Photo by Kevin Flemming

On Saturday, May 21^st, the Boys’ Swim Team traveled all the way up to Mesa State University in Grand Junction for the State Swimming Competition, doing well and ending the season with a splash.

Of the entire swim team, seven of them went to State, including Juniors Mitch Moore, Frank Hupperts, and Daniel Wakefield, Sophomores Jackson Epstein, Marcus Allen, and Michael Mahoney, and Senior Tim Mahoney. The 200 Freestyle Relay Team, which consisted of Hupperts, Epstein, Mahoney, and Allen, took 18^th place, and then took 22^nd place in the 400 Freestyle Relay.  Individually, Jackson Epstein placed 37^th in the 200 Freestyle.

“I thought we all swam pretty well.  Tim swam amazing as well as everyone else.  Overall, it was a great season, and I’m happy with how we did at State,” said Epstein.  Although the year is over, the boys managed a great season, and with all the talent returning for next year, the boys are sure to be successful once again.

Photo by Ed Gloor

On Wednesday, April 13, Boys’ Swimming took their skills to George Washington High School, ultimately losing the match. “We did the best we could, but they’re just a really great team,” said Junior Griffin Black. “One of their swimmers is even possibly going to the Olympics. We did great, but we couldn’t pull of the win.”

Nonetheless, the boys upped their game the next week on April 20, winning against Montbello. “We did pretty well on our relays, and our guys are trying to improve their times,” said Black.

The team’s winning trend continued on April 27, when the team went up against Abraham Lincoln High School, defeating them in almost every event. “We did really well on our last meet against Lincoln,” said Black. “We won in every event except 100 back-stroke. They didn’t have a very big team; maybe four guys at most, and we have about 20. But, regardless, we did very well.”

Currently, many of the Varsity swimmers are on the road to state. Present qualifiers include Senior Tim Mahoney, Junior Mitch Moore, and Sophomores Michael Mahoney and Marcus Allen. “Because a lot of our guys are going to state in Grand Junction, we’re trying to qualify for state in as many areas as possible so they can keep their position,” said Black. “We have a pretty decently sized group going to state at the moment. Our goal is to do as well as we can, and get more people to qualify for state, because we’re presently qualifying for just two events. We want more.”

Boys’ Swimming will have their next game against Englewood High School at TJ on Tuesday, May 3. “I’m really hoping we win,” said Black. “It’s a Senior Day, so we’re also hoping a lot of people will come. I think we can pull it off.”

Photo by Ed Gloor

On March 19, the Spartan swimmers attended the Angel Invite at East High School, qualifying for state in the 400-meter free relay. “We were really glad to have a state-worthy performance,” said Senior Swimmer Tim Mahoney. “Now, we’re just trying to qualify in all of these relays and get as many people to state as possible.”

The next Wednesday, March 23, TJ was invaded by the Angels for yet another meet versus East High School. This time, TJ was only a second off during the 200-yard free relay from qualifying for state. “Even though we didn’t quite make it, it was a big improvement over our last few meets,” said Mahoney. “This next meet, we’re hoping to qualify in the 200. And I know the 200-meter medley relay was really close too in this past meet.”

With state-qualifying performances in recent events, Mahoney hopes for improved performances for boys’ swimming during the rest of the year. “We need to, in our relays, work on people’s individual lengths; try to get them closer, and to the fastest they can go,” said Mahoney. “The starts are important, the turns are important; but as far as strokes, everyone who swims in these relays nailed their stroke, so really there’s no improvement there. But in terms of endurance, we could go farther.”

Boy’s swimming will go up against George Washington High School on April 13, with a strong expectation for a tough game. “George is usually hard, because they’re a 5A team; they have really good swimmers, and just a lot of people who make state and all,” said Mahoney. “It depends though, because some of their swimmers don’t swim in meets because they have their own invites to go to, so it really just depends on who’s there and who we’re up against. I know we beat them at the relay meet last year, but they didn’t bring all their people. I think we’ll try our hardest and hopefully come out on top.”

Photo by Kevin Flemming

On Saturday, March 19, Boy’s Swimming went to the East Angel invite to prove themselves as state-worthy participants, winning 7th place out of 12 schools. “It was the first time one of our teams qualified for state; the 200 free team,” said Head Coach Cindy Allen. “Everybody did a really good job, I was very impressed.”

