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Glenwood’s Thorsen reclaims record at state meet

Kent Mincer
Special to the Post Independent

THORNTON — Two weekends ago, Glenwood Springs High School swimmer Zach Baker broke Zeb Thorsen’s team record in the 100-yard backstroke.

“This week I wanted to get it back,” Thorsen said.

He had two chances. He got it back on the second try, which came in the Class 4A State Championships at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center.



Thorsen made the finals in the 4A state meet, swimming to a seventh-place finish in 54.87 seconds. It was the Demon junior’s first time qualifying for a state final in three tries.

More important to Thorsen, “I got it back,” he said of the team record, hugging Baker, the swimmer who had held the mark for just a week, with a big smile.



Baker, who hugged his teammate right back, finished 10th in the state meet.

In addition to re-establishing the team record, Thorsen said he was thrilled to reach his goal of making it into the finals.

“I didn’t think I’d make it this far,” he said.

Trips to Arizona and Iowa City during the season gave him a major boost in confidence after swimming against some of the best in the region.

The biggest lesson learned, he said, came under the water.

“[I was] definitely working on my walls and turns,” he said after returning from the two out-of-state competitions.

Thorsen also set a personal mark at altitude in the 200 individual medley, just missing the finals but placing ninth in a time of 2:04.52 and knocking nearly two seconds off his Friday qualifying time.

The Demon 200-yard medley relay team set a season-best mark of 1:44.63, better than a second and a half ahead of Friday’s preliminary time. Senior Luke Herron, who swam the freestyle leg, led the way by cutting a second off his time in the prelims.

Herron also placed 15th in the 50 freestyle.

Glenwood capped the meet by placing 11th in the 400 freestyle relay, taking three seconds off of its previous-best time this season.


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