Marlins make waves at Western Slope Championships

BY JARED HENDERSON | [email protected]

MEEKER | The Meeker Marlins swim team continued its summer season with a strong showing at the Western Slope League Championships this past weekend in Grand Junction, earning a fifth-place finish in the combined team standings.
The Marlins finished with 1,048 points overall, led by the boys’ team placing third with 748 points. The girls finished 11th with 260 points.
Head coach Shelly Rogers said she was pleased with the team’s performance from the youngest swimmers to the veterans.
“They did amazing,” Rogers said. “They swam hard swims. They all had great times. Nobody was off. We had some state qualifying times.”
The meet began with Meeker’s 8-and-under swimmers, whose relay team earned a victory while several swimmers also qualified for the state meet.
One of the weekend’s biggest performances came from Tinlie Strate, who earned the girls 15-and-over high-point award after accumulating the most points in her age division.
Strate won the 400 individual medley with a time of 6:46.63 and finished second in the 1,500 freestyle. She also recorded top-five finishes in the 100 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 100 breaststroke and 400 freestyle while dropping nearly eight seconds in the 200 freestyle.
Rogers said Strate’s weekend was even more impressive considering the demanding schedule she swam.
“She just guts it out mentally,” Rogers said. “She’s amazing.”
Rogers explained that although the 1,500 freestyle is not contested at the state meet, Strate used the race to qualify for the 800 freestyle by recording an official split time midway through the event before finishing the entire race.
“She didn’t even get slower in the back half of that mile,” Rogers said. “She did amazing.”
Aerie Smuts and Skadi Borchard also contributed for the Marlins. Smuts improved by more than two seconds in the 50 freestyle, while Borchard recorded one of the biggest time drops of the meet for Meeker, cutting more than 22 seconds in the 100 breaststroke.
The younger girls also earned recognition, with Ravae Metz winning both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard individual medley events.
The boys were led by Tucker Chinn, who continued a strong summer season with several top finishes against some of the Western Slope’s best competition.
Chinn finished second in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 1:06.95 and added third-place finishes in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly. He also placed fourth in both the 200 freestyle and 200 backstroke while finishing fifth in the 100 breaststroke.
“I would evaluate my weekend to be a good improvement since my slow start at the beginning of the season,” Chinn said. “It should help open up for the two championship meets coming these next couple of weeks.”
In addition to his performances in the pool, Chinn was selected by league coaches and officials to receive the Western Slope League Spirit Award, recognizing outstanding sportsmanship and enthusiasm. He was also elected by league coaches as the boys athlete representative on the Western Slope League board.
“I am most proud of my 100 backstroke and my 100 butterfly,” Chinn said. “I would consider those my two best events and am usually most consistent in them.”
After transitioning to year-round USA Swimming competition this summer, Chinn said competing against stronger fields has helped prepare him for his goal of swimming collegiately.
“So far competing as a year-rounder has just showed me that there is always another level to things,” Chinn said. “It’s motivated me to work harder and do better going into these upcoming championship meets.”
Alongside Chinn, Sebastian Baumgart contributed several strong finishes for the Marlins, including top-10 finishes in the 200 individual medley, 100 butterfly, 200 backstroke and 200 freestyle. Jonan VonRoenn also added multiple scoring swims, including a sixth-place finish in the 100 backstroke.
Fletcher Chinn finished second in the 200 breaststroke and added fourth-place finishes in the 50 breaststroke and 100 breaststroke. He also improved by more than seven seconds in both the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
Adrian Baumgart captured an individual title in the 400 freestyle while adding a third-place finish in the 200 individual medley. Justin Kuhmann also earned podium finishes with third-place finishes in both the 50 breaststroke and 100 breaststroke.
Rogers also highlighted Fletcher Chinn for his improvements throughout the weekend but emphasized that the entire roster contributed.
“They really all did a great job. They swam hard and they swam well.” Rogers said.
The Marlins will compete Friday at the Delta Last Chance Meet before traveling to the Telluride Open on Saturday, giving swimmers one final opportunity to qualify for the Colorado Summer Club State Championships.
Following those meets, the team will head to Alamosa for the state championships July 31 through Aug. 2.
Beyond the physical preparation, Rogers said the Marlins will continue emphasizing the team-first culture that has fueled the program’s success.
“They love it,” Rogers said. “It really builds good team bonding, and the little kids look up to the big kids.”
The Marlins will look to carry that momentum into the final weeks of the summer season as they continue their pursuit of another strong finish at state.