Student Athlete of the Week - Stephen Codevilla

Stephen Codevilla, the younger brother of Niwot High School girls swimming great Mary Codevilla, is putting his own stamp on the Colorado swim scene with Silver Creek's boys team.

At the Class 4A boys swim and dive state championships on May 13, Codevilla impressed in multiple individual and relay events, ultimately guiding his Raptors to their second straight team runner-up trophy.

The Niwot High junior's best individual result came in the 100-yard backstroke, which took place immediately after he helped Silver Creek to third place in the 200 freestyle relay. An exhausted Codevilla managed to take fourth (52.28 seconds), fueled by a good deal of adrenaline.

"I was like cooldown, cooldown, get my heart rate down," Codevilla said of his mindset leading up to the 100 backstroke event. "I sprinted over, got in the line nervous again, like always, and then got in the water... I threw my arms as fast as I physically could and before I knew it, I was on the last 25 (yards) just trying to finish and get to the wall to see the flags."

Fortunately for Codevilla and his tired legs, it was his final race of the evening.

Codevilla's other individual event was the 100 freestyle, where he placed eighth at 48.42 seconds.

"It was my first state final..., so I was nervous," Codevilla said. "I dove in kind of shocked a little; the water was colder than I wanted it to be. I sprinted the first 50, [it] felt decently fast. It was hurtin', obviously. And then I swam the second 50 as fast as I could, [and] finished fast. I didn't really think much about it when I was swimming it. I was like, kick, swim, pull as hard as you can, and finish fast."

Unlike his older sister Mary, a 2022 Niwot grad who recently completed her freshman year swimming at the University of Notre Dame, the younger Codevilla has the unique experience of competing for Silver Creek while being a Niwot student.

"It's weird because I have a lot of Niwot pride, but then at the same time, I have to be excited about Silver Creek," he said. "Sometimes I wear Silver Creek gear in Niwot and I'm like 'Oh, no one look at me.' It's a lot of fun. I get to meet a ton of new people, which is nice."

Asked about his plans for the summer, Codevilla simply said "Lots of training."