For its first taste of a big meet, the Manitou Springs girls swim team saw some encouraging results as it prepares for one of the season’s toughest meets: the Cheyenne Mountain Invite.
At last weekend’s Berthoud Break the Ice Invite, the Mustangs finished eighth out of 17 teams, most of which were Class 5A and 4A teams.
Overall, the Mustangs had seven individual top-10 finishes and had three relay teams finish in the top 10. It was a great demonstration of the balance the Mustangs have when it comes to young and experienced swimmers.
“Because it was such a big meet, we knew it was time to really go and try to get placements,” Sophia Hyman said. “A lot of us were going for state times because it was such a fast pool.”
Hyman finished seventh in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1 minute, 20.39. She also got an eighth-place finish in the 200 individual medley at 2:38.73.
Selah Combs took sixth in the 100 freestyle, and Summer Tenpas took ninth in the 100 butterfly and eighth in the 100 breaststroke, Theron Heim took 10th in the 200 freestyle and Roxanna Rampe took eighth in the 500 freestyle.
“It builds a lot of confidence for us, seeing those better times,” Combs said. “Seeing how we performed as a team gives us a lot of confidence and readiness when we’re heading into these meets.”
The Mustangs traveled to La Junta for a dual on Dec. 14, but results were not available at press time. Next up is the two-day Cheyenne Mountain Invite, which gives the Mustangs their first feel of what the state tournament could feel like.
For a team looking to regain a competitive spirit at state, the results at Cheyenne Mountain are crucial in terms of evaluating progress and striving for growth.