LAKEWOOD — The field events for Saturday’s state track and field finals have been delayed by one hour.
Originally scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m., they will now begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. All succeeding events have been delayed by one hour, as well. That means if an event was originally scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m., it is now scheduled for at 2:30 p.m.
The running events remain as originally scheduled, and will begin at 9:30 a.m.
LAKEWOOD — The state track and field meet is pushing through some rain at Jeffco Stadium on Saturday.
However, it has caused some changes to the schedule. Namely: all field events were delayed by an hour at the start of the day. The field events were also moved a rolling schedule, meaning the events will start immediately upon the completion of the preceding event.
Additionally, the pole vault and high jump were delayed from their original start times.
High jump was pushed back from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., with the 3A boys going first. The 2A boys will follow immediately upon the completion of that event, with the 1A boys following immediately after that.
The pole vault was delayed from 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The 1A boys will start, with the 4A boys and then 4A girls immediately following.
LAKEWOOD — Long before siblings Max and Mia Manson swept the Class 5A pole vault competition at the 2018 state track and field championships, their father left his own mark on the event.
Pat Manson, a prep phenom at Aurora Central, flashed a brilliant smile as his son swiped one of his longstanding records on Thursday at Jeffco Stadium — the 5A state meet record.
Max’s chest just skimmed the top of the bar while attempting 17 feet, 3.5 inches, causing it to bounce slightly before falling back into place. The personal record vault topped his father’s 17-3 from 1986, a 32-year old record. The mark also ranks eighth in the nation at the moment.
“I’ve always thought of it as a far-off goal,” the younger Manson, yet another dynamic athlete for Monarch, said of the state meet best. “In the past couple years I knew it could be a reality. It was the most emotion I’ve ever felt after a vault. I was ecstatic.”
And yet, the elder Manson still holds an edge to Max in high school bests with an all-classification state record of 17-7.5. That may not be true by the end of next season with the promise Max has shown throughout his career.
He was the runner-up at state as a freshman with a personal best of 15-7, then finished second behind teammate Cole Rowan (a Duke University recruit) last year. They switched positions this year as Rowan dealt with an injury, but still managed to claim 2nd (15-8).
One of Max’s goals is to clear 18 feet as a senior, an extraordinary accomplishment for a high schooler.
About three decades after the birth of Pat’s illustrious career, which included a trio of gold medals at the Pan American Games, a sixth place showing at the 1997 World Championships, and a personal best of 19-2.25, another Manson is cementing himself as a Colorado prep legend.
But, he’s not the only one.
Monarch’s Mia Manson. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Mia, a sophomore, has already won back-to-back state crowns after clearing 12-6 on Thursday. The former avid rock climber is a top-flight sprinter and jumper as well. Manson’s rare mixture of speed and strength allowed her to shatter the freshmen national record in pole vault last year (13-4.25).
The underclassman was troubled with a foot injury down the stretch of this season, forced to scratch her other state qualifying events. Nonetheless, no one could match her Thursday as she bettered Rock Canyon senior Tameryn Coryell (12-3), the runner-up.
With a touch of rust though, Manson had to stay composed early.
“The first two bars I cleared on my third (and final) attempt, which is kind of stressful but after that the jumps kept getting better,” she said.
Within Boulder County, athletic lineage in track and field has been a trend of late. This is the case at Broomfield perhaps more than any other school.
Joe, Jake, Katelyn, and Emily (4th in 3,200 Thursday) Mitchem have all been standouts in distance events for the Broomfield Eagles. Ethan and Ivy (6th in 3,200) Gonzales are in the same mold.
Broomfield senior Michael Mooney. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Now Michael and Madison Mooney, a pair of national caliber athletes themselves, are leaving their own footprint on Broomfield and the entire state.
Michael Mooney (9:12) fended off a last lap charge by Denver East’s Harrison Scudamore (9:13) to claim his first 3,200 crown. Rock Canyon sophomore Easton Allred (9:15) was also in the thick of it until the very end.
“I tried to stay as close as I could to the lead,” Mooney said of his strategy. “Once he passed me that last lap, I had to give it everything I had to finish that race out.”
He was pleased to be the first state champion in his family as his other sister, Megan, a 2016 Horizon graduate, finished second in the 3,200 her senior year and now competes for Florida State University.
“I get to brag about this now,” Michael said with a laugh. “I did it first.”
Mooney also ran an 8:50 3,200 (No. 2 in nation) at the prestigious Arcadia Invite in California earlier in the spring. The Colorado State recruit has chosen to pursue cross country and track at the next level despite being named the 5A soccer player of the year and leading his team to another crown as a senior.
Later in the opening day of competition at Jeffco Stadium, Madison Mooney received the baton around 30 meters behind Mountain Vista in the 3,200 relay as the anchor leg. The Eagles rode the wings of Mooney to a state trophy, posting a time of 9:16. Mountain Vista was the runner-up in 9:23.
Madison, a future Wisconsin Badger, will be the No. 1 seed in the 800 (2:10.19) and the 1,600 (4:55.24) on Friday and Saturday. She has nabbed runner-up honors in each event before. Michael will be the No. 1 seed in the 1,600 with a time of 4:11.99, almost exactly one second off the Colorado record.
