(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

LAKEWOOD – Arria Minor has asserted such a dominance that her silver finish in the 400-meter state track finals on Saturday was surprising to many in the stadium.

No mind, though.

It’s already squelched from memory.

The Denver East junior went on to win the Class 5A 200 and anchored her team victory in the 4×100 for her third gold at the state track and field meet at Jefferson County Stadium as Colorado’s fastest girl rebounded from an earlier slipup that saw her come short of individual gold for the first time in her career.

“I can definitely shift my focus pretty well,” Minor said. “I was totally focused on the 200. The 400 didn’t exist to me at that moment.”

Minor began the final day with a win in the 100 (11.51 seconds) before her streak of seven individual golds at state was ended in silver. The junior said her hamstrings tightened up with 50 meters to go in the 400 as Grandview’s Lily Williams swooped from behind and outstretched Minor by .09 seconds in 53.85.

Minor said it was the first time she’d ran a 400 in Colorado and didn’t win.

“It’s definitely humbling,” Minor said. “It’s good to have those kinds of moments. They hurt a lot, especially on such a big stage in front of the whole state. It’s tough, but it’s good.”

Minor had set the state record in the 400 (51.92) to go along with a state-best time in the 200 (22.89) in preliminaries Thursday. After her runner-up place in a much colder and wetter 400 finals, the speedster cleared her mind and went on to blur past the field in the 200 (23.60) and 4×100 (47.10) for her ninth state title.

For Minor, it was all about moving forward.

“It’s always the next thing,” Minor said. “It’s never living in the past. In two hours state will be just another meet and I’m focused on Great Southwest.”

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Also claiming three golds on the day, Discovery Canyon senior Lauren Gale made her emphatic return from hip surgery to the top of the state podium with wins in the 4A 100 (11.79), 200 (24.05) and 400 (54.23).

“I’m truly happy,” Gale said. “It took a long time to get back.”

The Canadian — who moved to Colorado in 2015 — marveled at her first state meet two years ago, sweeping the same three events she did Saturday. The star-made sophomore, however, became the hard-luck junior that winter when X-rays found she’d been running with a torn labrum.

“Yeah, not fun,” she said.

Following surgery and a few months of physical therapy, Gale admittedly returned too soon and ran at state as junior. She took two silvers but suffered through pain throughout.

Since then, she’s worked to get her endurance back — even electing to join the school’s JV swim team in the winter. It wasn’t until these last few weeks, though, that Gale said she finally felt like she was where she wanted to be.

“It was only two meets ago that I finally ran 54 in the 400 — and I was like ‘Ah, that only took a year-and-a-half to get,’” the Colorado State commit said. “But honestly just the prelims at state were fast for me and I was super surprised. … That gave me a whole lot of confidence.”

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Notables

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Rock Canyon’s Emily Sloan had done a pretty good job keeping her mind free of her mishap in last year’s 300 hurdles on Saturday.

She was sent a stark reminder in the blocks of the moment she tripped on a hurdle, and ended up finishing second as a result.

“It was out of my head until the announcer was like ‘state runner-up, lane five,’” Sloan said. “But that kind of gave me motivation.”

Sloan made amends with a win in the 5A 300 (41.42) and added her fourth straight gold in the 100 hurdles (13.59) to wrap up her high school career. She will head to Oregon next season.

“I feel relieved,” she said.

On Friday, Sloan broke the 300 hurdles state record with a time of 40.60 in prelims. Her friend and club teammate, Anna Hall, had held the record for a brief time Friday with a prelim mark of 40.76.

(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

The Valor Christian junior won both 4A hurdle events (14.23, 42.67) on the final day to go along with her gold in the long jump (18 feet and 9.75 inches).

“With running that (record time) yesterday, today was just about getting that place and helping my team get points,” Hall said. “With this weather, it wasn’t likely to PR.”

Team winners included Cherokee Trail (5A), Valor Christian (4A), The Classical Academy (3A), Highland (2A) and Shining Mountain (1A).

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

The 2017 all-state boys cross country teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

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

The athletes who won championships at their classification were named runner of the year.

