If you want to see a Panther swim in Cortez this year, Saturday may be your only chance.
The Montezuma-Cortez High School swim team will hit the water for its first meet Friday in Durango and then again on Saturday in Cortez for their only home meet.
And the team should be something to watch, according to coach Ian MacLaren.
This year’s swim team has 17 swimmers, 15 of whom attend Montezuma-Cortez High School and two who attend Dolores High School.
MacLaren, who has coached the Lady Panthers Swim Team for three years, is hopeful for a great season.
“It looks good. We have got a good mix of experienced kids this year,” MacLaren said.
Two returning seniors will be tough contenders in the water: Elana Cope and Madison VanBibber. Cope is a strong middle-distance freestyle swimmer, and VanBibber is a strong sprint freestyle swimmer who finished fifth in the 100-yard freestyle last year at the West Slope Conference Championships.
“I am hoping we can get some people to state this year,” MacLaren said.
The swim team this year also features some strong all-around swimmers, such as sophomore Samantha Bagge, who swims the freestyle and backstroke. Sophomore Bailey Duran had strong showings in the 500 freestyle and 200 individual medley, which last year as a freshman, she placed sixth in at the West Slope Conference Championships.
Last year, the swim team broke a school record, and coach MacLaren said he hopes to see a few more this year.
“We expect a lot more school records to fall,” he said.
State qualifiers in girls swimming has been a bit elusive for the Cortez team, but MacLaren says this is the year.
Caisey Duran, a freshman, is a swimmer who could qualify.
“I think she is someone who can push the school record and qualify for state,” he said.
She walked away as a high point winner at the Colorado Seasonal State Championships over the summer.
MacLaren, 27, has swimming in his blood and has found coaching suits him.
“I am super-competitive, and I love to get out there and compete and see the girls compete,” he said.
MacLaren swam for M-CHS until the boys program was dropped in his sophomore year. He then continued on to swim for the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts for four years.
“This is going to be a good year,” he said.
