LAKEWOOD — The state track and field meet entered a weather delay on Friday afternoon due to lightning in the area. It has been cleared to resume.
The delay began at 1:45 p.m., and the Jeffco Stadium was cleared:
We have just entered a weather delay at state track. If you are at Jeffco Stadium, please leave the stadium and head to your vehicle. If you don't have a vehicle, head to the east side stands. #copreps
The meet resumed with the Class 4A boys 4×200-meter relay, which was originally scheduled for 1:45 p.m. After that, there were four other 4x200s to complete on Friday, along with two 4×800 relays, and then eight 4x400s.
With the events completed around 12:30 p.m., the 4A swimmers will return to the VMAC Saturday morning for diving prelims with finals in all events to follow.
It was Wheat Ridge who really put itself in the driver’s seat with Saturday’s finals looming. Ryan Peterson finished with the top time in both the 200-yard and 100 freestyle races. His time of one minute, 40.94 seconds was more than a half-second better than Greeley West’s Nathan Kenigsberg.
The Farmers also finished sixth in the 200 freestyle relay, finishing in 1:29.67 which was just over two seconds off the pace set by Mullen.
Discovery Canyon set the tone early in the day as it took the top seed in the 200 medley relay. The Thunder bookended prelims with a top finish in the 400 freestyle relay. Senior Braden Whitmarsh played a role on both those relay teams and also took fifth-place finishes in the 200 and 500 freestyle races.
Thunder freshman Quintin McCarty added to his team’s chances of making a run at a team championship with a top finish in the 50 freestyle. That race figures to be one of the most competitive on the docket as all 10 swimmers finished within a second of each other.
Montrose’s Cayden Christianson grabbed the top spot in the 200 individual medley, clearing Broomfield’s Harrison Lierz by over a second.
The Eagles junior didn’t compete in the 200 IM last year when Broomfield competed at the 5A meet but he did the 200 freestyle.
He’s aiming to take some wins in different events as a 4A competitor. He took the top seed in the 100 backstroke where Glenwood Springs’ Shea Card took second, just under a second behind Lierz.
The 100 breaststroke is also shaping up to be one of the most competitive events of the meet. Pine Creek’s Joshua-Ryan Lujan took the top spot with a time of 57.78, but Greeley West’s Baylor Lewis and Cheyenne Mountain’s Gabe Grauvogel finished less than a second behind him. Lewis shaved over two seconds off his 1:00.57 qualifying time.
Defending champion Windsor has six finalists in five events and has a team competing in the finals of the 400 freestyle relay.
The 4A swimming and diving finals as set to begin at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at the VMAC.
LAKEWOOD — Just two years ago, Yasin Sado was a soccer player with a hidden gift for running.
By the end of Friday’s state track and field competitions, plenty of spectators at Jeffco Stadium became well aware of that gift. After all, he did clinch the Class 3A 3,200 and 800 titles on the same day.
As someone who is still a newcomer to being part of a track team (second track season), he was confident but also unsure of just how fast he could go in the 3,200, the first event of the day. Sado, donning the orange and black colors of Denver West, had only raced the distance once before in 2019, recording a time of 9 minutes, 42 seconds at the Denver South Rebel Invite on March 31.
To upset the No. 1 seed, Mason Norman (9:24 season best), Sado knew he needed to go faster. He did, posting a winning time of 9:29.
Norman, a two-time winner of state cross country for The Classical Academy, led most of the race, pulling William Ledden (Peak to Peak) and Sado through the first 1,600 meters in 4 minutes, 46 seconds. Then, with only 800-meters left, Sado and Norman were still even with one another.
“I felt pretty good with two laps to go, but my coach said to just wait until the last lap,” Sado said of staying patient before making his winning move.
That move was a speedy 57-second final lap. He stayed smooth the entire way, then raised his arms in celebration as he crossed the finish line.
Norman, also a junior, was the runner-up in a time of 9:41. Sado’s brother, Ahmed, closed hard to secure third place in 9:42.
A few hours later, with a 3,200 on his legs, the Denver West junior hoped to capture the 800 championship as well.
Holy Family’s Braden Bartlett had something different in mind, accelerating the pace enough to drop all 3A challengers except Sado in the final 200 meters.
“I was just staying behind [University‘s Noah Smith], then the Holy Family guy was going pretty fast,” Sado said. “I just kicked during the last 400.”
The Denver West junior (1:56.25) found a burst, passing Bartlett (1:56.95, second) with only a few strides to go.
In just his second-ever track season, Sado has now won a pair of state titles. He did finish as the 800 runner-up as a sophomore, but as the No. 1 seed in the 1,600 on Saturday, a lofty time of 4:16, Sado could be a three-time champion.
