State track, ever the spectacle, kicked off in a big way Thursday
LAKEWOOD — Schools from all five classifications, everyone from Idalia to Cherry Creek, come together at Jefferson County Stadium each year for the state track and field championships.
The three-day event is a spectacle. From the multi-colored team tents dotting the stands, to the splendid new stadium scoreboard with videos and instant results, to the podium for state placers lined with flowers underneath, the state track meet is one of the premier prep events in Colorado.
Although Thursday was the first of three days, serving as a stage-setter on the track with only two events as championship finals, the 3,200-meter run and the 3,200-meter relay in a few of the divisions, and the rest preliminary rounds to earn spots in finals, the day was not bereft of memorable performances.
Maya Evans, a freshman at Vista PEAK, won prelims in the Class 4A 100-meter dash in 12.00. She also placed third in the 200-meter dash prelims in 25.25. Off the track, Evans won the state championship in the long jump with a 19-9.25, the third-best mark nationally by a freshman in 2015.
“My goal was a 20, but every time I jump I get closer and closer,” Evans said.
“It feels really good,” she added. “I’m new to state and it was a challenge for me, but I believed in myself and I knew I could do it.”
Valor Christian, sporting their white Nike speed suits, blistered a time of 1:26.37 in the boys 800-meter relay. They easily won 4A prelims over Littleton (1:28.81) and Windsor (1:28.85).
A few minutes later, Fountain-Fort Carson — resembling Superman in their red, white, and blue — ran 1:26.99 to win 5A prelims. Pine Creek girls, the defending state champions in the 400- and 800-meter relays, posted 1:38.44 in their preliminary round in 5A, easily outdistancing Cherokee Trail’s 1:41.05. They own the Colorado record of 1:37.05, set in 2014 at the state meet.
The 800-meter relay finals for the big schools could be as entertaining as any event on Friday.
As for those championship finals on Thursday, another team decked in red, white, and blue — Cherry Creek — swept the 5A boys and girls crowns in the 3,200 meter relay. The girls were in a battle with Monarch and ThunderRidge through three legs, but unleashed Jordyn Colter — the No. 1-ranked girl in America in the 800 meters and the mile — on the anchor to cruise a 9:07.54. Monarch (9:15) and ThunderRidge (9:21) finished second and third.
The Bruin boys hovered around fourth place through the first two legs, but picked off the leaders and won in 7:51. Chaparral (7:54), Fountain-Fort Carson (7:55), and Liberty (7:57) all dipped under eight minutes.
In a state with the track and field talent of Colorado, plenty of athletes performed well on the biggest stage. Perhaps none performed better, or at least in more dramatic fashion, than Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger.
After running away from a stacked 4A field in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:49, ahead of Mountain View’s Riley Cooney (10:56), Denver North’s Kayla Young (10:56), and Canon City’s Aubrey Till (10:58), the junior saved enough for something special in the 3,200 relay.
Thompson Valley, a traditional power in the relay, led through three legs and by a sizeable margin. But Air Academy was lurking in the top five.
The Kadets moved into second with Rainsberger’s anchor leg to go, but the Eagles had Emily Leidig, a state qualifier in the 800-meters, countering. Rainsberger measured Leidig on the first lap and started gaining, but the gap was still several meters.
She eventually caught her with around 200 to go, and brought the baton home in 9:25. Canon City snuck past Thompson Valley for second in 9:31 to TV’s 9:32.
“They stepped up really big today,” Rainsberger, who split 2:10, said of her relay mates. “We were in pretty good position when I got the baton. I knew I just needed to finish as hard as I could and try to get the win.”
Kayla Wiitala, Lilliana Hamilton, and Carly Wilborn were also members of the winning 3,200 relay for Air Academy.
Rainsberger nearly ran down Mountain View on the anchor leg a season ago, but came up just short as the Kadets were the runner-up in 9:17 to the Mountain Lions’ 9:15.
The 4A champion last fall in cross country got her first state of winning on the track after several runner-up finishes individually, as well. She’s the favorite to win the 800 and 1600-meter runs over the weekend.
Events begin again at 8:30 am on Friday morning with the 3A 3,200 meter-run.
Notables
- Valor Christian’s Haley Showalter, a senior, defended her 4A crown in the discus throw with a mark of 158-5. The future Wisconsin Badger was the runner-up in the event her freshman and sophomore seasons.
- Cherokee Trail’s Amazing Ashby won the 5A triple jump with a 39-4, a nice boost to the Cougars’ title hopes as a team. CT, Fort Collins, and Pine Creek are expected to contend.
- Rampart placed 1st and 2nd in the 5A high jump as Ashlyn Hare (5-6) won the crown and Kiara Kearny (5-6, more attempts) was the runner-up.
- Mountain Range’s Patrick Byerly won the 5A discus throw with an impressive 54-6. He became the first track and field athlete to win a state title in the school’s history.
- Palmer Ridge’s Eric Hamer, the 4A cross country champion last fall, won 4A in the 3,200 meter run in 9:22. He came back soon after to anchor the winning 3,200 relay in 7:57. The Bears’ Caleb Ojennes crushed prelims of the 400-meter dash with a 47.31.
- Bayfield’s Conner Kennedy nearly broke the 3A state meet record in the long jump with a mark of 23-00. Josiah Baker of La Junta holds the all-time best with a 23-1.25, set in 2003.
- Cedaredge broke the 2A state meet record in the girls 800-meter relay with a time of 1:44.76 in prelims. Akron held the previous best of 1:45.29 from 2011.
- Shining Mountain Waldorf’s Ginger Hutton was a mere four seconds off her sister’s 1A 3,200-meter record of 11:49. Ginger ran 11:53 on Thursday, Birdie went 11:49 in 2012. Older sister runs for Princeton, while Ginger, a senior, is a Vanderbilt recruit.
- The Chaparral boys, who were 2nd Thursday, have placed either 1st or 2nd in the 5A 3,200 relay six times since 2007.
- Paul Roberts of Lyons, a junior, won the 2A 3,200 meter crown in 9:38. The title was Roberts’ fourth on the track and seventh overall as an individual, including cross country. He also anchored the winning 3,200 meter relay Thursday.
