Tag: Lyons

Championship Count: Valor Christian tops in team titles; Cheyenne Mountain has most individual wins

Valor Christian football stadium — Valor Christian won a state-best seven team championships in 2015-16, including Class 5A football. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA â Valor Christian’s athletic department had a banner season in 2015-16, leading the state with seven team championships.

In terms of individual sports, Cheyenne Mountain led the way with 11 individual champions.

We broke down the 2015-16 championship count below. Find a complete championship database, including title game scores, in our archives.

Previous Championship Counts:

2014-15: Cherry Creek (5 teams); Thompson Valley (14 individuals)
2013-14: Regis Jesuit (6 teams)
2012-13: Cherry Creek (5 teams) & Cheyenne Mountain (5 teams)
2011-12: Cherry Creek (5 teams)
2010-11: Cheyenne Mountain (7 teams) & Regis Jesuit (7 teams)
2009-10: Cherry Creek (5 teams)
2008-09: Cherry Creek (5 teams)
2007-08: Cherry Creek (5 teams)

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Team Championships

Valor Christian had the most team championships this season with seven. The Eagles won boys golf, softball, football, girls basketball, girls swimming, boys lacrosse and baseball.

The seven titles are the most since Regis Jesuit and Cheyenne Mountain each won seven in 2010-11.

Five teams tied for second place in the state with three team championships this season: Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Academy, Kent Denver, Pomona and Regis Jesuit.

Colorado Academy and Valor Christian each had a state-best three girls championships, while Valor’s four titles were the most on the boys’ side.

In all, 67 different teams won a team championship in 2015-16, including 16 teams which won multiple championships.

A breakdown of team championships is below.

Rank	Team	Girls	Boys	Co-Ed	Total
1	Valor Christian	3	4	0	7
2	Cheyenne Mountain	2	1	0	3
2	Colorado Academy	3	0	0	3
2	Kent Denver	1	2	0	3
2	Pomona	1	2	0	3
2	Regis Jesuit	0	3	0	3
7	Broomfield	1	1	0	2
7	Cherokee Trail	1	1	0	2
7	Cherry Creek	1	1	0	2
7	Eaton	2	0	0	2
7	Fairview	2	0	0	2
7	Grandview	2	0	0	2
7	Heritage Christian	1	1	0	2
7	Lutheran	1	1	0	2
7	Mountain Vista	1	1	0	2
7	Yuma	2	0	0	2
17	Air Academy	1	0	0	1
17	Alamosa	0	1	0	1
17	Aspen	1	0	0	1
17	Battle Mountain	0	1	0	1
17	Bayfield	0	1	0	1
17	Bennett	1	0	0	1
17	Buena Vista	0	1	0	1
17	Castle View	0	0	1	1
17	Cedaredge	0	1	0	1
17	Cheyenne Wells	1	0	0	1
17	Colorado Springs Christian	0	1	0	1
17	Dawson School	0	1	0	1
17	Durango	0	1	0	1
17	Eads	0	1	0	1
17	Eaglecrest	1	0	0	1
17	Evergreen	0	1	0	1
17	Faith Christian	0	1	0	1
17	Fleming	0	1	0	1
17	Fort Collins	1	0	0	1
17	Fossil Ridge	0	1	0	1
17	Holly	0	1	0	1
17	Idalia	1	0	0	1
17	Lewis-Palmer	1	0	0	1
17	Lyons	0	1	0	1
17	Meeker	0	1	0	1
17	Monarch	1	0	0	1
17	Mountain Range	1	0	0	1
17	Mountain View	0	1	0	1
17	Niwot	1	0	0	1
17	Otis	1	0	0	1
17	Overland	0	1	0	1
17	Palmer Ridge	1	0	0	1
17	Paonia	1	0	0	1
17	Peak to Peak	0	1	0	1
17	Ponderosa	1	0	0	1
17	Pueblo County	0	1	0	1
17	Pueblo East	0	1	0	1
17	Pueblo West	0	1	0	1
17	Salida	1	0	0	1
17	Sanford	0	1	0	1
17	Sedgwick County	0	1	0	1
17	St. Mary’s	0	0	1	1
17	Strasburg	1	0	0	1
17	Telluride	1	0	0	1
17	The Classical Academy	1	0	0	1
17	ThunderRidge	1	0	0	1
17	University	1	0	0	1
17	Vail Christian	1	0	0	1
17	Vail Mountain	1	0	0	1
17	Valley	0	1	0	1
17	Windsor	0	1	0	1

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Individual Championships

img_9138-2 — Cheyenne Mountain had a state-best 11 individual champions in 2015-16. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Cheyenne Mountain also had an outstanding year in terms of individual titles, leading the state with 11 championships. The program was well balanced: Six championships came from its girls teams, and five came from the boys.

