200 Free Relay: 1:56.00, 2:09.57; 1:52.00, 2:05.10; 1:50.00, 2:02.87

100 Back: 1:10.00, 1:17.77; 1:06.50, 1:13.88; 1:02.50, 1:09.44

100 Breast: 1:19.50, 1:28.40; 1:15.80, 1:24.29; 1:12.00, 1:20.06

400 Free Relay: 4:20.00, 4:49.64; 4:10.00, 4:38.50; 4:00.00, 4:27.36