COLORADO STATE MEET

Niwot sweeps Class 4A titles, including sixth in a row for girls, in final year before moving up to highest classification, with Air Academy girls setting Class 5A records for lowest score and best team time to secure back-to-back crowns; The Classical Academy takes both in Class 3A, Campos wins third straight in Class 2A, Draper and Ritzenhein are fastest

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

It was a fitting conclusion Saturday for Niwot High in Class 4A, complete with a title sweep by both genders and the girls achieving the fastest individual and team times in classification history on their way to matching the all-time scoring record at the Colorado High School Activities Association Cross Country Championships.

And yet, the Cougars weren’t even the fastest girls program to compete at Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs, with Air Academy producing the all-time 5-kilometer team effort to repeat as 5A champions.

INTERVIEWS

Niwot is scheduled to join Air Academy in Class 5A next year.

But the Cougars and Kadets will square off for the first time this season Nov. 18 at the Nike Southwest Regional in Arizona in a matchup of the top two girls programs in the country, looking to both advance to race Dec. 2 at Nike Cross Nationals at Glendoveer Golf Course in Oregon.

Air Academy and Niwot commanded the spotlight Saturday with memorable performances in their respective finals, along with The Classical Academy adding to its legacy with a sweep of the 3A championships.

Niwot became the third girls team in state history to win at least six consecutive titles, placing six athletes in the top 10 and all seven competitors in the top 15 to equal its Class 4A record with 20 points, the third year in a row the Cougars have produced that total.

Addison Ritzenhein, a sophomore, eclipsed the Class 4A record and elevated to No. 3 all-time on the 5-kilometer layout at Norris Penrose by clocking 17 minutes, 8.2 seconds.

Summit junior Ella Hagen, last year’s winner, lowered her time by 10 seconds in a runner-up effort in 17:38.0. Payton Meineke, a sophomore at Riverdale Ridge who was 27th in her state debut last season in 19:52.7, improved to fifth Saturday in 18:16.0.

Olivia Alessandrini (18:01.2) and Sarah Perkins (18:07.1), both seniors, took third and fourth for the Cougars, who had Mia Prok (18:17.2) secure sixth, Avalon Beltran (18:22.9) earn eighth and Anna Prok making her season debut to take 10th in 18:46.4.

Cayden Justice finished 15th in 18:58.7 for Niwot, which joined The Classical Academy and Lake County as the only girls programs to win at least six in a row.

The Cougars also clocked 89:57 as a team, an improvement from their 91:44 effort last year at the state final.

Niwot also captured its third Class 4A boys title in five seasons with a 58-104 victory against Cheyenne Mountain, winner of the past two championships.

Rocco Culpepper took third for the Cougars in 15:27.8, with Battle Mountain senior Will Brunner securing the first boys title in program history in 15:19.9 and Mullen’s Jacob Sushinsky placing second in 15:21.7.

Culpepper was supported by Cole Mazurana earning eighth in 15:45.3, Ryder Keeton taking 11th in 15:56.0, Hunter Robbie (16:13.1) and Evan Kear (16:14.0) finishing 20th and 21st, respectively, followed by Keegan Geldean (16:21.5) and Quinn Sullivan (16:24.0) in 25th and 26th for the Cougars, who ran 79:36 for the fastest team time across all classifications.

Although Niwot opened the schedule in impressive fashion, Air Academy provided an emphatic conclusion, as the Kadets had five competitors in the top eight to produce a 26-120 victory against Fossil Ridge, eclipsing the Class 5A standard of 28 points achieved by Dakota Ridge in 2007.

Rosie Mucharsky, a junior, became the first girls individual champion for Denver East, securing the Class 5A crown in 17:28.8 after finishing 33rd last season in 19:21.1.

Tessa Walter (17:46.1) and freshman Mariah Hook (17:50.9) were second and third, respectively, for Air Academy, with early leader Bethany Michalak securing sixth in 17:59.0, ninth-grader Chamorra Cooper taking seventh in 18:00.9 and Emily Beers earning eighth in 18:06.8, as the Kadets achieved the fastest team performance in Class 5A history by clocking 89:44 after running 92:37 during their championship effort last season.

Lauren Myers placed 24th in 18:57.4 and Jordan Banta grabbed 28th in 19:05.6 for Air Academy, which became the first girls team to repeat in Class 5A since Mountain Vista in 2017-18.

Mountain Vista, expected to challenge for a podium finish Saturday, had Claire Guiberson (18:17.0) and Zoe Brandt (18:18.8) achieve ninth and 10th, but the Golden Eagles were fifth with 143 points, as Chaparral took third at 134 points and Cherry Creek was fourth with 135 points.

Cherry Creek sophomore Emily Cohen finished fourth in 17:55.3 and Loveland senior Elena Torres placed fifth in 17:57.9.

Brennan Draper, a senior at Chaparral, achieved the fastest time of the meet by winning the Class 5A boys championship in 15:14.4, the No. 4 all-time effort at Norris Penrose.

Draper secured the second Class 5A individual title in three years for the Wolverines, along with Tanner Brown in 2021.

Benjamin Anderson, a junior at Mountain Vista, was second in 15:19.0 and Valor Christian’s Dane Eike took third in 15:28.2.

Mountain Vista was also runner-up in the Class 5A team competition, as Rock Canyon used the motivation from last year’s fifth-place finish to capture the program’s first state title with a 96-105 victory.

Owen Whitney, a junior, led Rock Canyon by placing fourth in 15:32.5, as the Jaguars had five scorers finish in the top 60.

Matthew Edwards, a senior, achieved the fastest performance in Class 3A boys history and No. 8 all-time at Norris Penrose by clocking 15:20.7 to help The Classical Academy produce five scorers in the top 20 in order to secure a third consecutive team title and ninth overall with a 48-81 triumph against Berthoud.

The Titans added to their girls state record by winning a 15th team championship, placing six athletes in the top 30 to prevail against Peak to Peak by a 69-133 margin. The Classical Academy, led Saturday by freshman Joy Ahnfeldt taking 10th in 19:25.2, rebounded after having its four-year run halted last season by Alamosa.

Isabel Allori, a senior at Liberty Common, repeated as Class 3A girls champion in 17:32.4, with Stargate senior Allison Pippert eclipsing the 18-minute barrier for the first time by securing second in 17:52.6.

Nadhia Campos, a junior at The Vanguard School, became the first female athlete in Class 2A history to win three consecutive titles, lowering her own classification record to 18:19.1.

Mikaela Kendall, a sophomore, took runner-up in 19:22.6 to help Heritage Christian Academy capture its first girls team title with a 37-47 victory against Lake County.

Andrew Bel, a junior, became the first boys state champion for Colorado Springs Christian by securing the Class 2A boys title in 16:16.6.

Golden View Classical Academy, led by Bobby Kiesewetter (16:24.1) and Yosef Heldt (16:38.5) finishing third and fourth, earned its first Class 2A boys championship by a 42-85 margin against Banning Lewis Preparatory Academy.

Team Champions

Class 5A - Rock Canyon boys 96 points, Air Academy girls 26 points - RESULTS

Class 4A - Niwot boys 58 points, Niwot girls 20 points - RESULTS

Class 3A - The Classical Academy boys 48 points, The Classical Academy girls 69 points - RESULTS

Class 2A - Golden View Classical Academy boys 42 points, Heritage Christian Academy girls 37 points - RESULTS