Lutheran’s 10 individual championships were the second-most in the state, including a state-best nine boys titles. Regis Jesuit was third with nine individual titles, and Air Academy and Pomona tied for fourth with eight apiece.

A total of 135 schools had at least one individual champion, and 82 had multiple champions. Of those, 21 schools had at least five individual champions.

Find a breakdown of individual champions below.

Rank	Team	Girls	Boys	Total
1	Cheyenne Mountain	6	5	11
2	Lutheran	1	9	10
3	Regis Jesuit	4	5	9
4	Air Academy	5	3	8
4	Pomona	4	4	8
6	Fairview	5	2	7
6	Fossil Ridge	5	2	7
6	Paonia	6	1	7
9	Cherry Creek	3	3	6
9	Discovery Canyon	5	1	6
9	Kent Denver	2	4	6
9	Valor Christian	5	1	6
13	Arapahoe	4	1	5
13	Cedaredge	2	3	5
13	Fort Collins	3	2	5
13	Fountain-Fort Carson	1	4	5
13	Heritage Christian	3	2	5
13	Peak to Peak	4	1	5
13	Resurrection Christian	0	5	5
13	Silver Creek	2	3	5
13	Springfield	2	3	5
22	Boulder	0	4	4
22	Denver East	3	1	4
22	Kim	4	0	4
22	Moffat County	4	0	4
22	Palmer Ridge	0	4	4
22	Poudre	0	4	4
22	Pueblo County	0	4	4
22	Rock Canyon	4	0	4
22	Sangre de Cristo	4	0	4
22	The Classical Academy	2	2	4
32	Aspen	0	3	3
32	Cherokee Trail	3	0	3
32	Colorado Academy	0	3	3
32	Eaton	3	0	3
32	Evergreen	3	0	3
32	Lyons	0	3	3
32	Manitou Springs	1	2	3
32	Meeker	0	3	3
32	Niwot	3	0	3
32	Pine Creek	0	3	3
32	Ponderosa	1	2	3
32	Sedgwick County	1	2	3
32	Shining Mountain	0	3	3
32	Sterling	2	1	3
32	Valley	0	3	3
32	Windsor	2	1	3
48	Alamosa	0	2	2
48	Baca County	2	0	2
48	Battle Mountain	0	2	2
48	Berthoud	0	2	2
48	Buena Vista	0	2	2
48	Caliche	2	0	2
48	Canon City	1	1	2
48	Chaparral	0	2	2
48	Delta	2	0	2
48	Durango	0	2	2
48	Estes Park	2	0	2
48	Faith Christian	2	0	2
48	Flagler	0	2	2
48	Fort Morgan	0	2	2
48	Grandview	2	0	2
48	Highland	1	1	2
48	Highlands Ranch	0	2	2
48	Hinkley	0	2	2
48	John Mall	0	2	2
48	Lake City Community	1	1	2
48	Longmont	0	2	2
48	Mesa Ridge	0	2	2
48	Monarch	0	2	2
48	Montrose	0	2	2
48	Mountain View	0	2	2
48	Otis	1	1	2
48	Rocky Ford	0	2	2
48	Rocky Mountain	2	0	2
48	Salida	0	2	2
48	SkyView Academy	0	2	2
48	St. Mary’s Academy	2	0	2
48	Telluride	2	0	2
48	Thompson Valley	0	2	2
48	Vail Christian	1	1	2
48	Wray	2	0	2
83	Akron	0	1	1
83	Arickaree	0	1	1
83	Bear Creek	0	1	1
83	Burlington	1	0	1
83	Castle View	0	1	1
83	Centauri	0	1	1
83	Cheraw	0	1	1
83	Coal Ridge	1	0	1
83	Colorado Springs Christian	1	0	1
83	Crowley County	0	1	1
83	Dolores Huerta	0	1	1
83	Eads	0	1	1
83	Elizabeth	1	0	1
83	Ellicott	0	1	1
83	Fleming	1	0	1
83	Fort Lupton	0	1	1
83	Fruita	0	1	1
83	Glenwood Springs	0	1	1
83	Granada	1	0	1
83	Grand Junction	0	1	1
83	Greeley Central	0	1	1
83	Green Mountain	1	0	1
83	Heritage	1	0	1
83	Holy Family	0	1	1
83	Hotchkiss	1	0	1
83	Jefferson	0	1	1
83	Kiowa	1	0	1
83	Lakewood	0	1	1
83	Lamar	0	1	1
83	Legacy	0	1	1
83	Mancos	0	1	1
83	McClave	0	1	1
83	Mountain Vista	0	1	1
83	Mullen	0	1	1
83	North Park	0	1	1
83	Olathe	0	1	1
83	Palisade	0	1	1
83	Pawnee	0	1	1
83	Peyton	0	1	1
83	Pueblo East	0	1	1
83	Roaring Fork	0	1	1
83	Roosevelt	0	1	1
83	Sedgwick County/Fleming	0	1	1
83	Sheridan	0	1	1
83	Skyline	1	0	1
83	Soroco	0	1	1
83	Standley Lake	1	0	1
83	Steamboat Springs	1	0	1
83	Summit	1	0	1
83	Vail Mountain	1	0	1
83	Vista Peak	1	0	1
83	Vista Ridge	0	1	1
83	Weld Central	0	1	1