The state track and field meet will resume on Friday at 8:20 A.M. at Jeffco Stadium.
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Class 5A notes
Denver East’s Arria Minor set records in the 200 and 400, and now also holds the top time nationally in the 400.
Jequan Hogan (6’8) has now won back-to-back crowns in high jump for Fountain-Fort Carson. Teammate Jawuan Tate (158-9) was the discus champion, claiming 10 points for a Trojan dynasty (four crowns in past five seasons).
Fort Collins junior Micaylon Moore (22-10.25) leapt farther than anyone else in long jump, securing his first state title.
Mountain Vista (7:49) fought off Continental rival Legend (7:52) to win the boys 3,200 relay.
Gabriella McDonald of Rocky Mountain, a brilliant multi-sport athlete who signed with Colorado State for soccer and track and field, defended her discus crown (148-2). She’ll be after her third consecutive shot put championship later in the weekend.
The Cherokee Trail tandem of Sydnee Larkin (18-11.25) and Chian Deloach (18-6.5) swept the top two places in long jump for a Cougar group hoping to secure a team title.
The girls 3,200 was a sophomore showdown between Mountain Vista’s Jenna Fitzsimmons (cross country state champion) and Legacy’s Brynn Siles. Fitzsimmons finished on top again, but both ran stellar times (10:35 and 10:39).
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Class 4A notes
Pueblo East junior Kain Medrano (56-10.5) won shot put.
The Vista Ridge tandem of Raymon Harper (46-10) and Micah Hilts (46-1) conquered triple jump for a program that has excelled in the discipline in recent years.
Widefield junior Aaliyah Ricketts (36-6) claimed the triple jump crown.
Silver Creek senior Rylee Anderson, a Kansas University recruit, became a rare four-peat winner of high jump with a mark of 5-7.5. Vista Peak sophomore Raina Branch cleared the same height, but Anderson won on attempts. Niwot freshman Taylor James and Pueblo West freshman Shayla Padilla, third and fourth on Thursday, have bright futures themselves.
Roosevelt junior Logan Derock (40-0.75) was the only 40+ foot shot putter in the classification for girls.
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Class 3A notes
Steamboat Springs junior Eric Casey (14-0) was first in pole vault.
Reece Davidson, a Faith Christian senior, launched a farther throw than anyone in discus (159-0).
Roaring Fork has quite the pair of senior triple jumpers in Justin Thompson (45-11.75) and Jasper Germain (45-4). They proved to be the class of the field this year.
The Classical Academy’s Ryan Moen (9:38) and Mason Norman (9:41) swept the top two places in the 3,200. The Titans have flourished in distance events for years.
SkyView Academy (8:01) and Peak to Peak (9:20) ran away in the boys and girls 3,200 relays, although Frontier Academy (8:03) did pose a serious threat.
Frontier Academy senior Hannah Ellis (11:19) surged to a 3,200 title.
Bayfield junior Jordan Lanning (5-7.75) shattered the classification record in girls high jump, a record previously held by D’Evelyn’s Sarah Cerrone (5-7.50 in 2017).
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Class 2A notes
Resurrection Christian freshman Tanner Applebee announced himself as a force to be reckoned with for years to come by winning long jump (21-3.50).
Jacob Tu’ufuli of Ellicott, a senior, won shot put with a mark of 48-8.75.
Lyons (8:12, school record) and Paonia (9:57) claimed the boys and girls 3,200 relay victories. Each program has had substantial success in relay races.
Highland sophomore Remington Ross, the defending champion in the 100, announced herself as a threat to the classification record of 12.05 seconds with an eye-opening 12.09 (1st in prelims).
Dayspring Christian senior Katie Kurz claimed first in high jump (5-3).
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Class 1A notes
Levi Kilian (10:04.98) and Seth Bruxvoort (10:12.26) both shattered the previous 1A state meet record of 10:14.46 by Bryce Grahn (South Baca) in 2014. They are teammates at Heritage Christian. Sophomore Jaden Johnson (20-7) also won long jump for the Eagles.
Shining Mountain had winners in the girls 3,200 (Emma Schaefer, 12:11) and girls pole vault (Marina Flandrick).
Otis junior Keylan Dracon won boys shot put with a mark of 42-9.50.
Eads senior Mariah Smith (133-8, new 1A record) did the same in girls discus. The previous record was held by Sangre de Cristo’s Jenna McKinley (131-6, 2016).
Facing a forecast of rain this weekend, the state track and field meet is planning to run as scheduled.
The meet, set to be held at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood, begins Thursday, and Thursday looks to be clear of moisture. But Friday’s forecast brings a 92 percent chance of rain on Friday during the day, and a possibility for thunderstorms in the afternoon. Saturday’s forecast calls for a 50-70 percent chance of rain most of the day.
That said, rain won’t necessarily interrupt every event, according to CHSAA assistant commissioner Jenn Roberts-Uhlig, who oversees the sport. Events on the track, as well as some field events, will able to compete as scheduled in the rain
Rain could potentially impact certain field events, and so the CHSAA office is working on contingencies for those events. If necessary, the schedule of events will be updated.