What a way to kick off a track career.
He was a club soccer player, and just a soccer player in his eyes, only two years ago. The fact Sado’s brother, Ahmed, was third and fifth in the 800 (1:59) made Friday that much sweeter.
“He has been injured for cross country and track, but he’s really happy with how he did today,” Sado noted. “He didn’t believe he could get third.”
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Class 5A
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Cole Sprout, the owner of an all-classification state record in the 3,200 – 8:57 earlier this season — won the event in a time of 9:11.84. Sprout is still only a junior for Valor Christian, but has been a record-breaker many times already. Dakota Ridge’s Austin Vancil (9:17) was second on Friday.
As for the 800, David Cardenas (1:53.47) will bring a gold medal back to Grand Junction Central. Connor Ohlson, also of Dakota Ridge, was second in 1:54.
Fairview’s superstar senior Marlena Preigh won the girls 800 in 2:08.55, defending her title.
Micaylon Moore, the triple jump winner on Friday, represented Fort Collins well in clinching back-to-back titles in long jump. His best mark was 24 feet, 0.25 inches.
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Class 4A
Niwot put their stamp on the 800 once again as sophomore Taylor James beat former Cougar great Elise Cranny’s 4A state meet record of 2:08.50 with a mark of 2:08.28. She
Soon after, junior Cruz Culpepper (1:52.93) won an 800-meter title of his own for Niwot.
Pueblo West’s Cisco Padilla (6-5) claimed the high jump gold medal.
Grace Scuzs of Palmer Ridge (11 feet, 4 inches) bettered everyone in pole vault.
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Class 3A
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
In a race that was reminiscent of the 4A girls 3,200 yesterday, Sierra Bower (Basalt) and Kaylee Thompson (The Classical Academy) pulled away from the field and matched wits, stamina, and speed for eight consecutive laps. A better sprint down the homestretch allowed Thompson to clinch the title in 10:58.0 seconds. Bower was just behind in 10:58.3.
Lutheran’s Noah Kelly (14-6) finished as the pole vault king of 3A.
Mason Anthony of Elizabeth set a 3A record in the 300 hurdles (37.82).
Gunnison’s Kelita Baroumbaye (47-00.75) captured the triple jump crown with an excellent mark.
Lutheran (1:48.12) broke the 3A state record in the 800-meter sprint medley relay, besting runner-up Elizabeth (1:48.55).
Lily Lavier of Alamosa captured the two-lap crown (800-meters) in 2:13.08.
Moffat County (1:45.83) proved to have the best group of sprinters in the 800-meter relay.
Jordan Lanning of Bayfield (18-2.50) conquered the long jump.
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Class 2A
Colton Jonjak-Plahn of Lyons (1:59.43) topped the 800 field with a diving win.
Hotchkiss (1:50.81) cruised to a near-four second victory in the sprint medley relay.
Hannah Wilkie of Rangely (2:19) was the 800 winner.
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Class 1A
Elton Yarger of Stratton/Liberty set a classification triple jump record, winning with a mark of 44-8.25.
Faith Novess of De Beque cleared 5 feet, 7 inches to capture the 1A girls state record for the first time as a senior. She will compete for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs next year.
“My goal was to get 5-6 and beat the state record,” Novess said. “I love representing De Beque. A lot of people think since we’re a small school, we don’t have good athletes. They take us for granted.”
They did win the girls sprint medley on Thursday, while also capturing the 4×200 relay crown on Friday.
“I think that really set the mood for the whole weekend,” Novess said of the sprint medley’s victory.
Levi Kilian (1:56) and Seth Bruxvoort (1:58) swept the gold and silver medals and tallied plenty of team points for Heritage Christian. The Eagles posted 10 more points in the boys 4×200 relay (1:33.63).
Girls golf’s state championships are scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday — and they could be met with some very poor weather.
Forecasts for the northern part of the state are calling for a very high chance of rain — a lot of rain — on Monday, and possibly into Tuesday. The 5A championship is at Harmony Club in Tinmath, and 4A is at Pelican Lakes Golf Club in Windsor.
There is also a chance of rain in Eagle, where 3A is set to be held at Eagle Ranch Golf Course.
As a result, the CHSAA office has communicated the following to participating schools:
You have probably looked at the weather and know that lots of rain is in the forecast with the temperature in the mid-50s. The CHSAA Golf weather delays and cancellation policy is that the completion of any combination 18 holes or more will determine a state champion. The event staff will constantly monitor the local weather through the Colorado Golf Association’s weather service.
Should updates be necessary, they will be found on CHSAANow during the tournaments, as well as our social media accounts.
