Madi Mintenko Takes Down Missy Franklin Record, Finishes 8-for-8 in High School State Titles
Pine Creek senior Madi Mintenko wrapped up a perfect 8-for-8 high school career this weekend at the Colorado state meet.
Mintenko won the girls 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle at the CSHAA Class 5A championships, hosted by Chatfield High School. Her time in the 500 free took down Missy Franklin’s state record in prelims at 4:39.89.
Mintenko won the 200 free on the opening day of the meet by more than nine seconds, going 1:43.20. That just misses the time set by Franklin, swimming for Regis Jesuit, in 2012 at 1:43.15. It still enters Mintenko into rarefied air – the National Federation of High Schools record belongs to Dagny Knutson in 1:42.81, while the independent school record is Katie Ledecky’s 1:41.55.
Mintenko put on a show in the 500 in prelims, going 4:39.89. That takes down Franklin’s 4:41.72, from 2013. She coasted to the win in 4:51.50 in finals, with a relay swim to come. She had been 4:36.66 in December.
It gives Mintenko eight individual state titles out of a possible eight, joining Franklin and Cheyenne Mountain grad Anna Trinidad as the only two swimmers to achieve that in state history. Mintenko did that with Pine Creek moving up from Class 4A to Class 5A this year, the highest classification in the state. She was named the Swimmer of the Meet.
“It’s amazing, I’m so grateful,” Mintenko told CHSAA’s website. “I’ve met Missy before and I’m so grateful I was able to do some things like she did when she was my age. She’s such an inspiration and just about every girl here looks up to her. … After last night I was just super excited, half of the meet was over and I could just chill out and focus on today.”
Mintenko helped Pine Creek finished fifth as a team. The Eagles finished second in the 200 free relay, where Mintenko led off in 22.44 in finals, a tenth off her best time. She was 49.59 in prelims off the front of the 400 free relay (her best from December is 47.47).
Mintenko will attend the University of Virginia next year. She won silver medals in the 200 free and 400 free at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships last summer for the United States, in addition to gold in the 400 free and 800 free relays. At Olympic Trials, Mintenko finished eighth in the 400 free, 10th in the 200 and 24th in the 100.