June 6, 2016

All-state boys track & field teams for 2016 season

State track Henry Raymond Poudre — Poudre’s Henry Raymond is the 5A boys track and field athlete of the year. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

The 2016 all-state boys track and field teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created based upon results at the state meet.

In order to be considered for athlete of the year, they must first have made the all-state team by winning a championship.

Athletes of the year were selected based upon their performance at the state meet. Coaches of the year were selected based upon the team champions.

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Class 5A

Athlete of the year: Henry Raymond, Poudre

Coach of the year: Jeff Donnel, Pomona

First Team
Name	School	Year	Event(s)
Malic Bonner	Fountain-Fort Carson	Sophomore	4×400
Max Borghi	Pomona	Sophomore	4×100
Austin Campbell	Regis Jesuit	Senior	High Jump
Sergio Cedano	Fountain-Fort Carson	Junior	4×400
Jacob Condill	Chaparral	Senior	Discus
David Cunningham	Highlands Ranch	Senior	Long Jump
William Dixon	Monarch	Sophomore	4×800
Adam Eckhardt	Pomona	Junior	4×100
Jason Farrell	Fountain-Fort Carson	Sophomore	4×200, 4×400
Jeremy Gonzales	Pomona	Junior	4×100
Isaac Green	Monarch	Junior	4×800
Angel Heredia	Hinkley	Sophomore	300 hurdles
Ben Hogan	Monarch	Senior	4×800
Zach Litoff	Monarch	Junior	4×800
Christian Lyon	Fountain-Fort Carson	Senior	100 meters, 200 meters, 4×200, 4×400
Jalen Lyon	Fountain-Fort Carson	Sophomore	4×200
Miles Matulik	Pomona	Junior	4×100
Jake Moretti	Pomona	Junior	Shot Put
Henry Raymond	Poudre	Senior	800 meters, 1600 meters, 3200 meters
Connor Roberts	Cherry Creek	Senior	Pole Vault
Thomas Robillard	Fort Collins	Senior	110 hurdles
Darrien Wells	Hinkley	Junior	400 meters
Donovan Williams	Fountain-Fort Carson	Junior	4×200
Danny Williams	Pomona	Senior	Triple Jump

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Class 4A

Athlete of the year: Caleb Ojennes, Palmer Ridge

Coach of the year: Kevin Clark, Mountain View

First Team
Name	School	Year	Event(s)
Jacob Bejarano	Roosevelt	Senior	High Jump
Conlan Berger	Longmont	Senior	4×100, 4×200
Conor Bertles	The Classical Academy	Senior	Shot Put
William Chandler	Durango	Senior	4×800
Trevor Cook	Longmont	Senior	4×100, 4×200
Will Domier	Holy Family	Junior	100 meters
Logan Goodner	Longmont	Senior	4×100, 4×200
Aaron McCoy	Canon City	Junior	300 hurdles
Ian Meek	Montrose	Junior	1600 meters, 3200 meters
Seamus Millett	Durango	Senior	4×800
David Moenning	Durango	Senior	800 meters, 4×800
Garrett Obermeyer	Palmer Ridge	Senior	4×400
Caleb Ojennes	Palmer Ridge	Senior	200 meters, 400 meters, 4×400
Brandon Pappas	Palmer Ridge	Junior	4×400
Anthony Peters	Vista Ridge	Senior	Triple Jump
Bailey Rosenstrauch	Palmer Ridge	Senior	4×400
Ramon Salgado	Mountain View	Senior	Pole Vault
Jay Shuman	Palisade	Senior	110 hurdles
George Silvanic	Palmer Ridge	Senior	Discus
Harry Steinberg	Durango	Junior	4×800
Logan Stewart	Mountain View	Senior	Long Jump
Eli Sullivan	Longmont	Senior	4×100, 4×200

