Fossil ends conference tournament with four new records
Junior Kenadie Glasgow during the Fort Collins City Meet. Glasgow was a part of the two winning races at the Conference Tournament.
February 14, 2022
The Fossil Ridge High School girls swim and dive team finished second in the 5A Front Range Conference Tournament with 650 team points. The Sabercats finished first in six separate events, with four setting conference records.
Fossil entered the event projected to finish third, behind both Legacy and Fairview. However, the Sabercats’ top swimmers outworked the competition, as their six event victories were the most of any team at the tournament. Fossil Ridge finished the meet in second place only to Legacy, able to beat out Fairview for the silver spot.
The first two top finishes came from Renee Gillian’s 100 meter freestyle and Sydnee O’Neil’s 200 meter freestyle. The four conference records came from Lucy Bell’s performances in the 100 meter fly and the 200 meter individual medley, and the 200 medley and 400 free relay teams. Both teams included the same four athletes: Gillian, Bell, O’Neil, and Kenadie Glasgow. The girls have a strong connection, as their chemistry and abilities become heightened around one another.
“They’re literally my best friends. I think that’s what makes our relay so interesting this year…those girls are the ones I hang out with every day, twenty-four seven…I think that adds to the team aspect of it a lot,” O’Neil said.
The team now shifts their focus to the final competition of the year, the state tournament. The team is excited about competing, feeling they have a chance to earn a top placement. Despite three first place finishes at conference, O’Neil is still driven to finish first in all her events.
“Going into state, the top three teams [Fossil, Legacy, Fairview] are all really close together…I’m kind of nervous, not gonna lie. The energy at conference was really high, but I think at state it’ll be even more [intense]…I’m really excited to compete in the 500 freestyle, I feel like I put a lot into distance practices to see what I can do in that [event],” O’Neil said.
Fossil Ridge will travel back to the VMAC Swim Center for the fifth time this season to participate in the state tournament on February 15-16, 2022.
