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MCHS girls swim team uses meet to gauge strengths

Joshua Gordon
The Moffat County High School girls varsity swimming team competed in the Western Slope League Relays on Saturday in Grand Junction, taking sixth out of 10 teams. All the relay teams improved Saturday, head coach Meghan Francone said, but she hopes to see the 200-medley relay qualify for the state meet Friday in Montrose.
Courtesy Photo

Results ...

Top relay finishes from the Moffat County High School girls varsity swimming team’s performance Saturday in the Western Slope League Relays in Grand Junction:

• 200-yard butterfly-freestyle relay ­— 1

• 200-yard freestyle relay — 3

• 400-yard freestyle relay — 3

• 200-yard medley relay — 4

• 100-yard medley relay — 5

• 200-yard backstroke-breaststroke relay — 8

• 200-yard breaststroke relay — 9

• 200-yard backstroke relay — 12

• 100-yard freestyle relay — 13

— MCHS finished sixth out of 10 teams

Results …

Top relay finishes from the Moffat County High School girls varsity swimming team’s performance Saturday in the Western Slope League Relays in Grand Junction:

• 200-yard butterfly-freestyle relay ­— 1

• 200-yard freestyle relay — 3



• 400-yard freestyle relay — 3

• 200-yard medley relay — 4



• 100-yard medley relay — 5

• 200-yard backstroke-breaststroke relay — 8

• 200-yard breaststroke relay — 9

• 200-yard backstroke relay — 12

• 100-yard freestyle relay — 13

— MCHS finished sixth out of 10 teams

Saturday’s Western Slope League Relays in Grand Junction presented a unique opportunity for the Moffat County High School girls varsity swimming team.

Head coach Meghan Francone said the event gave swimmers who don’t usually swim on relays a chance to impress in the all-relay meet.

“We like this meet because it gives the girls a chance to get good times and it builds camaraderie early in the season,” Francone said. “There are only so many relay events in regular meets and only the top four girls get to swim at the end of the season, so this is an opportunity for each girl to show what they can bring to a relay.

“Some girls are better individual swimmers, some are better on relays, so we want to see how they all do when put on a team.”

The Bulldogs finished sixth out of 10 teams at the meet, but all-varsity relay teams only competed in four events.

The Bulldogs’ 200-yard butterfly-freestyle relay, a relay not sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association, finished in first place.

Francone said the team is filled with girls who are great at the butterfly event and many swimmers have a chance to qualify alongside junior Eryn Leonard for the state meet.

“Laurel Tegtman, Amy Brodie and Marlee Chacon all have a chance to qualify in the butterfly,” she said. “They have to swim 1:06.3, but they are all within a few seconds of that time.”

The Bulldogs also placed well in the three CHSAA-sanctioned relays — the 200-yard freestyle relay, the 400-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard medley relay — taking third, third and fourth, respectively.

The 200-yard medley relay finished in 2 minutes and 9.98 seconds — less than 5 seconds off the state qualifying time of 2:05.

Francone said she thinks her and fellow coach Anita Reynolds have put together a team who can swim the qualifying time when the Bulldogs travel Friday to Montrose.

Steamboat Springs seniors Lucy Franklin and Amy Brodie, Meeker senior Adrienne Wix and Leonard will make up the team.

“When we leave Montrose, I think we will have the time,” Francone said. “They are all from different schools, but they are the best right now at each stroke they will swim. We are very excited to use all their strengths and hopefully get the time we need.”

The younger swimmers improved since the team’s first meet, Francone said, but didn’t get a chance to test their endurance.

Still, she said there are things to work on so they can lower their times.

“Most of the events, the girls swam 50- to 100-yards, so the endurance training we really worked, we didn’t get a chance to see it,” Francone said. “As a team, though, we need to work on our starts and our underwater streamline. The two fastest times you should have in the pool are off the start and off the turn, and the girls weren’t utilizing that (Saturday).”

The Bulldogs start swimming at 4 p.m. Friday in Montrose.

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