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Class 3A

Athlete of the year: Kent Harris, Lutheran

Coach of the year: Darwin Horan, Lutheran

First Team
Name	School	Year	Event(s)
Sunday Abarca	Aspen	Junior	400 meters
Luke Arkell	Lutheran	Sophomore	4×100, 4×200
Ben Butler	SkyView Academy	Senior	3200 meters
Bryce Coop	Manitou Springs	Junior	4×400
Jacob Dack	Lutheran	Junior	Shot Put
Adam Dawson	Lutheran	Junior	Discus
Isaiah Delacerda	Alamosa	Junior	4×800
Jasper Germain	Roaring Fork	Sophomore	High Jump
Kharon Hall	Lutheran	Senior	4×100, 4×200, Triple Jump
Matt Hanson	Lutheran	Senior	110 hurdles
Kent Harris	Lutheran	Senior	100 meters, 200 meters, 4×100, 4×200
Chad Jackson	Alamosa	Freshman	4×800
Jared Keul	Manitou Springs	Junior	800 meters, 4×400
Oscar Martinez	Alamosa	Junior	4×800
Caleb Palmer	Alamosa	Junior	4×800
Conner Plackis	Manitou Springs	Senior	4×400
Gallian Roberts	Salida	Senior	300 hurdles, Long Jump
Luke Rodholm	Manitou Springs	Junior	4×400
Taylor Stack	Salida	Senior	1600 meters
Harrison Tomko	Lutheran	Senior	4×100, 4×200
Victor Zimmerman	Sterling	Junior	Pole Vault

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Class 2A

Athlete of the year: Shane Gates, Cedaredge

Coach of the year: Kirby Henderson, Cedaredge

First Team
Name	School	Year	Event(s)
Evan Anderson	Resurrection Christian	Senior	400 meters, 4×100, 4×400
Cooper Daniels	Vail Christian	Senior	Pole Vault
Shane Gates	Cedaredge	Senior	110 hurdles, 300 hurdles, High Jump
Jaylen Hayes	Ellicott	Junior	4×200
Adrian Hernandez	Mancos	Senior	4×800
Simon Kearns	Mancos	Sophomore	4×800
Ben Kelley	Soroco	Sophomore	800 meters
Jake McKie	Mancos	Sophomore	4×800
Chad Mikelson	Sedgwick County	Junior	Long Jump, Triple Jump
Ro Paschal	Mancos	Senior	4×800
Garrett Quintana	John Mall	Senior	Shot Put, Discus
Paul Roberts	Lyons	Senior	1600 meters, 3200 meters
Jarod Seery	Ellicott	Senior	4×200
Conner Stahla	Resurrection Christian	Junior	4×100, 4×400
Michael Stevenson	Resurrection Christian	Junior	4×400
Chiante’ Stewart	Ellicott	Sophomore	4×200
Jack Taylor	Resurrection Christian	Sophomore	4×100
Kevin Vargas	Ellicott	Senior	4×200
Cooper Ward	Resurrection Christian	Senior	100 meters, 200 meters, 4×100, 4×400

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Class 1A

Athlete of the year: Jordan Cherin, Shining Mountain

Coach of the year: Joe Packard, Heritage Christian

First Team
Name	School	Year	Event(s)
Chris Athey	Lake City Community	Junior	4×800
Zane Bearfoot	Cheraw	Senior	4×100
Ian Beckett	McClave	Sophomore	High Jump
Isaac Borchers	Lake City Community	Sophomore	4×800
Andy Borunda	Springfield	Senior	Shot Put, Discus
Shiloh Bremer	Cheraw	Junior	4×100
Jordan Cherin	Shining Mountain	Senior	200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters
Luke Duggan	Pawnee	Senior	1600 meters
Beau Dukes	Springfield	Freshman	4×200
Bowman Ellis	Springfield	Junior	4×200
Blayden Fletcher	North Park	Sophomore	110 hurdles
Luke Gilliland	Heritage Christian	Senior	3200 meters
Tate Goble	Otis	Sophomore	Pole Vault
Tristan Headrick	Cheraw	Senior	4×100
Rafe Hutches	Springfield	Senior	4×200
Cameron Klann	Flagler	Junior	100 meters, Long Jump
Matt Lee	Heritage Christian	Senior	4×400
Trent Leoffler	Arickaree	Senior	Triple Jump
Riley Moore	Lake City Community	Sophomore	4×800
Taylor Motschall	Heritage Christian	Junior	4×400
Marshall Thornton	Springfield	Senior	4×200
Brendon Trujillo	Cheraw	Junior	4×100
Fred Turner	Eads	Junior	300 hurdles
Robbie Wagner	Heritage Christian	Senior	4×400
Liam Whinnery	Lake City Community	Senior	4×800
Caleb Wickstrom	Heritage Christian	Senior	4×400

June 2, 2016

Boys track: Mountain View sends coach out on top with 4A title
Mountain View won the 4A boys track and field championship. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

LAKEWOOD — It’s fair to say Kevin Clark will be leaving the Mountain View track and field program in good condition.