The next Wednesday, TJ went up against East once more for a second round, winning first place in the 50 free and 400 free events, while still loosing the overall meet. “Our relay team did a much better time for this meet,” said Allen. “So they’ll have boosted confidence for our next meet.”

While Boys’ Swimming has had its ups and downs, Allen feels as though the team has made some great headway over the past few weeks. “We’ve been working really hard as a team,” said Allen. “But we do have our standouts. Senior Tim Mahoney and Sophomore Mike Mahoney are always in the top performers. Junior Mitch Moore’s also really stepped it up recently, and Junior Griffin Black also always does a good job. We also have several kids in development who are really stepping up to the challenge and making some growth. But overall, as a team, we’re working great together.”

Allen also feels as though the team could improve on multiple aspects in the pool, including stroke competitions. “It’s the toughest strokes where we lose the most points,” said Allen. “We have quite a few kids swimming them, and they don’t complain, they just get the job done. I always appreciate that, and they work really hard.”

Boy’s Swimming will go up next against George Washington High School on April 6th. “It’s going to be a tough meet,” said Allen. “We’re going to have to go at it really hard in every event, and every lane, to get the win.”

Artwork By: SIr Hayden Johnson

On Friday, March 11, the Boys’ Swimming Team took on Harisson High School at TJ, beating them with an impressive score of 112 to 55. “Overall, it was a great meet,” said Junior Varsity Swimmer Daniel Wakefield. “We all stepped up to what we could actually do. The freshmen also put their heads in the game, which is always a great sign. So far, the season’s looking good.”

According to Head Coach Cindy Allen, the team is expected to go far this season. “We have a lot of returning athletes that are very talented, so we should continue to do very well in league,” said Allen. “I think we’ll make a good showing during our season.”

Some of these returning athletes are Seniors Tim Mahoney and Matt Gonzales, Junior Daniel Wakefield, and Sophomores Marcus Allen and Mike Mahoney. “We have a very talented team,” said Allen. “As long as we stay focused, I have a feeling we’ll go far.”

This season, the team expects to play against some difficult schools, including George Washington High School and East High School. “East and GW will always be our toughest opponents,” said Wakefield. “They’re always there when we need a game to really get us moving.”

Allen also notes the difficulty that will result from league invites, which include multiple high schools. “It’ll be when we’re going against Arapahoe, Cherry Creek, and Smokey Hill that we’ll really get hurt.”

In order to prepare for these upcoming challenges, the Boy’s Swimming Team anticipates a season of hard training and great results. “The team could improve over the next few weeks simply by continuing to work hard and train hard; but I think everyone’s on the right path,” said Allen. “We also have to avoid senioritus, which is one of sport’s greatest roadblocks. As long as everyone continues to give it their all until the season end’s, I think we have a good shot at going far this season.”

In addition to staying focused, Wakefield believes the team could also improve by working on stamina in the pool. “We could improve a lot with our endurance, because we want to play well throughout, but always finish strong,” said Wakefield. “Allen will help a lot with that. She always helps us perfect our stroke, which ends up making us go a lot faster.”

Boy’s Swimming will hit the water next on Wednesday, March 16, for the DPS Relay Meet at Manuel.

photo by Rebecca Holt

Wednesday night the boys put on a great show with many first place finishes.  Frank Huppurts won the 200 Free, Marcus Allen 200M, Tim Mahoney 50 Free, Mike Mahoney 100 Fly, Daniel Smith 500 Free, Jackson Epstein 100 Back, and Demetrius Allen won the 100 Breast and took first in diving.

The relay teams did amazing with the 200 Medley and the 400 Free, both taking first place.  One of the biggest highlights of the night came from Griffin Black, who took third place in the 100 Back.  This is Black’s first season competing for the swim team and he has done a great job this season.  “It felt really good to win third.  Throughout this season I have accomplished a lot.  I was never really good at competitive swimming, but I have worked hard everyday, and I am glad that all the hard work is paying off,” said Black.

“We went with a different style with people swimming different events that they wouldn’t normally compete in.  We have city coming up and our goal is to be ranked in the top three.  George and East have great experienced teams, but I know we are capable of competing well against them,” said Head Coach Cindy Allen.

