Returning Champions Highlight State Qualifiers for Track and Field Championships
AURORA – The finalized state qualifiers for the 2023 track and field state championships have been released, and across the five classifications there are 35 champions from last year looking to repeat in 45 different events. Of the 35 returning champions, 10 are looking to again capture multiple event titles.
Among the 32 schools fielding a returning champion, Eaton, Liberty Common and Niwot lead the way, each with two participants returning to defend their titles.
In 3A, Eaton’s Logan Gullett (3200m) and Zac Grable (high jump) return, while Justin Bate (pole vault) and Isabel Allori (1600m and 3200m) return for Liberty Common. In 4A girls, Niwot’s Madison Shults (400m and 800m) and Kimora Northrup (100m hurdles) return.
Among the two-time champions, in 1A boys, Arickaree/Wood’s Jacob Jefferson has returned to defend his titles in the 400m dash and 110m hurdles, while Fleming’s Kally Kirkwood and Elbert’s Zadie MacKey will look to defend both of their titles on the girls side. Kirkwood finished first in the 200m and 400m dashes a year ago, while MacKey claimed the top spot in the shot put and discus.
The 2A and 3A girls fields also features a pair of two-time champions from 2022, as Cedaredge’s Kylee Terry won the 100m and 200m dashes in 2A, and Dayspring Christian’s Eboselulu Omofoma won both a track and field event in 2A a year ago; the 100m hurdles and the high jump. In 3A girls, Peak to Peak’s Kourtney Rathke joins Allori as a dual champion, as she topped the pole vault and long jump.
On the 2A boys side, Jackson Neppl, from St. Mary’s, returns to the 800m and 1600m runs after finishing first last season.
Niwot’s Madison Shults leads the 4A girls returners, as she claimed the title in both the 400m and 800m runs in 2022, and Valor Christian’s Drew Costelow won the 5A title in both the 800m and 1600m.
Led by Jefferson, Kirkwood and MacKey’s dual titles, 1A field returns the most amount of champions across the classification. On the girls’ side, Idalia’s Krista Wieser (100m), Kiowa’s Paola Vidales (1600m), Nucla’s Lisa Sutherland (100m hurdles), Cheyenne Wells’ Shaylee Scheler (300m hurdles) and Eads’ Maggie Haase (high jump) will all look to defend their titles. And, on the boys side, Sanford’s Gauge Lewis (100m), Cheraw’s Braeden Harris (300m hurdles), DeBeque’s Scottie Vines (high jump), Akron’s Ryan McCaffrey (pole vault), Hi-Plains’ Konner Rowden-Stum (triple jump) and Granada’s John Hainer (shot put) all return to the field in their respective events. In total, 14 champions return to the 1A championship in 17 different events.
Lyons’ Gemma Powell joins the returners in 2A, as she claimed the discus title in 2022.
In addition to the two dual champions on the 3A girls side, the 3A boys return five champions in Resurrection Christian’s Jackson Fagerlin (1600m), Gullet (3200m), Grable (high jump), Bate (pole vault) and Classical Academy’s Jordan Wenger (triple jump).
The lone returning champion in 4A boys is Cheyenne Mountain’s Antoni Smith, who claimed the high jump title last year. On the girls side, Mesa Ridge’s Janise Everett (200m), Northrup (100m hurdles), Thompson Valley’s Elizabeth Heumann (high jump) and Silver Creek’s Megan Kelleghan (pole vault) join Shults (400m and 800m) in defending their titles.
In 5A, Castle View’s Ace Malone (400m) and Fruita Monument’s Daniel Thomason (high jump) join Costelow as returning champions on the boys side, and Broomfield’s Lilly Nichols is the lone returning 5A girls champion, as she won the pole vault a season ago.
Heat sheets for the 2023 track and field championships will be made available Tuesday afternoon.
