Avon Swim Club star wins 4A athlete of the year award after claiming 3 state titles
At the last two CHSAA state swim meets, Breck Boyd knocked on the door. This year, he smashed through it.
After finishing second in the 100-yard backstroke as a sophomore and junior, the Avon Swim Club star topped the podium at the 4A championships in his specialty event. The senior also placed second in the 50-yard free and led Glenwood Springs to victories in the 200 medley and 200 free relays.
“I finally did it this year,” said Boyd, who earned athlete of the year honors for his accomplishments.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said regarding the award. “It’s just strange to me because I’m just doing what I love to do. I’m just swimming. I like to swim, I like to race. I’m never really focused on times, I’m never really trying to get awards. I just like racing and even when I don’t win and if it’s a fun race, I’m happy.”
Coming into the meet — which was held May 8-9 at the Arvada Aquatic Center in Arvada — Glenwood Springs had only two state titles in boys swimming on the books: Shea Card captured the 100 backstroke in 2021 and the 200 freestyle relay team took gold in 2024. Boyd and fellow Avon Swim Club senior Brian Molloy were both sophomores on that squad.
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“That was really special,” recalled Molloy, who labeled the relay win as a favorite memory from his swimming career to this point.
After finishing fourth as a team last season, the Demons’ 13 state qualifiers — who hail from Aspen, Meeker and the Roaring Fork and Eagle River valleys — had high hopes heading into the 2026 campaign.
“From the very first practice, everybody knew this year was the best chance we had,” Boyd said.
The five Avon Swim Club participants were a big reason why. Breck Boyd and his younger brother, Tyson, and Brian Molloy and his younger sibling, Andrew— along with Tennyson Sipes — recently led the club to a runner-up finish out of 74 teams at the USA Swimming Speedo Sectionals in Boise, Idaho. The boys won all five relays contested at the meet.
“It’s like perfect chemistry. We all know what to do and we go out and do it,” Breck Boyd stated. “Coming off that, we just kept dropping (times). We already knew we could win.”
Brian Molloy said that while Sipes can be “more jovial” before the start, the four brothers tend to be stoic and serious pre-race.
“Us four are like dead serious,” he explained. “It’s a pretty intense atmosphere right beforehand.”
The Boyds and Molloys teamed up to win the first event at state. Breck Boyd built a big lead on the opening backstroke leg of the 200 medley relay and his brother held off a charging Mullen squad on the freestyle anchor to secure victory by just six hundredths of a second. Glenwood Springs’ finishing time — 1 minute, 31.78 seconds — was good for All-American status. Monarch placed third, almost four seconds back.
The brothers-squared lineup has been training and racing relays together for almost a decade.
“It’s always been special. It’s basically been the same relay since Breck and I were 10,” Brian Molloy said. “We’ve gone so many places and raced that relay at so many different levels that it’s kind of second nature for us, now. … it’s a good way to go out.”
Tyson Boyd, who was third overall out of more than 200 athletes in the overall individual scoring standings at Speedo Sectionals, finished ninth in the 200 freestyle (1:46.48) and was fourth in the 100. Andrew Molloy placed sixth in both the 200 individual medley (1:58.44) and the 100 butterfly, but Monarch snagged three of the top-5 spots in both events. Throughout the meet, the Coyotes used depth to quietly pull away in the team race.
“They just have so many kids,” said Breck Boyd, who admitted Glenwood Springs was more focused on Mullen coming into the event. In the end, Monarch tallied 355.5 points to claim a second-straight title as Mullen (344) and Glenwood Springs (340.5) rounded out the podium, well clear of fourth-place Littleton (221.5). Since they were gunning for first or second but still notched a program best, there were mixed emotions.
“I think overall we were happy but unsatisfied,” Brian Molloy said. Molloy has competed at state all four years of high school. He placed 11th in the 100 breaststroke as a sophomore and fifth last spring. This year, he wound up second in a personal best mark of 57.26 seconds.
“It’s definitely improved a lot,” the homeschooled senior said. “I’ve been doing a lot more strength training and I think that’s helped me this season.”
Right before Molloy’s runner-up result, Breck Boyd hopped into the pool for the 100 back. He thought 2025 would be his year — until Monarch reclassified and brought one of the top swimmers in the country, Gavin Keogh, down to 4A. Keogh set a state record (46.54) and Boyd settled for silver. This time, however, Boyd did the dominating, stopping the clock at 49.92 to win by almost a full second.
“I was really happy. All high school season I’ve just been thinking about winning that race,” he said. But he said his main motivation in the moment was maximizing the scoring opportunity.
“I was really just thinking of the team,” he added.
A couple of weeks ago, Molloy decided to attend Florida Tech, where he’ll study aerospace engineering and compete at the NCAA DII level. Breck Boyd also plans to compete in college; he committed to UC Santa Barbara last summer. Before they head off to their next adventure, though, they have a few more big meets on the summer schedule.
Boyd qualified for the first event in the TYR Pro Series, a premiere four-stop USA Swimming competition for national and international elites. Next weekend’s stop in Sacramento is broadcast on Peacock.
“I don’t have any expectations really — I’m just happy to be there,” Boyd said. “I’ve never been to a meet that big with that many fast people.”
After that, the entire Avon Swim Team heads to Knoxville before gearing up for Junior Nationals in Texas in August. While the club circuit has benefited both Boyd and Molloy immensely, both athletes spoke to the unique importance of their high school experiences. Boyd even said his one regret was not competing in CHSAA events as a freshman.
“It’s such a different environment. Compared to club, it’s so much more of a team sport. Every point matters,” he said before adding that the level of competition is never watered down either. “State swimming in Colorado is a big deal. It’s definitely has to be one of the loudest meets I’ve ever been to.”
Molloy agreed.
“I think high school states is also special because it’s such a different atmosphere than USA Swimming,” he added. “There’s so many more people and fans and it’s so much louder and more energetic. And so when you do win, it makes it feel more special and more important.”