After a runner-up finish on the girls side at the Class 4A state championships in 2015, the Mountain Lions took it one step further Saturday at Jefferson County Stadium by winning the boys team title. For a program with one other track crown (the boys also won 4A in 2006) Clark took over the program in Loveland when it was in a bit of a transition.

“The first year on the boys side in 2008 we took one young man to the state meet,” he said. “We’ve seemed to always have a pretty solid girls program. We highlighted that last year by being runner-up. I feel great about what our staff has accomplished. To be second in 2015 and then to end 2016 with a state championship, this is as good as it gets.”

The Mountain View track coach, who recently accepted the athletic director position at Loveland High School, also led the Mountain Lions to a 4A girls cross country championship in 2014. But this was his first spring title. And it came in his final go-round before starting a post-coaching chapter of his life.

“I just have so much excitement for this group of young men,” Clark said. “It’s all juniors and seniors. The work they’ve put in this past year has been unbelievable, so it’s nice to see that pay off.”

A well-rounded group, Mountain View took down the two-time defending champion Palmer Ridge Bears by tallying points across a wide spectrum of events on the track and in the field:
- Logan Stewart, after finishing as the runner-up in the long jump as a junior, won the event Friday with a mark of 22 feet, 11 inches.
- Ramon Salgado, a four-time Northern Conference champion in the pole vault, finished first in winning his first-ever state title on Saturday over teammate and runner-up Brenton Emmons as both went 14 feet, 8 inches, but Salgado won on number of attempts.
- Scott Sipes, yet another fourth-year, placed eighth in the shot put and third in the discus.
- Jordan Kress placed in both the 100 and 200, while Nolan Kembel did the same in both hurdle events.
- Ryan Vomacka shattered the school record in the 800 in placing seventh in a time of 1:55.89.
The Mountain Lions also finished second in the 400 relay, second in the 800 relay, third in the 1,600 relay and fifth in the 3,200 relay.

It all added up to an 89-79 margin of victory for Mountain View over Palmer Ridge.

“Palmer Ridge, they didn’t let it come easy,” Clark said. “Our kids stepped up for three days and put it out there. We had a great state meet. It was going to take a great state meet to win it and we had big kids. At the end of the day, ten points isn’t that much so we’re fortunate to come out the way we did.”

Clark will walk away from coaching on top.

During the track and field season’s finale, with several state records being rewritten again, Palmer Ridge senior Caleb Ojennes won the 200 and 400-meter dashes for the second consecutive year. His time of 46.71 seconds in the one-lapper not only shattered the 4A state meet record of 46.78 by Kevin McClanahan of Erie in 2014, but was also the second fastest time ever run on Colorado soil by a prep athlete. J.T Scheuerman remains the record-holder from 2006 during his days at Littleton when he ran a 46.23.

Ojennes also anchored the first-place 1,600 relay (3:18.92).

Fountain Fort-Carson senior Christian Lyon won the 100 (10.80) and 200 (21.67) and ran legs on the winning 800 (1:25.96) and 1,600 (3:17.91) relays in 5A.

Despite the usual firepower from Fountain on the track, Pomona won the 400 relay (42.43), Danny Wiliams won the triple jump (47-3), Jake Moretti won the shot put (54-10) and Max Borghi scored heaps of points in the 100 and 200 on the way to the Panthers’ first-ever team title in boys track and field. Pomona racked up 94.5 points to Fountain’s 79, ending a two-year title run by the Trojans.

Poudre’s Henry Raymond. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

In other 5A action, Poudre senior Henry Raymond, appearing in the first individual events of his career at state, swept the distance events — the 800 (1:51.97), the 1,600 (4:18.67) and 3,200 (9:25.21). His 1,600 was on the final day, but he overcame tired legs and sealed his third gold medal before heading to Dartmouth University in the fall.

In each race, Raymond used a devastating kick on the last lap to get the job done.

“My strategy is always just to be in good position coming up on the last lap,” he said. “I tried to make sure no one passed me at any point, because I wanted to keep the lead and be in control.”

