Swimmers win state in relay competition

The co-op team wearing the gold after winning the 200 Free Relay at the state swimming competition. Left to right: Brian He, Ben Witmer, Jake Pocock and Conor Petri.

The high school co-op boys swim team beat the juggernaut Cherry Creek High School team by .20 (two-tenths of a second) in the 200 Free Relay to win state in that category. The winning team also made an automatic All-American time, All-State first team and All-League first team, which are high honors in the swim team world. The co-op team consists of swimmers from Rock Canyon High School (RCHS), Highlands Ranch High School, Mountain Vista High School and ThunderRidge High School.

The 200 Free Relay is a race where four swimmers on a team each swim 50 yards using the freestyle stroke. The team with the fastest combined time wins.

“The freestyle has to go perfect to win,” said HOA2 resident Camille Pocock, mom of RCHS swimmer Jake. “We were fourth seeded going into the finals and all four boys went their fastest 50 split ever!”

While Cherry Creek captured the 5A title for a third-straight year, the co-op swimmers were proud of their relay victory.

“We spent the whole season talking about how if all of us can go best times, then there’s a chance that we could win,” said Hidden Pointe resident and RCHS graduate Ben Witmer. “Every week, I swim nine practices and lift weights three days to be able to train for moments like this.”

Jake concluded, “I’m still in shock that all four of us beat Cherry Creek. It’s a huge accomplishment and such an amazing way to cap off the season.”