Lightning, however, could interrupt the meet. If lightning strikes within eight miles of Jeffco Stadium, the meet will go on a mandatory 30-minute delay from the most recent strike, and the stadium will need to be cleared.
So long as lightning does not strike again within that eight-mile radius during that 30-minute delay, the meet will resume.
Further updates will be communicated on CHSAANow.com, if necessary.
LAKEWOOD — History was made Friday, May 4, at Jeffco Stadium.
Valor Christian sophomore Cole Sprout broke Colorado’s all-classification record in the boys 3,200-meter run with a time of 9:01.53 during the Jeffco League Championships. The previous record was held by The Classical Academy’s Tanner Norman, who ran a time of 9:04.97 just last year at the Pueblo Twilight Meet.
Valor sophomore Cole Sprout, right, just beats Wheat Ridge senior Drew Seidel in the Class 4A boys 1,600. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Sprout said it has been his goal all season to go after the all-classification record in the 3,200 at Jeffco’s League Championships.
“Coming in I had the goal of breaking the state record. The conditions were pretty great for that,” said Sprout of the 3,200 that was run at 7 p.m. Friday night. “I wanted to see if I could break 9 minutes. It was a great race.”
The sophomore ended up the 24-hour stretch during the 2-day meet by winning the Class 4A boys 1,600 and 800 races Saturday to help the Valor boys win the 4A Jeffco League title.
Sprout said that his plan is to run the 3,200 and 1,600 at state meet coming up May 17-19 at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood. He added that his mission will be to go after the all-classification record in the 1,600, one of the oldest track records in the state. The all-classification record in the 1,600 was set in 1981 by Wildfield’s Rich Martinez. The time Sprout will be attempting to break is 4:10.98.
Standley Lake junior Tyler Williams was up to a little record breaking of his own. Williams shattered his old 4A Jeffco League record in the 400 on Saturday by nearly a second.
Standley Lake junior Tyler Williams, left, won three individual events during the Jeffco League championships. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It was very important,” Williams said of his 47.51 seconds run in the 400 that broke his old meet record of 48.37 he set last year. “Trying to improve always.”
Williams has qualified for state in the 100, 200, 400 and 4×200 relay. He plans on running in all four events. Williams said he would like to win all four events, but would be OK with finishing top-3 in the 100, 200, 400 and 4×200 relay in a few weeks at state.
“We’ll see what happens when state comes,” said Williams, who won all four events at Jeffco conference championships. “It’s a lot in three days with four events.”
While Sprout and Williams have a few more high school track meets, Pomona senior Ryan Marquez is wrapping up one of the most impressive 3-year runs athletically by a three-sport athlete in Jeffco.
Pomona senior Ryan Marquez, right, just edged out Bear Creek senior Ryan Dalton, left, in the 5A 300-meter hurdles final Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“It’s been an amazing run and I’ve loved every second of it,” said Marquez, who played in three 5A state football games, along with playing basketball and running track at Pomona. “It feels right. Everything is wrapping up right for high school. Now it’s time to take this success and momentum into college.”
Marquez will play football at the University of Wyoming next fall, but he had some unfinished business to take care of this weekend at Jeffco Stadium. Marquez was successful in getting personal records in the 110 and 300 hurdles to set the school record in both events.
“My focus all season has really to get that 110,” said Marquez, who ran a 14.46 in the 5A boys 110 hurdles and 38.75 in the 5A boys 300 hurdles to win both events. “I just want to go out on top.”
There was a big question if Marquez would get his chance to shine his senior year after suffering a broken left arm Oct. 7 at Shea Stadium in Pomona’s football league opener against Rock Canyon.
“I was in tears when I was walking off because the trainer there told me I wouldn’t be back on the (football) field the rest of the season,” said Marquez, who did return for Pomona’s run to an eventual 5A state football title. “I had nothing going for me and this was my year to prove myself as a quarterback. Thinking my opportunity was gone really brought be down.”
Marquez was nearly perfect in Pomona’s title game against Eaglecrest. He was 20-for-22 passing for 345 yards and five touchdowns in the 56-49 victory. On the basketball court he averaged more than a dozen points per game along with 6.6 rebound and 4.1 assists to help guide the Panthers to one of their best hoops seasons in several years.
Ralston Valley junior Maya Provencal, right, helped lead the Mustangs to the 5A Jeffco girls team title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Marquez is a huge believer in the three-sport athlete.
“Each sport complements one another,” Marquez said. “Going into college I wanted to keep my competitive edge, keep competing out here. I love this. It’s fun. It’s always a good time.”
It will be an end of an era for Pomona when Marquez isn’t on the field, court or track next season.
“It’s sad parting ways with something this great,” Marquez said as his time on the high school stage comes to a close.
A complete schedule for the 2018 state track and field meet held at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood.
The meet runs May 17-19 this season.
To purchase tickets, visit GoFan. Tickets are also available at the event.
Note: The field events schedule has been modified for Friday, and for Saturday. Saturday’s pole vault and high jump are delayed until further notice. Scroll down to see the changes.
