Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Wednesday morning at Old Town Hot Springs seemed like a typical practice for a group of Steamboat Springs Team Lightning swim club members.

A dozen or so members went through their warm-ups before taking on a series of workouts in the lap pool.

It’s that sort of dedication that makes it easy to understand how so many Steamboat swimmers put up Junior Olympic times and qualified for the Colorado Swimming Long Course State Championships this weekend in Grand Junction.

“It’s this group,” coach Essi Kenttala said. “The last couple of years, this was a group that was very dedicated.”

Fresh off a sixth-place finish at the Western Slope League Summer Championships in Grand Junction during the weekend, Team Lightning is now preparing for the biggest meet of the year.

The State Championships bring together the top collection of swim clubs and swimmers from across Colorado.

Most swimmers are in year-round programs. Steamboat will bring its largest contingent ever to the State Championships.

Team Lightning qualified two relays and nine individuals for the State Championships.

Luke Borgerding qualified in the 50-yard breast; Sarah Kite in the 50 and 100 fly; Avery Harrington in the 50 breast; Margaret Lichtenfels in the 50 back, 50 free, 100 free and 200 free; Taylor Kortas in the 50 breast and 100 breast; and Amy Brodie in the 100 back, 100 fly and 50 free. Frank Ruppel qualified in the 50 fly, 100 fly, 200 IM, 200 back, 50 back, 100 back, 50 free and 100 free.

Harry Wilson previously had qualified in the 50 free, and Samantha Terranova qualified in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 400 free, 1,500 free, 50 fly, 100 fly and 200 IM.

The 200-medley relay team of Ruppel, Tyler Terranova, Kane Park and Finn O’Connell qualified, as did the 200-medley relay team of Samantha Terranova, Kortas, Kite and Lichtenfels.

“This meant a lot,” Kite said. “I was really happy because I’ve been training for this all last summer and all this summer.”

Kenttala said the goal for the State Championships is for the swimmers to continue to improve their best times. Judging by the work at the pool Wednesday, Team Lightning is well on its way to continuing its summer of success.

“You have to stay focused,” said Brodie, who also was named as an Athlete Representative for the Western Slope League, where she’ll have meetings with officials and speak on behalf of the athletes. “There are a lot of new swimmers and teams we haven’t swam against. I just want to stay positive and hope for the best.”

Full results:

Western Slope League Summer Championships

July 23 to 25

Grand Junction

(All distances in yards)

Thomas Benson (15-and-older boys)

200 free — 12th

100 free — 12th

Luke Borgerding (9 to 10 boys)

100 free — 11th

200 free — 11th

50 breast — 5th

200 IM — 6th

50 free — 11th

50 fly — 15th

100 breast — 4th

Amy Brodie (15-and-older girls)

50 free — 2nd

200 free — 3rd

100 back — 1st

200 IM — 5th

100 free — 2nd

100 fly — 1st

Catherine Brodie (13 to 14 girls)

50 free — 8th

100 breast — 11th

200 free — 10th

100 back — 9th

200 IM — 10th

100 free — 10th

100 fly — 5th

400 free — 8th

Brenden Carta (13 to 14 boys)

50 free — 11th

100 breast — 9th

100 breast — 12th

200 free — 15th

200 fly — 5th

100 free — 17th

100 fly —— 11th

200 breast — 8th

Emily Craig (8-and-younger girls)

100 free — 4th

25 fly — 7th

25 breast — 14th

25 free — 4th

Clare Franklin (13 to 14 girls)

200 back — 12th

100 back — 16th

200 fly — 3rd

1,500 free — 2nd

100 free — 18th

100 fly — 8th

400 free — 7th

Luci Franklin (15-and-older girls)

400 IM — 12th

50 free — 25th

100 back — 18th

200 IM — 21st

100 free — 24th

100 fly — 21st

Abbey Habermehl (13 to 14 girls)

