LAKEWOOD — Heading into the Class 4A state track and field championships for the past few years, the question hasn’t so much who will win the girls team title. It’s how much Niwot will win by.
On Saturday at Jeffco Stadium, the Cougars raked in their seventh straight championship dating back to 2019 (save for the COVID year), behind their all-star Addison Ritzenhein, with a final team score of 95 points.
The senior phenom, who ended her high school running career with 13 state titles — three in cross country and 10 in track — naturally went out with the 4A state meet record in the 1,600 on Saturday. She won at 4 minutes, 44.47 seconds, beating out Air Academy’s Jordan Banta by a full six seconds.
She'll be heading to Northern Arizona next year, with a national Gatorade Player of the Year award (2024) and Nike Cross Nationals title (2023) also in hand.
“Oh, there are so many emotions,” Ritzenhein said. “I think I'm just so grateful to be out here with my teammates. We had six (Niwot) girls competing in the mile and then my future teammates, (Air Academy’s Banta and Chamorra Cooper), are also here. It’s such a great crowd. My family and coaches are here. It's a surreal moment.”
She picked up additional golds in the 3,200 and the 4x800 with Elise Hagen, Elsza Bergen and Scarlett Parks.
“It couldn't mean more,” Ritzenhein said. “It's so important to me. It's who I really am as a runner, just running for my team. I'm going to really carry all the memories and lessons I've learned from Niwot and put it towards my future career.”
Since he first took over the program in 2010, head coach Maurice Henriques has turned the Cougars into a powerhouse that every other program is always chasing. He trained eventual Olympian Elise Cranny in the early years, and compared Ritzenhein to that former star.
“Our first team title was in 2013 and we're here in 2026, going for number 10,” Henriques said. “I couldn't have imagined having that program and knowing that everybody, they want to beat us on this day and we just show up.
“We’re running for each other. This year, our word was ‘culture’ and culture comes back from the kids that came before you. (The coaches) care about kids and we don’t care about results. I mean, we get to see the results and a lot of people won't talk about that, but these kids care about each other.”
Throughout the final day of competition, Pueblo East's Peagan Falletta swept the hurdles events, winning the 100m hurdles in a time of 13.92 and then clocking a time of 42.34 in the 300m hurdles. Sierra's Suraiya Payne claimed the 100m championship in 11.63 and then Windsor swept the remaining events, with Kiana Cumings winning the 200m in 23.58 and the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams finishing first. The 4x100 team of Tatum Gentry, Maya Aguilar, Olivia Cruz and Maya Brasch clock a time of 47.37, while Brasch, teamed with Kendal Bach, Emarie Hybarger and Cumings to win the 4x400 in a season best time of 3:49.33.