Asked what he’ll remember most from his spectacular three-day state meet, Raymond smiled when describing his 800 performance.

“I think the most memorable part for me was just finishing the 800,” he said. “It was so painful and I had been really nervous about that race. I did pretty well and got a good time.”

The Lutheran boys, in winning the 3A team title for the second straight year — they also claimed 2A in 2014 — had a Saturday highlighted by first-place finishes in the 110 hurdles (Matt Hanson, 14.68), the 100 and 200 (Kent Harris, 10.97, 21.89), and the 400 relay (43.27). They scored a monstrous 137 points as runner-up Platte Valley scored 65.

In the 2A team race, Cooper Ward won the 100 and 200 for Resurrection Christian, while teammate Evan Anderson outlasted everyone in the 400. The Cougars also claimed gold in the 400 and 1,600 relays, but Cedaredge countered with Shane Gates, the 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles and high jump champion, on their way to a 98-85 team title over the Cougars.

Cedaredge won their second-ever championship in any sport, adding to a 1A football title won in 2012.

Heritage Christian tallied 126 points, scoring heavily in relays and distance events, with depth in just about everything else, on their way to a team victory over second place Springfield (91 points). The Eagles, with Robbie Wagner, Caleb Wickstrom, Matt Lee and Taylor Motschall rolling to a winning 3:35.13 in the 1,600 relay, also won 1A in 2013 and 2014.

The 3A state meet record in the 400-meter dash was broken by both Sunday Abarca of Aspen (48.54) and Jared Keul of Manitou Springs (48.66). The previous top time was held by Brian Black of Yuma from 2002 when he ran 48.70.

Jordan Cherin, the Shining Mountain Waldorf senior who shattered the 1A 800 record on Friday, came back for the 400 record with a winning 48.80 on Saturday. Clay Russell of North Park had the state meet record of 49.00 from 2014.

The Longmont 400 relay of Conlan Berger, Eli Sullivan, Logan Goodner and Trevor Cook came close to the 4A record of 41.28 with a 41.39 on Saturday.

Paul Roberts, the only four-time champion in state history in boys cross country, overtook Aucencio Martinez’s (Center) 2002 state meet record in the 2A 1,600 of 4:21.35 with a 4:19.54. Roberts won the 1,600 four times and the 3,200 three times during a distance career for Lyons that registers as perhaps the greatest ever in the small-school ranks.

Ian Beckett, a McClave sophomore, broke the 1A record in the high jump by going 6 feet, 3 inches. Manitou Springs laid claim to the 3A 1,600 relay state meet record with a 3:21.46. Gunnison, who held the record of 3:22.42 from 2002, was overtaken by Conner Plackis, Luke Rodholm, Bryce Coop and Jared Keul.
May 22, 2016
Becca Schulte has Fort Collins in the race for 5A girls track champion

Fort Collins’ Becca Schulte. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

LAKEWOOD — Becca Schulte had never toed the line for the 800-meter run at the state track and field championships, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t keep the idea handy in her back pocket.

“I wanted to give it a better shot this year, especially when I saw that no one had run super fast yet,” the Fort Collins senior said. “I was like, ‘This could be mine.’ It’s kind of crazy looking up and seeing the time.”

Schulte, the defending 400-meter state champion in Class 5A, was the No. 3 seed for the two-lapper on Friday at Jefferson County Stadium. Her season best of 2 minutes 15.12 seconds was within reach of Dakota Ridge’s Cayli Hume at 2:14.33.

“The first lap I just tried to stay at the front of the pack,” Schulte said. “It was a little faster than what I was expecting and what I had run in the past, but it’s the state meet. I was just trying to stay there.”

The seasoned veteran, arguably Colorado’s most versatile big-school standout, started to separate from the leaders on the back stretch of the final lap.

“Then Hannah from Fairview started to come up on the outside, so I had to start picking it up,” she explained. “Then once I hit the 200 I knew it was time to go, get around that turn as fast as I could and finish that straight.”

With four competitors separated by a mere 1.20 seconds, the one with the best closing speed turned the last curve and finished the home straight just ahead of the group. Schulte’s winning time of 2:11.62 was enough to hold off Hume (2:12.07), Madison Mooney (2:12.43) and Hannah Freeman (2:12.83).

Schulte’s 10 points in the event were critical for the team race between likely Fort Collins, the favorites and 2014 champions, and Cherokee Trail, the defending champions.

Schulte is also a top-four seed in the finals of both the 200 and 400-meter dashes. Denver East freshman Arria Minor, who came close to state records in both on Thursday at 23.42 and 52.80, is the No. 1 seed.

