LAKEWOOD – When he’s ready to start his run toward the high jump bar, Longmont’s Eddie Kurjak stands, raises his arms and begins a slow clap, urging the crowd to join him.
On Friday, the fans at Jefferson County Stadium followed his lead with the slow clap and then Kurjak cleared the bar with a Class 4A state-meet record leap of 7 feet to win the state title in the high jump.
“It feels amazing, man,” Kurjak said. “I love this environment. I’ve been psyching myself up all week for it just trying to prepare every night the best I can. A good season’s work finally paid off. I’m really proud of myself.”
Kurjak, headed to Colorado Mesa to play basketball and compete in track and field, said getting the slow clap going helps him.
“Me personally, it helps me flush out over-thinking to get the whole crowd involved,” he said. “Obviously it’s not going to make me jump higher, but it helps me not be so in my head about things. It just enables me to run and jump.”
It completed a long quest for a state title. He was second in the high jump in 2019 and likely would have been the favorite in 2020, but the season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kurjak said clearing 7 feet – the previous 4A record was 6-11 by Cheyenne Mountain’s Colt Sessions in 2013 – added a lot to his title, but that winning was sweet.
“They were both big personal goals for me, but I think winning state means a little more because I came up short sophomore year and last year I didn’t have a season,” he said. “Both years I’ve wanted to win. To finally get it this year just feels really, really amazing.”
It was an amazing feeling for the Class 4A girls high jump champion, as well.
Pueblo West’s Shayla Padilla won the title with a season-best leap of 5-6. She followed in the footsteps of her brother, Cisco, who beat Kurjak for the 4A boys title in 2019.
“It’s so exciting,” she said. “I’m literally just filling in my brother’s shoes because my brother won two years ago. It feels so good to come out here and compete with all these girls and it felt great.”
Padilla said her brother has given her some grief for not having a title, but he gave her some works of encouragement before Friday’s final.
“I think me and my brother are really competitive and he always used to make fun of me and be like, ‘Don’t talk to me because you don’t have a ring yet,’” she said. “It just made me want to win so bad, so here I am and I got a ring.”
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Class 5A
Cherry Creek’s Riley Stewart knew she would be busy this weekend, but the junior has made it worth it.
On Friday, she won state titles in the 800 (2:09.60) and 3,200 meters (10:31.45), adding to the 3,200-meter relay championship she helped the Bruins on Thursday.
“I’m a little tired,” she said with a laugh. “I knew it was going to be a struggle coming in, but I need to do what’s best for my team and this would be best for the points.”
Stewart, favored to win the 1,600 on Saturday, picked up 20 valuable points for the Bruins with her two victories Friday.
“It’s so exciting,” said Stewart, who was top-five in all three individual events in 2019. “It’s like momentum building into the 1,600. I’m just so happy to come back from freshman year (in 2019) and to have these opportunities again. It’s just a great feeling to come out with two state titles.
“It’s been a great meet so far. It honestly just keeps getting better and better.”
Stewart’s teammate, Parker Wolfe, cruised to the boys 3,200-meter championship in 9:07.87, but scratched in the 800 so he could focus on Saturday’s 1,600.
In the boys 800, Mountain Vista’s Harrison Witt set a 5A meet record with a time of 1:48.75. He cruised to the title by more than three seconds over the rest of the field. It’s the first individual state title for Witt, who helped the Golden Eagles win the 3,200 relay in 2019.
Grandview, meanwhile, dominated the relays on Friday – winning all three finals that were contested.
The Grandview girls won the 800 medley relay and 800-meter relay. Saniya Craft, Molly Skurcenski and Amber Davis were a part of both relays, while Ava Robinson ran on the 800 relay and McKenzie Droughns on the medley.
For the boys, Charlie Dick, Kahden Rullo, Evan Johnson and David Maldonado teamed up to win the 800-meter relay for the Wolves.
In the only field events contested Friday in 5A, Brandon Hills of Vista Ridge won the boys long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 2 inches, while Fabiola Belibi of Regis Jesuit won the girls long jump with a leap of 18 feet.
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Class 4A
Erie has been chasing Air Academy all season in the boys 800-meter relay and on Friday, the Tigers finally caught the Kadets.
The team of Sean Thomas-Francisco, Mason Veve, Blake Donaldson and Quintin Hartel crossed the finish line in a school-record time of 1:29.52, edging rival Mead by just .56 of a second. Air Academy, the top seed coming in, was disqualified for a zone violation.
“It’s amazing,” Hartel said. “We’ve always known we had a good team since two great football players (Thomas-Francisco and Veve) came into the program. We’ve been working all year. We’re always ranked No.2 behind Air Academy. We use that as encouragement to run as hard as we could. It worked out and it’s amazing to come away with a school record and a state championship.”
Friday was another big day for Niwot, as well.
The favorite to repeat as girls champion, the Cougars took home three titles Friday, including a Class 4A meet record in the 800-meter relay. The Cougars finished in 1:39.49, just ahead of the previous record of 1:39.80, by Valor Christian in 2016.
Niwot also won the girls 800 medley relay and swept the individual 800 meters, with Madison Shults winning the girls race and Zane Bergen the boys race.
In the girls shot put, Northfield junior Giavonna Meeks was the overwhelming favorite, but injured her ankle during warm-ups and was taken to the hospital. Meeks, who won the discus on Thursday, was unable to compete. In her absence, Skyview senior Bahati Nabindu won the state title, with a season-best throw of 36 feet, 5.5 inches.