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Class 2A

Runner of the year: Benjamin Kelley, Soroco
Coach of the year: Mark Roberts, Lyons

Honorable mention: Isaiah Bowsher, Senior, Heritage Christian Academy; Josiah Bowsher, Senior, Heritage Christian Academy; Keaton Case, Junior, Heritage Christian Academy; Wesley Davies, Junior, Clear Creek; Phillip Hufman, Junior, Dolores; Colton Jonjak-Plahn, Junior, Lyons; Jake McKie, Senior, Mancos; Landon Milbrath, Senior, Lyons; Ethan Reschke, Senior, Sargent; Sam Rodriguez, Senior, Hotchkiss; Andre Stablein, Sophomore, Front Range Christian; Simon Stone, Sophomore, Lyons; Will Swenson, Junior, Colorado Rocky Mountain.

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Class 3A

Runner of the year: Mason Norman, Classical Academy
Coach of the year: Alan Versaw, The Classical Academy

Honorable mention: Macklin Brockmeyer, Junior, Faith Christian; Ryan Butler, Senior, SkyView Academy; Elijah DeLaCerda, Junior, Alamosa; Jacob Doman, Senior, Liberty Commons; Christian Fagerlin, Senior, Resurrection Christian; James Jessep, Freshman, Stargate High School; Canaan Lamberth, Senior, Classical Academy; William Ledden, Sophomore, Peak to Peak; Campbell McDonough, Senior, Faith Christian; Jimmy Scavuzzo, Senior, SkyView Academy.

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Class 4A

Runner of the year: Cole Sprout, Valor Christian
Coach of the year: Rob Collins, Palmer Ridge

Honorable mention: Noah Bodewes, Junior, Durango; Cooper Brown, Junior, Centaurus; Eliott Cassidy, Senior, Silver Creek; Aidan Fitzgerald, Junior, Durango; Evan Graff, Junior, Montrose; Maxwell Herebic, Senior, Palmer Ridge; Alex Hooten, Senior, Centaurus; Justin McDaniel, Senior, Mead; Kieran Nay, Senior, Palmer Ridge; Torey Puckett, Junior, Centaurus; Dylan Schubert, Sophomore, Thompson Valley; Logan Simington, Senior, Silver Creek; Jonathan Woolf, Senior, Palmer Ridge.

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Class 5A

Runner of the year: Charlie Perry, Monarch
Coach of the year: Jonathan Dalby, Mountain Vista

Honorable mention: Jacob Dewey, Senior, Rampart; Chase Dornbusch, Senior, Lakewood; Caden Foster, Senior, Mountain Vista; Blake Hubert, Senior, Fossil Ridge; Drew Johnson, Senior, Chatfield; Yonatan Kefle, Junior, Denver South; Parker Mackay, Senior, Mountain Vista; Hayden Martinez, Junior, Doherty; Jack O’Sullivan, Sophomore, Mountain Vista; Ethan Rouse, Junior, Mountain Vista; Isaac Russo, Senior, Monarch; Jack Shore, Senior, Fort Collins; Afeworki Zeru, Senior, Rampart.

The 2016 all-state girls cross country teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

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

The athletes who won championships at their classification were named runner of the year.

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Class 5A

Runner of the year: Brie Oakley, Grandview
Coach of the year: Greg Weich, Broomfield

Honorable mention: Carley Bennett, Sophomore, Lakewood; Isabella Bowland, Junior, Fairview; Claudia Burgess, Junior, Boulder; Isalina Colsman, Freshman, Regis Jesuit; Civianna Gallegos, Junior, Arvada West; Hailey Leader, Junior, Monarch; Emily Mitchem, Junior, Broomfield; Katelyn Mitchem, Junior, Broomfield; Shannon Osoba, Sophomore, Rock Canyon; Zoe Simmons, Sophomore, Mountain Vista; Laura Thompson, Junior, Broomfield.

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Class 4A

Runner of the year: Maria Mettler, Air Academy
Coach of the year: Rob Parish, Battle Mountain

Honorable mention: Layla Almasri, Senior, Pine Creek; Anna Busath, Freshman, Palmer Ridge; Katie Cole, Sophomore, Palmer Ridge; Avery Doan, Sophomore, Eagle Valley; Morgan Hykes, Sophomore, Windsor; Madi Kenyon, Sophomore, Roosevelt; Athena Keuhne, Senior, Pine Creek; Devon Kroeker, Senior, Pine Creek; Lauren Offerman, Senior, Mountain View; Alex Raichart, Junior, Battle Mountain; Lauren Zoe Baker, Junior, Silver Creek.

