Ella Hagen: The Triple-Crown Winner Smiling Through The Pain

Winning a single state championship is a tremendous achievement, but winning three, across three separate sports, as Summit junior Ella Hagen already has, is something truly unprecedented. And, she’s done it all with her parents serving as her coaches.

“It’s been a fantastic experience,” Ella’s mom and Summit’s nordic ski head coach, Eva Hagen, said. “I’ve coached for a long, long time and so has (Ella’s father and Summit cross country coach) Mike [Hagen]. When we moved to Summit County, we decided that’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to coach at the high school level, which has been amazing.

“As for coaching Ella, she’s very coachable. She listens very well to our input with everything. It’s just been a super experience seeing how far it’s gotten her.”

Ella feels similarly about the impact her parents have had on her athletic career.

“It’s amazing and it has definitely helped me kind of be able to be all-in,” the three-time champ said. “They see every aspect [of my day] and they hold me accountable. They know when I’m going to bed and they know what I can be doing to prepare, even when I’m not training, and they hold me to that. They’re my biggest supporters and a lot of what they do – especially during races or before races – is keep me calm. They making sure that I’m ready to be there — not just physically but mentally, too. So, it’s been it’s an amazing experience. It definitely has helped me get to where I am.”

Having that guidance has been valuable. Especially considering that, with Hagen competing at such an elite level in three different sports, she’s had to deal with a lot of stress, as she never has a true offseason to prepare for what’s coming next.

“There’s a lot of pressure and aspects that go into [training and competing],” Ella said. “As athletes in this situation (competing in three sports), we’re putting enough pressure on ourselves already, but there are definitely a lot of outside sources, too. I think a lot of people don’t necessarily see the amount of work that is going into it, they just see what’s coming out.

“For me, personally, it can be hard in the winter when I’m watching mainly indoor races and I’m watching all my competitors running so fast, so early. I’m like, ‘I’ve been skiing for multiple months now.’ But, I kind of have to be patient with myself and know that I’m doing exactly what I need to be doing to gain my strength and get to where I need to be.”

Hagen’s pursuit of her remarkably rare triple crown started in 2022, as she defeated a pack of five Niwot runners to complete the course in 17:48, securing the 4A Girls Cross Country State Championship. It wasn’t until her track state championship, which she won in the 1600m just a few months later, that things really started clicking for her, though.

“A lot of racing is just being able to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” Ella explained. “I think, in that (1600m) race, I got to a point where I said, ‘Alright, whatever happens at the end of the race, be proud of yourself. Whatever happens when you cross that line, it’s going to be good either way. You’ve gotten to this point and you’ve done everything to get here already. So just race with your heart and race however makes you feel happiest and feel the most joy.’”

That mindset worked, as Hagen says that track championship was the most difficult one for her to secure and the one she’s most proud of.

“There was definitely a lot of questioning beforehand, like, ‘Am I going to be able to compete?’” Ella recalled. “But, I stepped on the line and I said, ‘No matter what happens, I’m going to smile when I’ve crossed the finish line, and I’m just going to enjoy one of the few state championships opportunities that I have.’

“It was definitely a really hard race. Going into the final 800m, everything was starting to hurt, but I told myself it was time to grit your teeth, see what you can do, and go for broke.”

And go for broke she did, winning her second state title – first on the track – by edging the runner-up out of first place by less than one second.

Hagen capped off her triple crown by winning her third state title earlier this year, as she took home the nordic skate championship. Surprisingly though, the more memorable race for Hagen may have been this year’s classic race, where she came in second at the nordic championships.

“There was a point in that race where I think I was in 15th or somewhere far back, because I didn’t have the best middle stretch,” Ella recalled. “It was about that point where I said, ‘Well, it’s over. I can’t do it anymore. There’s no way I can fight 45 seconds back on the line.’ But then, we started climbing and I said, ‘maybe I can.’  And I did. So, I think for that reason, I’m almost more proud of the classic race.”

Ella Hagen is already one of the state’s most accomplished high school athletes, but, considering she is only a junior, there is a lot of time left to continue to add to her trophy case. First up, defending her 1600m title at this year’s track and field state championships in May.

“I only have one more set of seasons after this spring,” Ella expressed. “So I just want to have fun. I want to have fun with my team and really enjoy every aspect of it.”