A lot has been made about the small size of the Manitou Springs girls swim team, but a lot also needs to be said about the swimmers’ ability to compete.
The Mustangs are heading to the Tri-Peaks meet at Fountain-Fort Carson High School this weekend. Coach Whitney Nuci’s goals center around placement and making state cuts — or at least bettering some of the cuts that have already been made.
But there’s also the idea that this team is capable of simply competing against whoever is in the pool.
“This year, a lot of girls have been put in the situation where they have to step up and out-touch the girl next to her so they can get back to finals,” Nuci said. “There has been a lot of transition for athletes this year that I didn’t think would make that transition and they’re fighting hard.”
The girls have had their moments, but they know in the next week they need to be a bit better. They dropped consecutive dual meets last week, one to Colorado Academy on Jan. 26 and the other to La Junta three days later. They may have lost in the team score, but there were a few moments that stood out as positives for the team.
Summer Tenpas, Theron Heim, Aidan Coté and Selah Combs all took individual wins against Colorado Academy. The Mustangs struggled in relays, however. They won the 200-yard freestyle relay but lost the other two, which played a huge role in the team loss.
Against La Junta, Coté and Tenpas added a win each (the 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley, respectively). The Mustangs got another win as Tyler Parratt won the 200 freestyle.
Again, the Mustangs could take only one relay win, the 200 medley, while dropping the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
The team’s size has been modest all year and, at times, that has certainly motivated the swimmers. But this is the time of year when performance speaks the loudest. And that’s what the Mustangs are shooting for at the league meet.
“This is our last chance to finalize a spot in relays at state,” Nuci said. “We are still looking for individual times and this league meet is what really locks in the team that’s going to state.”