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Class 3A
Two down, one to go for Joshua Medina of Alamosa.
On Friday, the senior won the 800-meter run and 3,200-meter run for the first state titles of his career.
“It still hasn’t really sunk in,” he said. “It’s kind of unreal.”
Runner-up at the state cross country meet earlier this year, Medina had an exceptional time of 9:28.27 in the 3,200 meters, beating Gunnison’s Alex Baca – who beat Medina in cross country – by nearly eight seconds.
In the 800, he hung on to post a time of 1:54.78 and get the win.
“All week I’ve been telling myself I’m going to triple crown, so it wasn’t unexpected,” said Medina, who will aim for the 1,600-meter title on Saturday. “I would say I expected to win, but it was certainly a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. With around 300 left (in the 800), I didn’t think I was going to win. I was just able to dig deep and pull through.”
Medina closed the 3,200 meters with a 63-second split, by far his fastest of the eight laps.
“I think they were both just kind of surreal,” he said. “I feel like the 800 afterwards was a lot more exciting because I didn’t think I was going to come back on him and I did. The 3,200, pulling away like I did felt really good.”
While Medina is closing his career strong, Classical Academy’s Anna Willis is starting her career on a high note.
The freshman won the girls pole vault, becoming the fourth Willis sister to win the event at state for TCA. Andrea Willis won state titles from 2014-16, Erika Willis in 2017 and 2018 and Kristina Willis in 2019.
Anna posted a winning vault of 12 feet, 6 inches. She came up just short of the 3A state meet record set by Erika in 2018 (12-9). Andrea has the Colorado prep record, at 13-9 in 2016.
On the girls side, other champions included Peak to Peak’s Allison Beasley with a 22-second personal-best in the 3,200 meters (11:02.51); Jefferson Academy’s Aaliyah Robinson in the long jump (17-8.5); Lamar’s Alexandria Tice in the shot put (40-5.25); Coal Ridge’s Mikayla Cheney in the 800 (2:15.22); Eaton in the 800 medley relay (1:51.10); and Moffat County in the 800-meter relay (1:45.46).
On the boys side, other champions included Lutheran’s Noah Kelly in the pole vault (14 feet); Classical Academy’s Mitchell Anderson in the discus (150-2); Sterling’s Tucker Myers in the triple jump (45-2.75); and University in the 800-meter relay (1:29.79).
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Class 2A
Aiming for a team title, the Cedaredge girls took a big step forward on Friday with a pair of wins in relays. The Bruins took home state titles in the 800 medley relay and 800-meter relay and lead the team race, 34-23 over Hayden.
Seniors Baylee Harris and Kimmy Milholland teamed with junior Bailey Nelson and sophomore Kylee Terry to post a time of 1:52.55 in the medley, beating second-place Hayden by more than two seconds.
In the 800 relay, Harris, Nelson and Terry teamed with senior Kammie Henderson to post a time of 1:49.62, just edging Hoehne by .25 of a second.
In other girls finals, Holyoke’s Lauren Herman won the discus with a throw of 126 feet, 1 inch; Isabel Case of Colorado Springs Christian won the 800 meters (2:23.41); and Hannah Grover of Platte Canyon won the pole vault (9-5) in a jump-off.
On the boys side, Wiggins junior Mohamed Ibrahim had a big day in the shot put. Although he came up short of his personal best, Ibrahim had a throw of 56 feet, 4 inches to win the title by nearly six feet over Wray’s Bryant Schoenthal (50-8). On Thursday, Ibrahim was second to Schoenthal in the discus.
Also on Friday, Connor Williams of Crested Butte pulled an upset in the 800 meters. Seeded fifth coming in, he ran a blistering time of 1:54.21 – more than 10 seconds better than his season-best – to win the title. Custer County’s Micah Zeller, the favorite coming in, also had a season-best time (1:57.61) to finish second.
Centauri took home a state title in the boys 800 relay, posting a time of 1:31.60.
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Class 1A
Just a sophomore, Maggie Haase of Eads had never been to state before this week, but she has looked comfortable at Jeffco Stadium.
On Friday, Haase won the girls high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 3 inches, and then finished third in the triple jump.
“It was very exciting,” she said. I’ve never been to a state tournament before and I was just really looking forward to it. I’m so glad we could still have it with everything going on.”
Haase was favored to win both events and set a personal best in the high jump. In the triple jump, she came up short of her best, but still posted a solid leap of 33 feet, 9.5 inches.
Lone Star’s Alivia Weathers had a season-best jump of 34-8 to win the title, while Merino’s Taysa Conger had her best leap of the season (34-6) to finish second.
“I’m not disappointed getting third,” Haase said. “I’m just happy to be here. I’m happy for the other two jumpers. They deserve it.”
Heritage Christian dominated in the 3,200-meter relays, sweeping the titles. The boys team posted a time of 9:08.64 to win by 21 seconds, while the girls finished their race in 10:46.85 to win by nearly 11 seconds.
In other girls finals, Brakelle Westphal of Springfield won the 800 meters (2:28.93) and helped her team win the 800-meter relay (1:52.92).
In other boys events, Elbert’s Nick Dahm won the triple jump (41-10.25); DeBeque’s Trevor Lewis won the 800 (2:01.84); Prairie’s Erik Lebsock won the discus (138-4); and Cheyenne Wells had a strong final kick to win the 800 relay (1:36.30).
