4A Boys Track & Field: Culpepper and the Cougars of Niwot Claim Another Crown
By Brian Howell
LAKEWOOD – With about 200 meters to go in the 1,600-meter run Saturday, Niwot’s Rocco Culpepper knew it was time to go.
Personal success was on the line, but so was team glory, and Culpepper found an extra gear.
The senior surged to the finish line to win the Class 4A 1,600 for the third year in a row and, in turn, helped Niwot to a second consecutive team title at the state track and field championships at Jefferson County Stadium.
Niwot cruised to the team title, finishing with 111.5 points, while Roosevelt was second (87 points) and Palmer Ridge was third (75). It’s the fourth all-time team title for the Cougars, all of them since 2019.
Led by Culpepper, Niwot had four runners in the top seven of the 1,600, earning 24 points in that race alone. Culpepper finished in 4 minutes, 8.13 seconds, edging Jay McDonald of Summit, who was second in 4:08.38.
“Honestly, my plan was just to come in and I know in the 1,600 I’m as fit as anyone,” said Culepper, who won his fifth individual state title. “So, I said to myself, ‘I’m going to put myself in position, and if I feel good, I’m going for it.’ With 300 to go, I was like, ‘Oh, I feel very good,’ so I started building and ripped it with, like, about 180 to go.”
McDonald had a strong kick in Friday’s 800 to prevent Culpepper from a third straight title in that event, although the top four runners in the 800 all broke the previous meet record. McDonald kicked first Saturday, but Culpepper’s counter-kick was stronger.
“I think that 800, I ran amazing, and I wasn’t too disappointed,” Culpepper said. “Obviously, they ran amazing. So, going into this one, I think it was fuel, in terms of just I knew what I’m capable of in this event. But, I don’t think I was out for revenge or anything. I was just coming in and running my best.”
Culpepper was also a part of six state titles in relays during his career, including the 3,200-meter relay on Thursday, when Niwot set a Colorado prep record (7:37.24). He was then a part of Niwot’s victory in the final event of the meet, Saturday’s 1,600-meter relay.
“It means a lot in terms of, like, I’m proud of myself and how far I’ve been able to grow and keep developing, and winning back-to-back times is very hard,” he said. “But honestly, it’s all subjective for me. If I can go out and put my best effort forward, I’m proud no matter what it is.”
Several Cougars put their best foot forward throughout the weekend, leading to a third team title in the last six years.
In the 1,600 relay to cap the day, Niwot posted a time of 3:17.48 to beat second-place Cheyenne Mountain (3:18.87) and the rest of the field. Culpepper teamed with Kingston Staton, Quinn Sullivan and Joshua Archuleta in that race.
“It’s awesome (to win the team title), especially with, just, we have an awesome senior class that’s leaving, and I think to end on a win is amazing for all of us,” Culpepper said.
Roosevelt made a run at the team title in part because of the efforts from junior Owen Hays. He swept the hurdles on Saturday, winning the 110-meter hurdles before setting a state meet record in the 300 hurdles.
“Oh, it’s amazing,” Hays said. “All the work I’ve been putting in since August, just all the training and everything, just trusting my process is really huge, and like it becomes a mental thing. Being mentally into the game today, and this whole year, has been the game changer, I would say.”
Hays won the 110 hurdles in 13.64 seconds, while Windsor’s Markus Gilmore was second, at 14.33. Then, Hays posted a sizzling 36.54 seconds in the 300 hurdles, breaking former state meet record of 36.81 set by Wasson’s Trevor Brown in 2010. Niwot’s Jaydan Martinez was second in 36.70, also breaking the old record.
Hays, who was runner-up in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 110 hurdles last year, also placed third in the 200 meters on Saturday.
“I came into the 110s pretty confident, and then even getting a PR in the 110s just felt amazing,” Hays said. “My confidence, for sure, skyrocketed, so I was just eager to come into the two hundreds and the three hundreds today. Performance in the three hundreds was what I wanted.”
While Roosevelt came up short of the team title, Hays was ecstatic about the RoughRiders’ performance.
“We’ve had Niwot in the back of our mind, like, day and night,” he said. “How good Niwot is overall with all of their distance runners and everything, to even get close to them, it’s something special to us. It for sure tells something about Roosevelt after today is done, win or lose, it makes a point.”
Canon City’s Gavin Reddick finished on a high note, too, sweeping the titles in the 100 and 200 meters.
The defending champion in the 100, Reddick posted a time of 10.61 seconds in Saturday’s final, with Wheat Ridge senior Zaccary Southern coming in second, at 10.79.
“The 100, obviously, is my favorite event,” he said. “It’s always been my thing since middle school, and I just never knew that I was fast. Last year, once I got that win, I did everything I could this year to make sure that I would be able to win again today. It’s just countless work, if I’m being honest. I mean, if you want something, you’ve got to work for it.”
Reddick was third in the 200 a year ago, but came back this year to win that event, in 21.55 seconds, a personal record. Roosevelt sophomore Houston Howell was second, with a time of 21.69.
“To win the 200 probably means the most to me, just because it was never my event, and the fact that I’m getting good at it just makes me so happy,” he said.
In the 400 meters, Grand Junction Central sophomore Jaidden Gibbs won his first state title, crossing the finish line in 47.89 seconds. He was fourth a year ago as a freshman. Niwot’s Archuleta was second (48.07), while defending champion Carter Sola of Lutheran was fourth (48.19).
Grand Junction’s Isaac Baca won his first state title, posting a throw of 179 feet, 5 inches in the discus. He came in as the favorite and backed that up. Palmer Ridge senior Samuel Inma was second, at 168-7.
Discovery Canyon’s Quinn Pascual finally found the top of the podium in the pole vault. Runner-up the past two years, Pascual, a senior, had a winning vault of 15-11 to take his first title. Thompson Valley senior Zack Bakker was second, at 15-5, finishing in the top three for the fourth year in a row.
Palmer Ridge took the title in the 400-meter relay. The team of Zachariah Crisler, Jayden Leonard, Tayden LeVier and Eli Stewart posted a time of 41.72 seconds to outlast Mesa Ridge, which was second at 42.07.
