Craig Daily Press

Craig — Playful splashing of water followed by raucous laughter echoes throughout the cavernous walls inside the Moffat County High School pool.

A handful of swimmers frolic between the red, white and blue buoys and one solo diver sits with a smile on the flexible board at the far end of the pool.

For a swim team less than 48 hours away from competing in the 4A state championships in Fort Collins, you’d be hard-pressed to notice they were about to embark on their final meet of the season.

And the biggest in some of their careers.

Coach Marin Campbell is making her third and final trip to state — she’s moving on at the end of the year.

“I’m always nervous,” Campbell said. “I hope I’m sucking up all the nervous energy so the swimmers don’t feel it.”

They still are.

Senior sisters Caitlin and Kelsey Conci also have been there before. This is their fourth, and also their last, trip.

“There is more pressure this time to win,” Kelsey said. “This is our last time. We have to make it worth it.”

Kelsey — recently named the Western Slope League swimmer of the year — is competing in the 50-yard freestyle (ranked No.1 in the state) and the 100-yard backstroke (ranked No.3).

She finished second in the free last year at state and third in the back.

She enters Fort Collins with one mission in mind: winning both events.

“I’m aiming at bringing home first in both,” she said. “That’s why I’m going there. It’s not an opportunity I’m going to get again.”

Caitlin is competing in the 100-yard butterfly (ranked No. 14) and the 200-yard individual medley (ranked No. 25).

“I want to break the minute mark in the butterfly,” Caitlin said (her best time is 1:01.93), “And, I want to set a new school record in the IM.”

The Concis already own eight of Moffat County’s 14 record times.

Senior Clare Sorrentino and junior Katherine Dodd join the sisters to make up the 200-medley relay team, which is ranked No. 28 in the state.

Campbell wants to see the relay team make the final round of 16.

“To make the jump from 28 to 16 would be a big achievement,” she said. “But mostly, I just want the girls to go out, try their best and have fun. That’s what we all want … is to have fun.”

Sorrentino and Dodd are making their first appearance in the state championships.

“I’m kinda nervous,” Dodd said. “But, I’m more excited than nervous. At least for now. I have a feeling that when we get there it will really sink in.”

As for the last time with Campbell pacing the sidelines, yelling “Go,” Sorrentino said it is pushing the team a little bit more.

“It will be an extra boost now that it’s Marin’s last meet as well as the seniors,” she said. “We will probably be crying the minute it’s all over.”

Diver Genna Bradley is making her second trip to state, after a 23rd-place finish last year.

“I get scared when I dive against girls from the front range,” she said. “Last year, I used to think they were better than me. Not this year. I’ve written my goals down all year so I can read them every day. One of them is to not get intimidated again and I won’t.”

With most sports, teams have a pre-game ritual.

The MCHS swim team is no different.

Kelsey and Caitlin don’t talk to their parents before a race because “they make us more nervous when they do that,” Caitlin said.

Genna doesn’t watch other divers compete and she listens to her iPod in between turns because “it keeps me focused.”

Her song of choice?

“I have a diving play list,” she said. “But my song is “Tricky” by Run DMC. It gets me pumped up.”