Thompson Valley wins 4A boys cross country state title; Cheyenne Mountain’s Le Roux wins solo crown

COLORADO SPRINGS — After a strong start to the Class 4A boys’ cross country state championship, Cheyenne Mountain’s Aiden Le Roux knew he had a chance to make history.

The Red-Tailed Hawks’ junior crossed the one-mile mark at 4:31 — his fastest split ever at the Norris Penrose Center in Colorado Springs — and held the lead. Le Roux used his fast start and won the event, setting an all-classification state record with a time of 15:02.1.

“This is the backyard for my high school, so I run here a lot, and I love this course,” Le Roux said. “It means a lot to hold the course record. It’s crazy to me.”

Le Roux finished fifth at state a year ago with a time of 15:32.2. The sophomore knew that the balance between starting quick but not getting too exhausted early would be the key to winning in 2024.

The result? A gold medal and a 30-second improvement.

“I was trying to go out a little fast,” Le Roux said. “I felt a little hot, but I felt comfortable, I felt good.”

Just behind Le Roux was senior teammate Brogan Collins. Collins earned the silver medal, crossing the finish line in 15:18.1.

Le Roux and Collins’ top-two finishes helped Cheyenne Mountain place third as a team.

“It’s really good to have us pushing each other,” Collins said. “It’s been super cool to do this season with everyone. There have been ups and downs, but it was super fun to come out with the team and race our hearts out.”

Thompson Valley won the team title, collecting 64 team points.

The Eagles nudged Coronado narrowly, as the Cougars logged 69 points. The title is Thompson Valley’s first in program history.

Thompson Valley’s steady growth finally turned into a state win on Saturday. The Eagles won regional championships in the previous two years but finished ninth and third in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Five Eagles finished in the top 20, allowing them to get the job done this time.

“We’ve worked together as a crew for so many years, so I’m just so happy to be here with these guys,” senior Guthrie Manzella said.

Senior Curtis Smela had the Eagles’ best time, 15:51.6, and finished seventh overall. Manzella finished in 15:57.3 to place ninth.

Thompson Valley’s other runners were Trent Gabrielson (12th), Ty Bakker (17th), Levi Smela (19th), Jacob Crisman (25th) and Isaac Vasquez (32nd).

As a senior, Smela believes he and his senior teammates have set the bar for future Thompson Valley cross country squads.

“This puts us on the map for sure,” Smela said. “Not a lot of people have known our names for the last couple years, and it’s great to get that out there.”