Sixty swimmers ages nine to 20 represented North Jeffco Swim Team (NJST) at end-of-season Championship Meets - locally, regionally and nationally - swimming record-breaking and personal-best performances in Colorado, Oregon, Hawaii and Washington.
At the 2009
Colorado Championship (State) Meet in Ft.Collins July 23-26, NJST was represented by 42 swimmers, including two who finished as overall State Champions. Numerous others had First Place finishes, including three new State Meet Records. The same weekend, 18 NJST swimmers competed in the Speedo Championship Series Western Sectionals in Mt. Hood, Ore., where many finished top 8 or top 16 in one of the fastest meets in the entire western region of the United States.
State Champions in Colorado were Andrew Torres (13/14 boys) and Abbie Houck (13/14 girls). Torres won the 100 & 200 backstroke, 100 & 200 butterfly and the 200 & 800 freestyle, breaking the State Meet Records in both butterfly events. Houck won the 200 & 800 freestyle events. Also, Hayden Berg(13/14 boys) dominated the 1500 meter freestyle, capturing first place and breaking the State Meet Record, while Nathan Moyer (Open men) won the 100 & 200 breaststroke events. Maddie Myers (12&under girls) took first in the 200 breaststroke.
In early August, nine NJST swimmers (and dozens of other Colorado swimmers) traveled to Oahu, Hawaii to compete in the Western Zones meet. For the first time in the history of this competition, Colorado Swimming brought home First Place. NJST contributed four First Place finishes - Torres in the100 & 200 butterfly, Janaye Monica (13/14 girls) in the 100 breaststroke and Meghan Varner (17/18 girls) in the 200 butterfly.
Additionally, eight swimmers qualified for and competed in the U.S. Open & Junior Nationals Meets in August (both in Federal Way, Wash.), showcasing NJST's presence on the national level.
As the summer concluded, the team sent 10 graduated seniors to collegiate swimming programs across the country - Colorado State University, Grand Canyon University, Loyola Marymount University, Pepperdine University, Texas A&M University, University of Minnesota and University of Wyoming.
This year NJST served 132 swimmers and 109 families from all over the Denver Metro area, continuing its half-century tradition of coaching novice-advanced athletes to meet their goals and demonstrate outstanding swimming performances. The young, but seasoned coaching staff - Carmen Babcock, Brett Stoyell, Ashley Cully-Strickland and Becky Gibbs - boasts more than 50 years (cumulative) coaching experience. These dedicated individuals provide a fun, structured environment at George Meyers Pool in Arvada, leading 10 different groups and numerous practice times to accommodate all levels and commitments of competitive swimming.
For more information, visit
www.northjeffcoswimteam.com. Interested swimmers are also encouraged check out the team, meet the coaches and ask questions on "Try-Out Day" September 15, 6:15 p.m. at George Meyers Pool (7900 Carr St., Arvada).