Approaching the wall in the 200-yard freestyle, Mesa Verde Aquatics Team member Erin Lawrence nearly 30 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor.
The big lead did not deter Lawrence from a strong finish however, as the 9-year-old sped into the wall with a time of 2:55.40 to win the event in the girls’ 9- to 10-year-old division at the Telluride Open Swim Meet on June 24.
Lawrence went on to win three more events with top finishes in the 25-yard butterfly (19.88), 25-yard backstroke (18.48) and 50-yard breaststroke (49.09). As a result of her top finishes, Lawrence finished as the high-point winner in her age division.
Also coming through with multiple top finishes and a high-point award was Cortez Leopard Sharks team member Delta Suckla, who finished first in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:32.76), third in the 50-yard butterfly (41.77first in the 100-yard backstroke (1:29.10) and first in the 500-yard freestyle (8:13.64) in the girls’ 11- to 12-year-old age division.
Rounding out the local high point winners was Mesa Verde Aquatics Club member Trent Bagge, who finished first in the 50-yard backstroke (29.61), first in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:15.18), first in the 200-yard backstroke (1:05.38) and first in the 50-yard freestyle (25.01) of the boys’ 13- to 14-year-old age division.
Numerous other individuals won events for the Mesa Verde Aquatics Club, which finished as the top overall team at the meet with 459 points. Telluride came in second place with 419.5 points and the Cortez Leopard Sharks finished fifth overall in the 11-team meet with 127 points.
While the vast majority of local swimmers competed in the Telluride Open Swim Meet, five members of the Cortez Leopard Sharks spent the weekend competing in the Grand Junction Invite, which took place June 22-25.
Swimming in a meet that included several teams from Denver and more than 500 total swimmers, 14-year-old Victoria Duran paced the Leopard Sharks with a 15th-place finish in the 400-meter freestyle (5:10.96) and a ninth-place finish in the 1500-meter freestyle (20:20.11).
Ryan Cutrone finished 10th in the 200-meter breaststroke (3:03.59) and 14th in the 100-meter breaststroke (1:23.46), while 15-year-old Tyler Cutrone finished 12th in the 100-meter breaststroke (1:22.01) and 11th in the 200-meter breaststroke (3:03.50).
Rounding out the Leopard Sharks’ point scorers was Bailey Duran, who finished 11th in the girls’ 15-and-over division of the 1500-meter freestyle (20:51.75). As a team, the Leopard Sharks placed 26th overall in the Grand Junction meet.