Barracudas solid at IM Challenge

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado – Nine teams and more than 200 swimmers took to the Glenwood Springs Community Center pool last weekend for the Western Slope IM Challenge.

The host Sopris Barracudas made a solid showing in their home water, with several members of the Glenwood-based club recording multiple wins.

Accumulating the most victories was Charlie Mechling, who won nine events in the 11- and 12-year-old girls division.

Young Lauren Jean Fetzko was similarly dominant in the 9-10 girls division. She won six events and finished second in another.

Maddie Mechling matched Fetzko’s medal haul in the 8-and-under girls division, swimming to first six times and to second once.

Zeb Thorsen and James McMahon represented the Barracudas well in the 11-12 boys division, with Thorsen racking up five wins and McMahon four.

Beyond the standard, event-by-event competition, last weekend’s meet also presented swimmers with a variety of challenges. Depending on which challenge swimmers chose to enter, cumulative times were kept for a series of events.

Big Barracuda winners in the IMX distance challenge included Lily Thorsen (14 years old, 43 minutes, 27.53 seconds), Charlie Mechling (11, 44:02.93), Jessica Tuttle (12, 47:10.84), Hannah Peterson (12, 48:43.73), Jack Cassidy (14, 41:51.62), James McMahon (11, 49:15.9) and Zeb Thorsen (11, 50:46.24).

The IMX distance challenge consisted of the 500-yard freestyle, the 1,000 freestyle, the 1,650 freestyle and the 400 individual medley – the longest events in USA Swimming standards.