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Class 3A

Runner of the year: Kayla Young, Denver North
Coach of the year: Kim McConnell, Peak to Peak

Honorable mention: Maggi Congdon, Freshman, Steamboat Springs; Sadie Cotton, Junior, Steamboat Springs; Lilly Lavier, Freshman, Alamosa; Ashten Loeks, Sophomore, Elizabeth; Emily Long, Senior, Frontier Academy; Kiara Mattern, Senior, James Irwin Charter; Rachael Metzler, Senior, Peak to Peak; Kika Napierkowski, Junior, Holy Family; Anna Ponzio, Junior, Colorado Academy; Elle Triem, Sophomore, Peak to Peak; Cassie Unruh, Senior, SkyView Academy.

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Class 2A

Runner of the year: Chloe Veilleux, Soroco
Coach of the year: Keith Hampton, Telluride

Honorable mention: Maggie Allen, Senior, Wiggins; Caroline Benney, Junior, Lake County; Maggie Berry, Senior, Alexander Dawson; Bria Johnson, Freshman, The Vanguard School; Kaylee Kearse, Junior, Peyton; Megan Levine, Senior, Lake City Community; Samantha O’Brien, Junior, Clear Creek; Maria O’Neal, Junior, Crested Butte; Alyssa Pack, Senior, Telluride; CeAnn Udovich, Junior, Lyons.

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.

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.

(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

LAKEWOOD — Senior classes are always difficult to replace. This particular group in girls track and field, not only for their teams but also state-wide, may leave a hole.

Sure, it’s not like the other grades lack for talent. Just look at Lauren Gregory (Class 5A 3,200 champion twice), Katie Rainsberger (4A 800, 1,600, 3,200 champion), Emily Sloan (5A 100-hurdle champion as a freshman), and Maya Evans (4A long jump champion as a freshman).

But this senior group has been one of the best — by any measurement — in Colorado history.

Take, for instance, where these young ladies will be competing in college. Valor Christian thrower Haley Showalter will be a Wisconsin Badger, Cherry Creek distance runner Jordyn Colter is a future California Golden Bear, Pine Creek sprinter Ally Watt has the opportunity to play soccer and run track for Texas A&M, Cherokee Trail sprinter Shayna Yon has signed with LSU, Shining Mountain Waldorf distance runner Ginger Hutton is off to Vanderbilt, Lewis-Palmer sprinter Nicole Montgomery will be a Kansas Jayhawk, and so on and so on.

On top of that, check out how many state titles they’ve won individually. Colter has six on the track and one in cross country. Montgomery has totaled seven. Hutton has even more with eight.

Hutton has shattered 1A state records and then shattered them some more. Colter finishes with two Colorado records in the 800 and 1600-meter runs. Montgomery is the fastest 400-runner in 4A history by a wide margin.

And that’s just state-wide. Nationally, Colter, Watt, Montgomery, Showalter and Rocky Mountain hurdler Carly Lester have ranked among the nation’s best in their respective events.

In this group’s last hurrah at the track and field state championships at Jefferson County Stadium, several rose to the occasion.

Colter anchored Cherry Creek’s 5A winning 3,200 relay in 9:07, won her third consecutive state championship in the 800 in a Colorado record of 2:04.56, and then claimed her third straight 1600 crown in another all-classification best of 4:46.22.

She is currently No. 1 in America in the 800 and No. 11 in the 1,600. The Bruin was ecstatic to see her time in the 1,600 and to be ahead of legends like Elise Cranny and Melody Fairchild in the record books.

“I was telling everyone, ‘Are you sure they got that right?’ because I didn’t believe it,” Colter said of her time. “I didn’t think I could get the record, because I was feeling kind of tired from yesterday.”

“I look up to them so much,” she said of Cranny and Fairchild. “They are amazing runners and just to be a part of that is so surreal.”

Montgomery anchored Lewis-Palmer’s 4A winning sprint medley in a classification record of 1:45.06. Then on Saturday, she won the sprint triple crown — the 100, the 200, and the 400. She became the first 4A girl to ever run sub-53 seconds in the 400 with a sizzling 52.95, a time that ranks No. 2 in the nation.

