The Classical Academy claims 3A girls cross country team state title; Eaton’s Reuter wins individual gold
By Carson Field, CHSAANow
COLORADO SPRINGS — The dynasty continued for The Classical Academy’s girls’ cross country team on Saturday.
The Titans placed five runners in the top 18 at the 3A girls’ state championship in Colorado Springs, winning the team title handily with 38 points. TCA’s title is its sixth in the last seven years and the Titans’ 16th in program history.
In TCA’s years of dominance, the Titans have used their depth to push one another in big races like state — this year was no exception.
TCA runners Vivan Jack and Ellie Askew crossed the one-mile mark in third and fourth places, respectively. Those two fed off each others’ energy throughout the race, finishing in the same positions.
The two runners that finished ahead of Jack and Askew — Eaton’s Delaney Reuter and Alamosa’s Elizabeth McQuitty — were solo runners, so TCA’s top duo earned the lowest amount of team points.
“We are definitely a dynamic duo,” Jack said. “We work together through everything. We work so well together, and it was so awesome to get to run together.” Winning has become a tradition for the Titans. But the sensation of victory hasn’t diminished for them.
“We’ve been ready to run this race as a team,” Askew said. “We’ve been working so hard for this, and this has been on our mind for the whole season.” Individually, Reuter finished in 17:26.9, almost a minute ahead of McQuitty (18:21.2).
Now a sophomore, this is only Reuter’s second year running cross country. She primarily played volleyball throughout middle school but decided to try cross country in high school.
Even in her first season, Reuter had lofty goals. As a freshman, she hoped to finish in the top three at state — instead, she placed sixth.
Most wouldn’t see a sixth-place finish as a shortcoming, but Reuter did. And that fueled her to the gold in 2024.
“I was looking to come back from last year,” Reuter said. “It was a lot of preparation over the summer and a lot of good coaching.”
By the two-mile mark, Reuter held a comfortable 41-second lead. The sophomore admitted that the temptation to slow down was there.
But Reuter put those thoughts aside and kept her pace to cross the line first.
“I guess battling the voice in your head,” Reuter said. “It’s hard when there’s no one close cause you want to slow down. But you have to stay disciplined.”
As someone who wants to run cross country in college, Reuter believes that Saturday’s winning feeling will fuel her to continually improve.
“There’s a lot of people on the back stretch, and when they’re cheering for you, it gives you such a surge of energy,” Reuters said. “It makes you feel good.”
“It feels amazing. It’s the little things every day that make it worth it.”
