Fossil Ridge Girls Ranked #1 in Colorado High School Rankings

The January 17th edition of the Colorado High School Swimming & Diving Rankings, and with less than one month to go until the 2017 state championship meets, the girls from Fossil Ridge sit atop the class 5A (biggest school) rankings.

There have been a few changes in Colorado high school swimming recently, including a recent reorganization that added a 3rd level of competition for the state’s smallest schools.

At this point, 5A looks like a two-team race between Fossil Ridge (the 2015 champions) and Fairview (the 2016 champions), with the two sitting more than 100 points clear of the rest of the field in the latest projections. Fossil Ridge has a deep team that leads the 5A event rankings in 2 of 3 relays, plus 6 individual events. That includes the 2016 Winter Junior National Champion in the 100 and 200 yard breaststroke Zoe Bartel, who has already been 1:01.88 in the 100 breaststroke this year during the high school season (she was 59.04 at Junior Nationals).

In 4A Cheyenne Mountain appears to be a heavy favorite for the title, with dominating times so far in two of the three relay events. The defending class champions, Valor Christian, are ranked 3rd based on their current times after being hit hard by graduation – they graduated 3 of the 4 swimmers on the 4A Record-setting 200 medley relay last year.

The new 3A division is currently a toss-up between St. Mary’s Academy and Pueblo County – with only 1 point separating the two as scored.

The team rankings are calculated like a championship swim meet, with adjustments for athletes ranked in more than two events so that the results are not skewed too much by one athlete or school. Top 16 in each event score (just like the state meet), and times are pulled from MaxPreps – where coaches are required to be submitted to by the state association. Rob Nasser, the creator of prepswimco.com and head coach of Mountain Vista High School (and formerly of Valor Christian High School), maintains the rankings.

The 2017 Colorado Girls’ State Championship meets run from February 9th-11th.

5A Team Rankings

1. Fossil Ridge 362
2. Fairview 325
3. Arapahoe 221
4. Lewis-Palmer 164
5. Regis 143
6. Rock Canyon 139
7. Rocky Mountain 128
8. Legacy 90
9. ThunderRidge 89
10. Grandview 88
11. Smoky Hill 86
12. Cherry Creek 78
13. Mountain Vista 70
14. Castle View/Douglas County 61
15. Monarch 48
16. Chatfield 45
17. Mountain Range 44
18. Cherokee Trail 33
19. Legend 28
20. Broomfield 26

4A Team Rankings

1. Cheyenne Mountain 323
2. Heritage 240
3. Valor Christian 234
4. Evergreen 181
5. Rampart 173
6. Silver Creek 152
7. Windsor 142
8. Ft. Collins 133
9. Loveland 115
10. Niwot 96
11. Pine Creek 78
12. Highlands Ranch 77
13. Thompson Valley 64
14. Liberty 52
15. Mullen 42
16. Pueblo South 37
17. Greeley West 24
18. Denver South 23
19. Golden 20
20. George Washington 18

3A Team Rankings

1. St. Mary’s Academy 224
2. Pueblo County 223
3. D’Evelyn 164
4. St. Mary’s 148
5. Glenwood Springs 147
6. Centaurus 130
7. La Junta 126
8. Disc. Canyon 125
9. Manitou Springs 124
10. Estes Park 121
11. Colorado Academy 114
12. Durango 113
13. Salida 112
14. Longmont 95
15. Kent Denver 80
16. Eaton 63
17. Montezuma-Cortez 51
18. Green Mountain 29
19. Conifer 28
20. Fountain Valley 22