The second day of the state meet heated up in a number of events, but especially so for the 800. The race has a way of captivating the crowd — plenty of speed, tactics, and toughness all play a role in the physical and psychological challenges that come with the event.

With all five classifications going back-to-back during the afternoon session, Jeffco Stadium was alive after Shining Mountain Waldorf senior Jordan Cherin ran way under the 1A state meet record of 1:57.86.

“Before the race I had planned to start off fast,” he said. “I went out a couple seconds too fast. When Eric (Enriquez-Acosta) passed me I was already more tired than I was expecting to be. All I was thinking was that I had to stay with him. If I gave him a gap he would just blow me away.”

Enriquez-Acosta, the Idalia junior who ran away from Cherin for the 2015 title and record time, passed Cherin with about 250 meters to go. But he never let him get away and eventually passed him back while rolling to a time of 1:54.83.

The senior, who hopes to walk-on to the track team at Baylor University, had designs on his first state championship but the time caught him by surprise.

“I wasn’t expecting to run that fast,” Cherin said. “I still don’t know what to think about it, but it’s kind of unbelievable to me.”

Also the No. 1 seed in the 400 with the only 1A time under 50 seconds this season at 49.53, Cherin will have a busy Saturday with the 100 and 200 finals as well.

Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

As for other 800 champions, Bree-ann Carwin of Baca County (2:23.58) won 1A girls, Katy Parsons of Hotchkiss (2:18.91) won 2A, Quinn McConnell of Peak to Peak won 3A (2:16.02), and Katie Rainsberger of Air Academy won 4A (2:09.97).

McConnell is part of a stellar freshman group for the Pumas. Rainsberger, if she wins the 1,600 on Saturday, will complete a distance state championship sweep in cross country, the 3,200 relay, 800, 1,600 and 3,200 junior and senior years in 4A. Her time of 10:23.24 in the 3,200 on Friday was 32 seconds ahead of runner-up Lexi Reed of D’Evelyn.

Ben Kelley, a sophomore at Soroco, shattered a record of his own in 2A with a winning 1:55.61 800 to oust Paul Roberts of Lyons (1:58.08). Jared Keul of Manitou Springs (1:55.70) was the 3A winner, while Durango’s David Moenning (1:52.26) and Poudre’s Henry Raymond (1:51.97) were the big-school champions in 4A and 5A.

On a day where a number of state records fell, Roberts added to his legacy in the 2A 3,200 with a state meet record time of 9:26.17. The Cedaredge girls 400 relay broke their own 2A state record of 49.71 from 2015 with a 49.51 in prelims. Faith Christian’s Sarah Yocum set a new 3A standard in the 300 hurdles with a prelims time of 42.45, while Discovery Canyon’s sprint medley relay (Ayannah Lang, Jenny Hall, Lianna Ubungen, Lauren Gale) shattered the 4A record with a winning 1:44.54.

The Springfield girls (Audrey Rau, Jordan Reed, Jayci Westphal, Tatelyn Lasley) broke the 1A record in placing first in the 800 relay in 1:48.27. Both Valor Christian and The Classical Academy shattered the 4A record in the same relay in both prelims and finals as Valor’s Tess Boade, Megan Maccagnan, Bianca Lopez and Gianna Tesone won in 1:39.80. TCA went 1:40.28 for second.

In the 2A boys pole vault, both Cooper Daniels of Vail Christian (15-2) and Brandon Hinkle of Yuma (14-11) launched past the 1984 record of 14 feet, 9 inches held by Bill Culbreath of West Grand. Taylor Alexander, also of Vail Christian, cleared 14 feet, 9 inches to shatter the girls all-time best.

Classification records were also broken by Brianna Van Vleet of Paonia (2A long jump), Trent Loeffler of Arickaree (1A triple jump), and Jenna McKinley of Sangre de Cristo (1A shot put).

Ian Meek of Montrose won a memorable 4A 3,200 by two seconds over Tanner Norman of TCA 9:32-9:34, while Fountain-Fort Carson boys blitzed the 5A 800 relay field in 1:25.96.

The state track and field championships resume at Jeffco Stadium at 9:30 am on Saturday with the finals of the 100 hurdles in every classification.

May 21, 2016
Rainsberger, Willis shatter state track records at Longmont Invite

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

LYONS — A snow-filled and blustery March has done its best to delay the track and field season in Colorado.

While a number of meets have been canceled or postponed, the Longmont Invitational, always one of the most stacked invites of the season, was merely pushed from Saturday to Monday and moved from Longmont to Lyons.