“It’s really exciting to end my senior season having a sweep in the sprints,” Montgomery said. “I run kind of to the crowd and when I hit that 52, it was my goal and it was so exciting.”

Showalter won the 4A shot put (47-00.5) and discus throw (158-05). Both marks were very close to 4A state meet records. She is top-15 in America in each event.

Hutton won the 400 (new 1A record), 800 (new 1A record), 1,600, and 3,200.

Yon won the 100, 200, and long jump in 5A and ran a leg on the winning 400-meter relay.

The only downside was that Watt had to pull out of the 100 and 200 on the final day of her prep career for Pine Creek with an injury and Lester scratched all her events at the state meet while nursing an injury herself.

Nonetheless, a sensational group of young ladies capped off their final high school seasons, most in style. Colter, Montgomery, and company won’t soon be forgotten.

Niwot celebrates first and second place finishes in the 100-meter hurdles. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow)

LAKEWOOD — On the last day of the state track and field championships at Jefferson County Stadium, old powers continued to rule and new powers emerged.

The Fountain-Fort Carson Trojans, as expected going into the week, obliterated the Class 5A boys field with 94 points, more than double Cherry Creek’s 44.5. FFC has now won four of the last six state championships in the highest classification and have racked up 17 crowns in the program’s illustrious history.

Tevin Donnell, a senior who won his first individual titles Saturday in the 100 and 200-meter dashes and ran legs on the winning 400 and 800-meter relays, said camaraderie has fueled the Trojans’ success.

“We’ve been lucky enough to stay together and that’s not something that’s common in a school with a military presence,” Donnell said. “I’ve grown up with a lot of these people.”

Fountain-Fort Carson not only finished first in the 400 and 800-meter relays, but also the 1,600 relay, and scored plenty of points in the individual sprint and middle distance events. They wanted to win all four relays, but settled for third in the 3,200 relay, running a 7:55.48.

Cherokee Trail’s Shayna Yon. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow)

On the girls’ side, Cherokee Trail, a power in track and field in recent years with two boys championships, earned their first girls state championship in any sport with 99.5 points, holding off 2014 champion Fort Collins, who had 86.

Shayna Yon, a soon-to-be LSU Tiger, scored 30 points by herself for CT as she won a triple crown in the long jump (18-9.25), the 100 (11.79), and the 200 (24.17). Yon and her team set a new standard for the Cherokee Trail girls.

“It felt really good, because I’m the first female at my school to win any state title,” she said. “It was really nice to be able to put my school on the map, as well as be a leader for my teammates who are younger than me. I just really wanted to leave my mark here before I leave for school. I’m really excited for our girls team next year, because we are going to be just as strong.”

In 4A, Palmer Ridge, a school in Monument that was founded in 2008, finished first in four of six championship finals on Thursday—the high jump (Jordan Swango, 6-6), the pole vault (Kyle Rex, 15-0), the 3,200-meter run (Eric Hamer, 9:22), and the 3,200 relay (7:57)—and kept the momentum rolling through the rest of the weekend as Caleb Ojennes won the 200 and 400-meter dashes on Saturday. He also anchored the 1,600 relay that defended their crown from 2014.

Ojennes, who posted a 21.75 in the 200 and a 47.35 in the 400, helped the Bears tally 98 points and win their second consecutive state championship. The Classical Academy finished as the 4A runner-up with 52 points.

“I can’t really complain right now,” Ojennes said. “It’s just such a rush, because we just won back-to-back team titles.”

“Just winning the first state championship for Palmer Ridge meant a lot last year.”

The new school also triumphed for the 4A state championship in cross country last fall.

Niwot claimed their third girls state championship in a row in 4A on the strength of their relays and hurdles. The Cougars won the 800-meter relay in a new 4A state meet record of 1:41.13, they placed second in the 1,600 relay in 3:54.95, and they finished first and second in both the 100 and 300 hurdles.

Kela Fetters, the 300 hurdle champion just ahead of teammate Mackenzie Fidelak, a freshman, was proud of herself and her teammates.

“My goal going into the season was to make Niwot the best at 4A girls hurdles in the state and I think that’s what we accomplished,” Fetters said.

Niwot finished with 85 points. Mountain View was the runner-up with 59.50.

