Girls' Swimming Peak Performer of the Year: Katie Roach, Cheyenne Mountain

A mysterious illness took away most of Katie Roach’s junior year of swimming at Cheyenne Mountain. As a senior, Roach not only sought health, but the satisfaction of swimming to her potential to prove she could compete with the best around.

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Roach helped Cheyenne Mountain to a second-place finish at the 4A state tournament, its best finish in a decade, while posting area-best times in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke en route to runner-up finishes in each event.

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“I wanted redemption from last year,” Roach said. “I lost last season. When I did swim, I wasn’t spectacular. I wanted to come back and show I could swim with these girls.”

Roach found herself in the emergency room twice with symptoms that resembled mononucleosis, sapping her of her energy and causing her to lose nearly 20 pounds. While she tested negative for mono, she later caught pneumonia and couldn’t cheer on teammates at dual meets because of intense vertigo episodes that kept her bedridden.

Click here to read about Kate Doane as girls' swimming coach of the year

She recovered in time to compete at state but failed to make the finals in her two events. After all, she got clearance to resume swimming just eight days before the biggest meet of the year.

“After the 100 breaststroke, I passed out,” Roach said. “The way I see it, it’s go hard or go home.”

By summer’s end, Roach had matched her top times achieved months earlier and waited patiently for the swim season to see if her hard work would pay off.

At the Hornet Invite on Jan. 12 in Pueblo, Roach gave a glimpse of her improvement. She helped the 200 medley relay team smash the pool record by 3 seconds and later won the 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. She capped the meet by swimming a dominant second leg in the triumphant 400 free relay.

“She was determined to do whatever it took to help our team,” Indians coach Kate Doane said. “Even when she was a bit under the weather a handful of times, she pushed through it and did the best she could. She came out ahead of everybody. She had a great season.”

Roach got quite a scare when she was diagnosed with tonsillitis just one week before the 4A state meet, Feb. 8-9 at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton. She showed no ill effects of illness, posting personal-best times in both individual events and helping Cheyenne Mountain to a state record in the medley relay.

“I was on heavy-duty antibiotics for seven days, and day five was state,” Roach said. “Every time I felt horrible, I wondered to myself, ‘Am I sick again.’ I was just going to see if I could swim OK.”

She did quite a bit better than just OK, recording a time of 2:07.02 in the 200 individual medley and 1:05.42 in the 100 breaststroke, swimming each faster than she had before.

Roach, a four-time state qualifier, wants to continue to swim at the next level. She has narrowed her college choices to Brown or Notre Dame. But for now, she relished her chance to compete at the high school level.

“I was so happy wearing the Cheyenne cap,” Roach said. “There are so many little moments I’ll remember forever. At state at the medley relay final, I was looking around, and the bleachers were shaking. All the parents and the rest of the team were screaming, and it was such a great atmosphere. It was all a lot of fun.”

She just wanted a chance to prove she belonged at full strength. She did so much more.

“It was just frustrating having to sit out last year not swimming my best,” Roach said. “This was my last shot. I just wanted to give it all I had. If it’s enough, it’s enough.”