With the meet on — in the snow-capped foothills at a venue with magnificent views — many of the state’s top individuals and teams competed like it. In fact, there were two all-classification Colorado records broken.

Air Academy senior Katie Rainsberger, the University of Oregon recruit with an effortless stride, was competing in her first outdoor meet of the season. Just two weeks ago, she shattered the all-time Colorado record in the mile while winning the New Balance Nationals Indoor meet in 4:36.61, the third-fastest time ever by an American high school girl.

Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

On Monday, the records kept on coming as Rainsberger set a new standard in the 1,600-meter run as her 4:44.31 took down Cherry Creek senior Jordyn Colter’s all-classification best, which was set at state last season (4:46.22). Then, Rainsberger shattered the meet record in the 800 with a time of 2:11.80, winning by five seconds over Chantae Steele (2:16.84), a freshman from The Classical Academy.

Rainsberger, the Nike Cross Country National Champion in the fall, has traveled around the country for competitions during her career for the Kadets, but said it was special running in front of a Colorado crowd again.

“I think this one is definitely special in that it was in my home state,” she said. “Every lap people were cheering and the announcer was pushing me on. Having all these people in Colorado supporting me made it all that more special.”

Rainsberger, who also ran a leg on the winning 4×400 relay (4:06.07, top time in 4A), said she trained through this meet with a hard workout just a couple of days ago. Her time in the 1,600 seemed to catch even her a bit off-guard this early in the season.

“I was actually running it more as a workout,” she said. “I am at the point in my season where I’m fit, but I’m not race sharp. I wanted to come out here today and get some state qualifiers. I trained through this meet. It’s really exciting to see where I’m at, but I think there’s more.”

As for the other Colorado record broken on Monday, Andrea Willis, a senior for The Classical Academy and a two-time defending state champion in the pole vault (4A in 2015, 3A in 2014), inched past a 2008 record set by Elizabeth Stover of Longmont (13-4.0) by going 13-4.25. Willis owns another record of her own as her 13-7.25 at the Air Force Indoor Open on February 6 was the best-ever indoors by a Colorado girl.

The Classical Academy’s Andrea Willis. (Courtesy of the Willis family)

“It means a lot,” Willis, a University of Kansas recruit, said excitedly. “When I started vaulting my sophomore year, my coach said I could someday maybe break the state record. I didn’t think that was possible, but last year I started jumping a little higher. I wasn’t 100 percent last year. I had some back issues. I wanted to jump it last year.

“I landed on the mat and I was like, ‘Wow, I’m now the state record holder.’ It’s one of the best feelings ever.”

On a day with almost no wind and temperatures in the 50s, a number of other Longmont Invite records were broken.

Alex Miller of The Classical Academy (110 hurdles, 14.63), Caleb Ojennes of Palmer Ridge (200, 21.63), Paul Roberts of Lyons (3,200, 9:18) and Gift Chinda of Thompson Valley (triple jump, 46-7.25) all set new standards for a meet that was the state’s most competitive event thus far this spring.

The Classical Academy girls also broke the meet record in the 4×200 relay with a time of 1:43.51.

As for team results, the Loveland girls racked up 108 points in winning a 23-team meet. They won six girls events on the day (200, 300 hurdles, triple jump, long jump, 4×800 relay, 800 sprint medley relay).

The Classical Academy was the girls team runner-up with 67, and the Titans won the boys team crown with 103.5 points. Mountain View was second with 71.

March 29, 2016
Lyons’ Paul Roberts named Colorado’s boys cross country runner of the year by Gatorade

Lyons’ Paul Roberts. (Alan Versaw/Colorado Track XC)

Lyons senior Paul Roberts was named the boys cross country runner of the year in Colorado by Gatorade on Friday morning.

Roberts, who won the Class 2A championship in the fall in a course record of 15:33.7, was the 2A runner of the year on the all-state team in November. He helped lead his team to the 2A title, as well.

After the high school season, Roberts was fifth at the National Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, and 11th in the Nike Cross Nationals. He also placed third at the NXN Midwest Regional.

“Paul’s accomplishments are really just the tip of the iceberg,” Lyons assistant coach Jeff Boele said in a statement. “I consider myself fortunate to get to work with such a unique and gifted athlete. Even as a freshman, he responded brilliantly to the added pressures of being the top runner on the team, and he has continued to build on that foundation as a great role model the past three years.”

Roberts has signed with CSU-Pueblo for next season.

He is the first athlete from Lyons to win the cross country honor.

On Thursday, Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger was named the national girls cross country runner of the year by Gatorade.

January 22, 2016