4A Girls Track & Field: Niwot’s Addison Ritzenhein Claims Fourth 3200m State Title
By Brent New
Photo: Wallace Photography
LAKEWOOD — Niwot’s Addison Ritzenhein became the fourth four-time champion in state history in the 3,200-meter run Friday.
The senior won the 4A girls two-mile in 10 minutes, 31.46 seconds on the second day of the state track and field meet at Jeffco Stadium.
Palisade’s Natalie Hughes was the last girl to accomplish the feat from 1998-2001. Before that, only Florence’s Calley Nelson and Sargent’s Cruz Zarco had won four straight titles in the event, both from 1987-1990.
“It was definitely a goal of mine ever since my freshman year when I won the two-mile and it was my first state title ever,” Ritzenhein said. “I felt very confident in my training, and I am just really happy with the way it turned out.”
Ritzenhein is now a six-time individual track and field state gold medalist. In cross country, she won three straight state titles and a national championship at Nike Cross Nationals.
Now, she said, there’s just one more thing left to accomplish.
“We definitely want to get the state title for the girls and boys for this meet,” the Northern Arizona commit said. “And I think we have a really good shot at doing that. Besides that, I just want to have fun with my teammates as it’s my last day.”
Niwot will enter the final day with the lead in both the girls and boys 4A team standings.
In the girls race, the Cougars may already have their seventh straight state title wrapped up, sitting at 59 points — 24 ahead of second-place Roosevelt.
In doing so, Ritzenhein had plenty of help on Friday.
Behind her in the 3,200, Elise Hagen took third in 10:40.48 for the Cougars, while Scarlett Parks finished fifth in 10:49.63.
Then in the 800 final, Ritzenhein placed third in 2:10.97 as Niwot put four runners inside the top 10. Tereza Koudelka was sixth in 2:13.68, while Hagen was eighth (2:14.43) and Breckin Lee ninth (2:14.52).
Mountain View’s Madeline Clark, meanwhile, won the 800 in near wire-to-wire fashion (2:09.02), edging Air Academy’s Jordan Banta (2:09.56).
“I went in thinking I’m just going to run it like I normally do,” Clark said. “If that means taking the lead the whole race, then that’s what I was prepared for. That’s pretty much what happened. I took it out a little faster than I originally planned, but I’m happy with that.”
Elsewhere in the classification Friday, Windsor — Tatum Gentry, Maya Aguilar, Emarie Hybarger and Kiana Cumings — won the 4×200 relay in 1:39.56.
The only other 4A girls final on Day 2 was the long jump, won by Palmer freshman Noa Harrison with a leap of 18 feet, 4.25 inches.
“I just had a feeling that today I was going to win state,” Harrison said.
The state track and field meet will conclude Saturday at Jeffco Stadium.
