Associate Athletic Director and Physical Education Department Chair, Mary Kolbach is the 2016 recipient of the Sportswomen of Colorado Dorothy Mauk Pioneer Award. This special category award is given "for exceptional pioneering contributions to athletics, recreation or sports in general, over a period of time."

Mary is in her 38th year of enriching the lives of countless girls and young women through her coaching and leadership, 34 of those years have been spent here at SMA. Mary will receive this award at the SOC awards dinner on Sunday, March 13.

Founded in 1974 by the YWCA of Metropolitan Denver, in cooperation with Gart Brothers Sporting Goods Co., Sportswomen of Colorado is recognized as the first community-based organization in the nation to solely honor female athletes, celebrate their achievements and recognize those whose efforts have advanced girls' and women's individual and team sports endeavors. With a mission to promote, honor and empower Colorado girls and women in sport, Mary is the perfect recipient for this year's recognition.

Here is an excerpt from Mary's nomination...
"Each year, Sportswomen of Colorado honors girls and women who have achieved high levels of greatness in their respective sports - we honor what they have become. I ask you to also consider where the journey of these athletes began - the foundation on which these achievements have been built. Somewhere in the past of each of the SOC honorees, is a "Mary Kolbach," a teacher, coach and mentor who fostered the love of competition, grit, determination, and provided an environment to flourish and achieve." 

Congratulations, Mary, on this well-deserved lifetime achievement award.

The 4A State Meet was held February 12-13 at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton, CO.  

Lillianna Brooks made her State debut a memorable one as she made finals in the 500 Freestyle, with a season best of 5:15.20, taking 7th overall, and placing 8th in the 100 Backstroke. 

Senior, Co-Captain Claire State rounded out her high school career. Claire made finals in the 200 Individual Medley, where she was seeded 5th and finished with a amazing 3rd place, with a new school record of 2:04.85- an All American Consideration.

Junior, Alex Reddington, certainly put on a show at the State Meet in both the 200 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly. In the 200 Freestyle, Alex was seeded second, but not to disappoint her teammates, Alex pulled out the fastest time of 4A swimmers taking 1st the this event, creating a new school record with a time of 1:51.52 and receiving an All American Consideration. 

The relay teams of Lillianna Brooks, Isa Faddick, Alex Reddington and Claire State performed with such grace in the 200 Medley Relay, stacking a 4th place finish and establishing an amazing new school record beating the previous time by 4 seconds with a time of 1:48.80. The same four girls swam the 400 Freestyle Relay at State as well, beating the old school record by 9 seconds with a new time of 3:35.95 placing them 4th overall. Finally, they swam the 200 Freestyle Relay early in the season and broke the school record again- the new school record is 1:42.79.

This season was filled with impressive athletes, swims and new records.  SMAquatics established six new records, placing 4th in Tri-Peaks League, and 6th out of 34 schools in the 4A State Division. Next season, SMAquatics will be competing the 3A Division, and will be sure to have more swimmers to represent St. Mary's Academy.