LAKEWOOD – Winning a third straight title wasn’t the main challenge for Silver Creek’s Megan Kelleghan on Thursday.
Getting a personal record was her goal, and she got it.
On the first day of the state track and field championships at Jefferson County Stadium, Kelleghan cruised to the championship in the Class 4A girls pole vault with a meet record leap of 13 feet, 5 inches.
Kelleghan beat the 4A meet record of 13-4.5, which she set two years ago. She had not been able to beat that mark in any meet until Thursday.
“It has felt like a very, very long time,” she said.
Although she missed in her attempts to break the Colorado prep record (13-9), Kelleghan was all smiles after winning her third consecutive title.
“I’m super excited and super happy,” she said. “It’s a very good way to leave out of high school for sure.
“It’s a super great feeling.”
Kelleghan entered the competition at 11-8 and cleared her first five heights with ease before going 0-for-3 on her attempts at the record.
She outlasted Roosevelt’s Taegan Olson, a sophomore who matched her season-best with a leap of 12-2.
In the boys discus, Daniel Baroumbaye dominated in winning his first state title. The senior from Grand Junction Central set a 4A state meet record with a throw of 194 feet, 11 inches. The previous record was 192-6 by Avery Shunneson of Thomas Jefferson in 2021. Caleb Dall of Palmer Ridge was second on Thursday, at 156-1.
Niwot, aiming for a fourth consecutive 4A girls title, got off to a great start.
Freshman Addison Ritzenhein won the 3,200 meters (10:30.05), with two of her teammates also in the top four. The Cougars later cruised to the title in the 3,200-meter relay (9:22.60), winning by more than 12 seconds over Battle Mountain.
“It doesn’t even matter if we were seeded first or if we’re seeded last, the nerves are always the same,” said senior Lexy Bullen, who was on the winning relay team. “At the end of the day, you just have so many people that are behind you that you just don’t want to let down, especially because we have that expectation of greatness that it’s like you have to fulfill that expectation and uphold that legacy.”
In the 4A girls long jump, Falcon senior Brianna Tira won the title with a leap of 17 feet, 11.25 inches. Lutheran’s Ryleigh Robbins wasn’t far behind, at 17-10. Tira was ninth a year ago.
Palmer Ridge senior Gigi Geneva claimed the title in the girls discus, with a throw of 135 feet, nine inches. Mead senior Marlee Morris posted a second-place finish at 130-2.
Windsor’s Cameron Thomas had no trouble winning the 4A boys title in the pole vault. The heavy favorite coming in, he fell short of his personal record, but vaulted 15-6 to win the event. Zack Bakker of Thompson Valley was second at 13-10. Thomas was second a year ago.
Battle Mountain’s Will Brunner was impressive in the boys 3,200 meters, posting a winning time of 9:26.76 to top the field. Palmer Ridge’s Jacob Bach was second, at 9:28.29.
Grand Junction’s Miller Jones came a long way in a year. The senior won the title in the boys long jump after finished 13th a year ago. Jones posted a leap of 23 feet, four inches to claim the crown. Roosevelt’s Jayden Nohr was a close second, at 23-0.5.
Niwot won the boys 3,200-meter relay in 7:53.31, nearly four seconds ahead of second-place Coronado (7:57.27).