Pomona senior Emma Stutzman still had enough energy for a victorious scream after running the Class 5A girls 3,200-meter run in a time of 10 minutes, 12.68 seconds on Friday morning at Jeffco Stadium.
After a handful of close calls on the track and cross country over four years, Stutzman finally captured her first individual high school state title.
“It feels about as good as you think it would feel,” Stutzman said about standing atop the podium for the first time in a state event during her highly decorated prep career.
In Stutzman’s first race of the 3-day state meet, the senior led from start-to-finish in the 3,200. Stutzman is also one of the favorites in the 800 and 1,600 final.
“There was a lot of excitement, but a little bit of it was relief that I did it,” Stutzman said of her state victory. “The first race is always little more nerve-wracking than the other ones because you don’t know exactly how you fell. You don’t know exactly how you are going to react in that first one.”
Air Academy junior Bethan Michalak, who came in as the top seed, couldn’t keep up with Stutzman on the final 300 meters.
“Coming around with about 250 (meters) left probably,” Stutzman said when she really felt she was going to win. “I was like, ‘It’s all or nothing.’ I had to be on my toes and was telling myself I was OK. I just had to do it. At 250 I felt nobody could catch me. This was my race.”
Stutzman’s face looked a little stressed with two laps remaining, but she was confident that the pace was manageable enough that she could finish strong in the final 200 meters.
Valor senior Brooke Wilson, who edged out Stutzman in the 5A girls cross country championship race last Fall, finished third in a time of 10:28.49.
“It is a little bit off now,” Stutzman said of the pressure in her final high school state meet before heading off to run for Northern Arizona University. “Now it becomes even more fun because there isn’t that worry.”
Stutzman had placed in the top-4 of the 1,600 and 3,200 at the state meet the past two years. As a sophomore she took third in the 1,600 and runner-up in the 3,200. Last year, she took fourth in both the 1,600 and 3,200.
The COVID-19 pandemic canceled the state track and field championships Stutzman’s freshman year.
On the cross country side, Stutzman finished in the top-10 all four years. She took 4th (freshman), 3rd (sophomore), 9th (junior) and 2nd (senior) during her cross country career at Pomona.
“I’m glad I don’t have to worry about it anymore,” Stutzman said.
About 90 minutes after winning the 3,200 she ran in the 5A girls 800 final. Stutzman was in contention to win her second state title in less than 2 hours, but Denver East sophomore Rosie Mucharsky was able to pull away in the final 200 meters to take the victory in a time of 2:09.57. Stutzman finished 2nd with a time of 2:11.32.
Stutzman will finish off her prep career on Saturday running in the 1,600 final. The senior is the top seed coming into the championship race that is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.