The next swim meet will be at Manual High School next weekend against all city teams for the final DPS and regular season meet of the year.

photo by Rebecca Holt

The George Washington Patriots are a talented team that swims year round and has many swimmers ranked in the top ten in the 5a district.  The Spartan boys still competed well against the Patriots with a great performances from Tim Mahoney, who won the 50M free style with a time of: 24.89, Demetrius Allen, who took second place in diving with a score of 132.2, and Jackson Epstein, who took second in the 100 back stroke with a time of 1:10.83.

Other top performances came from Daniel Smith, Frank Huppert, and Mike Mahoney.  The two teams were caught on tape by Channel 9 news, which recorded the meet.  “We competed to the best of our abilities, and they were a great team.  We were a little bit intimidated because of their reputation of being a great team, and that bothered us a little.  We aren’t used to being on camera either, so maybe that distracted us, as well.  But once we were comfortable, we were fine,” said Thomas Currington.

“Considering the fact that GW swims year around, and some of our swimmers play three different sports, we competed very well.  I think that during the beginning of the race we were a little nervous because of how good George is.  But I am proud of how the boys competed, and we did very well,” stated Head Coach Cindy Allen.

The boys’ next and finial home meet will be next Wednesday on the 28th against the Montbello Warriors.  This meet will be senior night for seniors Demetrius Allen, Daniel Smith, Thomas Currington, and Eldar Ayutov.

Photo by Kevin Fleming

Demetrius Allen is a well known TJ Spartan who maintains a high GPA, participates in four sports, and was recently crowned King at the Eros dance.  Demetrius is currently on the boys’ swim team at TJ, and has participated all four years at TJ.  He is well known on the swim team and made his first appearance at state last year as a junior, and looks to go back to state and represent TJ well again this year.  Demetrius wasn’t always interested in swimming though, and if not for his mother, Cindy Allen, he might not have ever gotten into the sport.

Demetrius first began swimming competitively during his freshman year at TJ.  His mom Cindy, who is TJ’s swim coach and athletic secretary, asked him to come out to just try it.  Before that, Demetrius enjoyed swimming in local pools during the summer just for fun.  “When my mom had first asked me to try out I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure if I was going to be good at it or not.  But it turned out that I was, and now I appreciate the sport more,” said Demetrius, who is recognized as one of the top swimmers in the state in the backstroke.  Along with swimming, Demetrius competes in football, where he played right guard, in wrestling, where he wrestled at 189 lbs, and in track running the 4-1 relay and throwing the shot put and the discus.

With all the sports activities in which Demetrius competes, it’s amazing that he is able to maintain a 3.7 GPA.  Demetrius is a terrific student who is always challenging himself with classes like AP Literature with Susan Stokely.  However, Demetrius’s favorite class at TJ is Drawing and Painting with Brooke Stoyer.  “Ms. Stoyer is a teacher who is specific with the things she wants, but when it comes to class work, she is lenient and allows us a lot of freedom. In that class I get to express my creativity and that makes the class a lot of fun,” said Demetrius.

After high school, Demetrius will be attending Metro State College, majoring in Criminal Justice.  “I’ve always been passionate about doing the right things in life, which is why I want to get a degree in criminal justice and pursue a career in law enforcement,” said Demetrius, who is entering the Police Cadet Program, which is sponsored through Metro, this upcoming fall.  Being in the Cadet program will give Demetrius the opportunity to experience police work so that he may decide what type of Law Enforcement he will do after college.  “I am excited about the Cadet program because I will have the experience of being a police officer while in college.  What makes the program great is that it will pay my way through college,” said Demetrius, who added that he wanted to become a police officer and hopefully patrol the Denver Metro area.  “There are a lot of people in Denver, and I would like to experience it and see the type of activities that go on downtown,” said Demetrius.

Demetrius is not the only one in his family to have attend TJ, nor is he the only Allen present at TJ today.  Before Demetrius arrived at TJ, his older cousin Pierre Allen, who was a part of the back-to-back state champion basketball team in the years 04-05 and 05-06, along with his older sister, Ivory Allen, who was an amazing softball player at TJ, attended TJ.  The two of them helped make TJ what it is today in athletics, and have represented the Allen family very well.  Demetrius has done an excellent job of doing the same.  At TJ, Demetrius’ younger brother Marcus Allen accompanies him.  Marcus, who is a freshman, participated in wrestling and varsity football team, and is currently participating in both swimming and track.  “It’s fun having my younger brother at the same school as me.  We have a lot of fun together, and I help him with any problems that he has.  In the class that we do have together, we have a lot of fun, but can sometimes mess around too much,” said Demetrius.

