Stingrays swamp competitors in swim meet

The Gunnison Recreation Center hosted the 2026 Gunnison Swimming Invitational from June 5-7. The hometown Stingrays emerged victorious over seven Western Slope teams with 653.5 points. The Montrose Marlins finished second with 394 points, and the Delta Barracudas placed third with 284 points.

Highlights from Friday’s 1,000-yard freestyle events included first-place finishes by Ava Hindes in the 11-12 age group; Jarah Hickman and Diego Nava in the 13-14 age group; and Gracen Corey and Keaton Mickelson in the 15-and-over division.

Notable first swims also were recorded by Max Milski, Citrina Gerlock, Charlotte Corey, Iliana Rhodes, Ivanna Garrido and Olivia Humphreys.

Saturday’s competition featured strong performances in the freestyle relay races that opened the sessions.

The Stingrays’ 8-and-under boys relay team of Dax Gerlock, Teague McMahill, Waylon Baylor and Holden Corey earned a victory. The 10-and-under girls relay team of Beatrice Gerlock, Landrie Shackelford, Fran Vallejo and JoJo Milski also turned in a strong performance, as did the 12-and-under girls team of Max Milski, Citrina Gerlock, Charlotte Corey and Hindes.

The 13-and-over girls team of Humphreys, Hickman, Rhodes and Gracen Corey and the boys team of Jacob Frey, Nava, Julien Klingsmith and Mickelson staged a closely contested race, with the girls narrowly emerging victorious.

A team championship requires contributions from every swimmer, and strong individual finishes by Garrido in the 100-yard freestyle and Brett Corey in the 100-yard individual medley helped secure the victory.

Sunday standouts included Cash Logan in the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley, as well as Everett Gerlock in the 50-yard backstroke and 100-yard freestyle.

Several Stingrays earned individual high-point honors for scoring the most points in their respective age groups during the weekend. Honorees included Holden Corey in the 6-and-under boys division; Beatrice Gerlock and Brett Corey in the 7-8 girls and boys divisions, respectively; and Gracen Corey and Keaton Mickelson in the 15-and-over girls and boys divisions.

Points were awarded for first- through sixth-place finishes in individual and relay events. Nearly 100 events were contested across five swimming disciplines: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and individual medley. Competition was further divided into six age groups: 6 and under, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-18.