BROOMFIELD >> Whenever most of the best boys swimmers in Boulder County converge, point-counting ensues.

As the final heats of the final events of the Boulder County Invite were underway at the Broomfield Community Center on Saturday morning, athletes from various teams coalesced near the posted results, figuring out the math that would lead them to a team victory.

In the end, Monarch edged out Fairview with 609 points, beating the Knights by just 28 points. Legacy placed third with 545. Monarch head coach Amber Austin has taken pride in the way her boys have banded together this season and the showing they put together in front of their peers.

“These kids are super smart, and they know what each other should be swimming,” she said. “They really put the lineup together. I think that’s what makes our team really strong. It’s a collaborative effort. That is key on our team. I’ve learned that for a couple of years now. They have great input, they have great ideas and when they get to decide things like that, and then go out and execute them, it’s even more rewarding.”

The Coyotes certainly collaborated at the very top.

Freshman Charlie Zuhoski wowed in several events, crushing the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2 minutes, 0.19 seconds to beat out second-place Tyler Mills, from Legacy, by 4.37 seconds.

He then complemented that effort with first in the 100 breaststroke (59.83).

Sophomore Ethan DiFronzo took home the gold in the 50 freestyle (21.47).

Sophomore Gavin Keogh claimed the crown in the 100 free (47.50) and the 100 back (52.16), then teamed up with Zuhoski, JC Holmes and Ethan DiFronzo to win the 400 free relay (3:10.05). Keogh finished the meet scoring the most points of any competitor with 57.

Zuhoski added to his impressive day with a victory in the 200 free relay (1:26.66) alongside Holmes, Luke Corson and Di- Fronzo.

“(The meet) is super fun, because we have a big rivalry with Fairview. We lost to them last year,” Keogh said. “We are on a club team, so doing that all year round, training all year round, that really helps. We do some weightlifting here and there on our own but for the most part, coach Amber really helps us, especially with technique and really fast spring sets that end up being really helpful.”

Keogh is hoping that as the regular season begins to taper off, he and his Coyotes can continue to build upon the foundation they laid at the beginning of the season with a large squad behind them.

“I think our entire team is really growing and I think that we’ll just keep winning these meets and then senior year, we might be undefeatable,” he said.

Peaking at just the right time

With just three weeks left until the state meet, Fairview sophomore Wesley Schlachter hasn’t seemed to miss a beat. On Saturday morning, his enthusiasm in the water bubbled — splashed, rather — to the surface when he dropped his PR in the 200 free by 1.24 seconds. He won the event by over five seconds to claim a new best-time of 1:48.06.

He then added to his banner day with a win in the 500 free, this time edging out second-place Nathan McCracken, of Broomfield, by nearly nine full seconds. He led a Fairview effort that impressed even without some of its top talent.

“I was really happy with my 2-under time because it was a good PR, and then in our relays, we did pretty good. My (500) free, winning that was pretty fun too,” Schlachter said. “I think it speaks volumes about how much depth our team has. It’s just next man up.

“We didn’t have James Kershaw and we didn’t have Joseph Lev-Tov. We have a lot of young kids on this team — sophomores and freshmen — that really complement these upperclassmen. I think our future is really bright, but at the same time, we’re making a huge impact now.”

Putting their best fins forward

When Legacy senior Sam White completed his BoCo Invite, he couldn’t help but grin. Much like Zuhoski, Keogh and Schlachter, he earned multiple victories through a tough field.

His day began with the 200 medley relay crown, which he led off, alongside DK Nakashima, Hector Mu and Tegan Barrier. The quartet recorded a time of 1:35.55 before White broke off on his own.

Three events later, he won the 100 IM (52.16) and took pride in the way his team showed out in what he dubbed a “miniature league championship.”

“It’s really hard to win a race and not have a smile on your face,” he said. “I think as a team, we’ve done pretty good all season. I think this is the first meet a lot of us have suited up for and we’re really just trying to get into leagues in state-type competition levels.”

White noted that even though the Lightning graduated a strong core of seniors last year, he believes the underclassmen have the talent and the drive to put together a promising team for the next few years.

Pushing past his limits

Even with a tailbone injury nagging him in the water, McCracken still put on the best performance of any junior at the meet. Scoring 48 points through all of his events came as a “pleasant surprise,” though he knows he can perform better when he’s healthy.

Some of his best finishes at the BoCo Invite included second in the 500 free (5:04.70) and third in the 50 backstroke (26.18) in a meet that was teeming with talent.

“It’s a lot of fun because the fastest seeds will be a bunch of people with the same times rather than at a dual meet when it’s just one person ahead of everyone else and you can’t really race people,” he said. “It’s good that there are a lot of people that can all bring each other up.”

To date, McCracken has qualified for state in every event except for the 50 free, but will most likely compete in the 500 free, 200 IM or 100 back.

“All the un-fun ones,” he said.