Marcus and Demetrius have a close brotherly relationship, and with the two of them attending the same high school, their relationship is even stronger.  “I like having my older brother at TJ with me.  He has set a great example for me by giving 100% at everything he does, never acting up, and treating everybody with respect.  Demetrius is a role model to this school, and this year has taught me how to stay on track by balancing my schoolwork and athletics the right way.  I’m going to miss him a lot when he leaves TJ, but I want to continue the legacy that he is leaving behind.  I want to show him that I can do everything he has done, and possibly be better than him.  One thing I appreciate Demetrius doing is teaching me from his mistakes, so that I don’t make bad decisions, and that I stay on the right path with my life,” said Marcus, who recalls his favorite memory of he and his brother in gym class with teacher William Burns.  “Everyday in weight lifting class we always compete to see who is better, whether it’s foot racing or bench press.  It’s just a lot of fun, and I’m going to miss him next year when he’s in college.  I’m just glad that he had the chance to show me the ropes of high school,” said Marcus.

Out of all the things that inspire people in their lives, Demetrius is inspired by his mom.  “My mom is a strong person who has been through a lot.  She has never let anything pull her back and she does anything she desires, and I respect that about her,” said Demetrius.

With the swim team going further into its season, Demetrius is looking forward to the upcoming DPS swim meet.  “I’m excited about the DPS meet because it is our chance to show off what we’ve got against the rest of the Denver schools.  The meet will also show us how much we have improved since our first meet,” said Demetrius, who also said that he believes that he has a great shot to participate at state again.  As for the swim team, Demetrius believes that they are going to have an outstanding season.  “We have a lot of talent and kids are eager and energetic, and they are ready compete and demonstrate how good they are.  I believe that all of the hard work that we have been doing this season will pay off for us in the end,” said Demetrius.

photo by Rebecca Holt

It was a great weekend for the swim team in the tournament, with a lot of first place finishes.  Before the meet, the team had a meeting that focused the goal of competing strong for the entire competition.  It paid off for them with six first place finishes, including three relays.

Tim Mahoney had a great day, winning the 50M freestyle, the 100M and the 200M.   The relay team with Jackson Epstein, Demetrius Allen, Daniel Smith and Tim Mahoney, won the 200M relay, Tim and Mike Mahoney, Demetrius Allen and Jackson Epstein also won the 200 freestyle relay.  Marcus Allen, Mark May, Mike Mahoney and Mitch Moore took first place in the 400 freestyle relay race.  Overall it was an amazing weekend for the boys’ swim team.  “This was an exciting meet for us and we demonstrated great teamwork.  This win for us definitely gave us confidence in our team’s abilities, and we just want to carry the momentum we have into upcoming meets,” said Epstein.

“We have never been to this tournament, and nobody knew what to expect.  None of the other teams really expected us to win the race.  I am very proud of the fact that these boys achieved their goals of competing strong until the end, and this was just an amazing win for us,” said Head Coach Cindy Allen.

The boys hope to carry their momentum into their next meet against the George Washington Patriots on Wednesday the 21st at 4:15.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

The swimmers swam as well as they could, but it wasn’t enough to beat the East Angels.  Tim Mahoney was the only first place finisher for TJ, winning the 50M race.  The swim team was low in the number of swimmers, so some of them had to swim multiple races, including back to back, which is difficult to do.

However, the boys kept the race close through five events before the Angels took control of the competition.  “We competed well for the first part of the competition.  We were even winning at one point.  We just need to work on the second half of the races more.  Once we finish better we will be an amazing team to watch,” said Thomas Currington.

“We just needed more first and second place finishes.  It is tough for these boys to have to swim back to back.  But we are continuing to develop our speed and technique so that we will be more prepared for the all-city meet.  Even though this is the second consecutive loss for us, we continue to work hard, and we are not comparing ourselves to other teams.  We are focused on us right now, and that is what’s going to get us through this,” said Head Coach Cindy Allen.

The boys’ next meet will be at Englewood High School as they compete in the Englewood Intra State 8 Tournament this weekend.  The next league meet will be on Wednesday at TJ.