50 free — 11th

100 breast — 8th

200 free — 11th

100 free — 11th

200 breast — 8th

400 free — 6th

Avery Harrington (9 and 10 girls)

100 free — 9th

50 breast — 3rd

50 back — 7th

100 fly — 3rd

50 free — 14th

50 fly — 4th

100 breast — 6th

Kendall Harrington (8-and-younger girls)

25 back — 18th

50 free — 18th

25 free — 12th

Taylor Harrington (13-14 girls)

100 breast — 7th

200 free — 14th

100 back — 15th

100 free — 17th

200 breast — 7th

Ben Hoefer (10-and-younger boys)

50 breast — 21st

50 back — 23rd

50 free — 26th

50 fly — 12th

Christopher Kaminski (11 and 12 boys)

50 free — 28th

50 fly — 20th

Johnathon Kaminski (10-and-younger boys)

50 breast — 16th

100 fly — 6th

50 free — 24th

50 fly — 19th

100 breast — 9th

Alisha Khanna (11 and 12 girls)

50 breast — 9th

100 back — 22nd

100 breast — 17th

Sarah Kite (11 and 12 girls)

50 back — 9th

100 fly — 3rd

50 free — 14th

50 fly — 4th

100 back — 16th

Parker Kortas (9 and 10 girls)

100 free — 19th

200 free — 8th

50 breast — 11th

50 free — 19th

50 fly — 12th

100 breast — 10th

Taylor Kortas (11 and 12 girls)

100 free — 18th

100 breast — 13th

200 free — 18th

50 breast — 3rd

200 IM — 12th

50 free — 17th

50 fly — 15th

100 breast — 6th

Margaret Lichtenfels (11 and 12 girls)

100 free — 4th

400 free — 3rd

200 free — 3rd

50 back — 3rd

200 IM — 5th

50 free — 5th

100 back — 10th

100 breast — 11th

Reilly Mewborn (10-and-younger girls)

50 breast — 16th

50 back — 12th

50 free — 15th

50 fly — 8th

Finn O’Connell (11 and 12 boys)

50 back — 16th

100 fly — 4th

200 IM — 12th

50 free — 21st

50 fly — 10th

100 back — 20th

Kathleen O’Connell (11 and 12 girls)

50 breast — 13th

50 back — 16th

100 fly — 17th

50 fly — 18th

100 back — 20th

Kane Park (11 and 12 boys)

100 free — 24th

200 free — 18th

50 breast — 9th

50 back — 25th

50 free — 23rd

100 back — 24th

100 breast — 5th

Piper Rillos (11 and 12 girls)

100 free — 17th

400 free — 14th

200 free — 19th

50 back — 8th

200 IM — 13th

50 free — 23rd

50 fly — 19th

100 back — 14th

Frank Ruppel (11 and 12 boys)

100 free — 2nd

50 free — 20th

200 back — 8th

50 back — 1st

200 IM — 4th

50 free — 3rd

50 fly — 2nd

100 back — 2nd

Madison Ruppel (13 and 14 girls)

50 free — 7th

200 back — 7th

200 free — 6th

100 back — 8th

100 free — 8th

100 fly — 4th

400 free — 5th

Jack Strotbeck (9 and 10 boys)

200 free — 14th

50 back — 18th

200 IM — 9th

50 free — 20th

100 back — 9th

100 breast — 10th

Anna Terranova (8-and-younger girls)

100 free — 3rd

25 back — 4th

25 breast — 4th

100 IM — 2nd

Samantha Terranova (11 and 12 girls)

100 free — 3rd

400 IM — 10th

200 free — 2nd

1,500 free — 1st

50 free — 4th

50 fly — 7th

400 free — 1st

Tyler Terranova (11 and 12 boys)

100 free — 16th

400 free — 10th

200 free — 7th

50 back — 17th

100 fly — 7th

50 free — 12th

50 fly — 12th

100 back —18th