Cheyenne Mountain defended their title from last year with a win at the Colorado 4A boys’ state championships. Last year, they ended Air Academy’s title streak at three straight.
Cheyenne Mountain got things started with a narrow victory over Valor Christian in the 200 medley relay, and then earned a win in the subsequent 200 free. Sophomore Kyle Leach turned in a time of 1:39.41 to finish exactly one second ahead of Thompson Valley junior Liam Gately. Gately would go on to win the 500 free (4:33.71).
Leach finished 2nd in the 200 free as a freshman in 2015 behind Air Academy’s Tommy Baker— this year, Baker dropped the 200 free and pursued the 50 free instead. He was rewarded with a victory in the 50, touching at 20.93 to eke out a win over Denver South’s Keegan Bundy (20.96). In the 100 free, Baker won with a 44.70, just seven hundredths off of Daniel Carr’s 2015 100 free 4A record.
Air Academy’s Caleb Hicks later won the 100 fly (49.19) in a new 4A record, touching in front of Cheyenne Mountain’s Brayden Love, who was also under the old 4A mark with a 49.63. A junior, Love earned more big points for Cheyenne Mountain with a 56.22 in the 100 breast. Funnily enough, he touched out Hicks in that race by mere hundredths.
Silver Creek’s Samuel Willett was a double winner, taking the 200 IM (1:53.16) and the 100 back (51.15).
Air Academy took the 200 free relay by over two seconds over Cheyenne Mountain, but the 400 free relay belonged to Cheyenne Mountain, who had already secured the team title before the final relay was contested.
Final Team Scores
- Cheyenne Mountain High School 358
- Valor Christian High School 259
- Thompson Valley High School 224 (TIE)
- Air Academy High School 224 (TIE)
- Silver Creek High School 167
