THORNTON – There was one specific way in which fans and onlookers would describe Pine Creek’s Madison Mintenko during the Class 5A girls swimming championships.
“She beat Missy’s record.”
That’s the Missy of Colorado high school swimming. Heading into the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center for her final state meet, Mintenko had Missy Franklin’s records in her sights.
She took the 500-yard freestyle record during preliminaries, touching the wall in 4 minutes, 39.89 seconds. Franklin’s record heading into the race was 4:41.72. Even Olympic gold medals won’t allow high school state records to be written in pen.
And that’s not a slight on Franklin by any means. For over a decade, the Regis Jesuit great has hovered above every state meet with the way she sliced through the water. Knocking her down to No. 2 was as much an honor for Mintenko as it was a competition.
“I’m so grateful,” Mintenko said. “I’ve met Missy before and I’m super grateful that I’m able to work into the things that she did when she was my age. She’s such a great inspiration and I’m definitely not the only girl who looks up to her.”
Mintenko went on to win the 500 freestyle title on Friday and followed it up with a win in the 200 free, where she fell five-hundredths of a second short of Franklin’s record in that swim.
She might have only won two championships, but she may have put on one of the best two-day performances in state history. The Eagles won the 4A team title in 2022 and 2023, but winning in 5A was always going to be a tougher challenge. But for Mintenko, she’ll never forget her four years of competition at state and her impact will be felt for future generations of swimmers.
“[It hasn’t hit me] yet,” Mintenko said. “Once I sit down at dinner maybe it will. Or maybe in a few days. I’m just going to try and enjoy tonight and enjoy having one last runoff with my friends.”
With 456 points, Cherry Creek captured the 5A team title for the fifth year in a row. They started the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay and then Kate McKinnon added more first-place hardware by winning the 50 freestyle (22.79) and the 100 freestyle (49.91).
Just a freshman for the Bruins, she made an immediate impact on a program that looks to be setup for success for years to come.
“It makes me feel like I can be one of the best,” McKinnon said. “It feels so good and I’m excited to see how much further I can go in the sport.”
The Bruins capped off the title win with an all-time exclamation point as they won the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:21.61, breaking the Regis Jesuit record from 2011. That’s two separate records with Franklin’s name that were overtaken this week.
“The moment was so incredible, touching that wall and realizing that we got that record,” McKinnon said. “We didn’t even know going into it. We just wanted to swim our fastest and we did.”
The team title is the 31st in team history which is far more than any other program in the state. Evergreen and Mullen sit tied at No. 2 for second-most girls swimming titles with seven.
(Dan Mohrmann/ColoradoPreps.com)
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Class 5A girls swimming and diving state champions
| EVENT | CHAMPION | SCHOOL | TIME/SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 medley relay | Sydney Wasylenky, Sydney Fernstrom, Kate McKinnon, Jenna Fernstrom | Cherry Creek | 1:42.38 |
| 200 freestyle | Madison Mintenko | Pine Creek | 1:43.20 |
| 200 individual medley | Elliana Wiesen | Valor Christian | 2:03.42 |
| 50 freestyle | Kate McKinnon | Cherry Creek | 22.79 |
| Diving | Sydney Ovesen | Fossil Ridge | 356.80 |
| 100 butterfly | Hazel Huilman | Boulder | 53.78 |
| 100 freestyle | Kate McKinnon | Cherry Creek | 49.91 |
| 500 freestyle | Madison Mintenko | Pine Creek | 4:39.89 |
| 200 freestyle relay | Gracie Thornton, Paige Nguyen, Madison Arnold, Ella Gaca Thiele | Fossil Ridge | 1:34.66 |
| 100 backstroke | Elise Ramsden | Heritage | 56.40 |
| 100 breaststroke | Hazel Huilman | Boulder | 1:02.50 |
| 400 freestyle relay | Ana Loveridge, Jenna Fernstrom, Madison Williams, Kate McKinnon | Cherry Creek | 3:21.61* |
* – designates state record
TEAM SCORES
| PLACE | TEAM | SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cherry Creek | 456 |
| 2 | Regis Jesuit | 312 |
| 3 | Fairview | 226 |
| 4 | Arapahoe | 223 |
| 5 | Pine Creek | 218 |
| 6 | Valor Christian | 187 |
| 7 | Fossil Ridge | 182 |
| 8 | Boulder | 176 |
| 9 | Heritage | 156 |
| 10 | Rocky Mountain | 148 |