The Lutheran boys, in their first season up one class after claiming the 2A crown in 2014, won 3A with 82.5 points. They dominated the sprints and won handily over Platte Valley (63).

Eaton, after finishing as the state runner-up in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 broke through for their first state championship in girls track by snatching the 3A crown with 95.5 points. As usual, the Reds scored plenty of points in the field and on relays. Lamar placed second with 80.

As for 2A, the Lyons boys collected their fourth state championship in five years as junior distance runner Paul Roberts added to his legacy with state titles in the 1,600, 3,200, and 3,200 relay. The Lions are the power in the classification. Not much changed this weekend. Lyons tallied 111.5 points and edged out Cedaredge (100).

The Paonia girls won their third state title in a row in 2A with a monstrous 132 point total. Lyons was the runner-up with 73.5. Paonia excelled on relays and in field events, as well.

Finally, in 1A, Springfield boys conquered the crown with 109 points as Pikes Peak Christian finished with 85. Pikes Peak mostly dominated the individual sprints, but Springfield rolled over everyone in the field.

Heritage Christian and Shining Mountain Waldorf dueled in distance, but HC came through with the 1A girls state championship with 129 points. SMW scored 100, as Ginger Hutton won the 400, 800, 1,600, and 3200 in her final season.

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Notables

• Tevin Donnell and Christian Lyon placed first and second for Fountain-Fort Carson in the 5A 100-meter dash finals. Donnell also won the 200.
• Monarch sophomore phenom Isaac Green won the 5A 1,600 crown in 4:19.56, his first state championship.
• Andrew Barlow of Monarch cleared 16-8.5 to win the 5A pole vault. The senior’s mark ranks No. 11 in the nation.
• Becca Schulte of Fort Collins won the 5A 400-meter dash in 53.64, the fourth quickest time in Colorado history.
• Rock Canyon freshman Emily Sloan won the 5A 100-hurdle crown in 14.11.
• William Mayhew, one day after running 1:50.74 to crush the 4A record in the 800, claimed the 1600 in 4:15.
• Longmont boys won the 400-meter relay in 42.08, an extremely quick time.
• Thompson Valley girls shattered the 4A record in the 1,600 relay with a time of 3:50.73.
• Freshman Brittany Fuchs of Calhan won the 2A 200-meter dash in 25.70.
• Jenna Anderson of Lyons capped off her high school career in style by winning the 2A crowns in the 800 (2:14.86) and 1,600 (5:12.61). Teammate Sierra Tucker placed second in the 1,600 in 5:28.35.
• South Park’s Kacey Buttrick won the hurdle double, the 100 and 300, in 2A.
• Cedaredge girls shattered the 400-meter relay record in 2A with a 49.73.
• Baca County’s J.D. Chenoweth won the 110 and 300-hurdles in 1A.
• Springfield’s Andy Borunda finished first in the shot put (47-01) and discus throw (150-10) in 1A.
• Freshman Zariah Mason of Kim blew past the field in the 100 and 200 to earn her first 1A state championships. Her 100 time of 12.72 was a new classification best.

More photos. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

LAKEWOOD — Inspiration wasn’t hard to find Friday.

During the second day of the state track and field championships at Jefferson County Stadium, one event was as spectacular as any in recent memory.

The 800-meter run, with every classification running back-to-back, had five classification records and three all-Colorado records — three, because the boys record was broken in 4A, then about forty-five minutes later, broken again in 5A.

William Mayhew of Cheyenne Mountain, a senior with an impressive resume, but no state championships to show for it, earned his first crown, his first 4A state meet record and his first all-classification record with a time of 1:50.74. He also became the first 4A boy to run sub-1:52, not to mention sub-1:51, in the 800.

“The state championship means more to me, because that’s been the goal for so long,” Mayhew said. “Records are meant to be broken. Winning the race was all that was on my mind.”

Pueblo West’s Zack Retzlaff finished second in 1:53.35.

Mayhew, who said his time was icing on the cake, kept the all-time Colorado best for less than an hour as Smoky Hill’s Blake Yount stepped onto the track for the 5A finals.

Yount, another senior and a future Oklahoma Sooner, held the all-classification record before Friday with a 1:51.20 at the Cherry Creek/Grandview Invite two weeks ago. He was also the record holder last season with his 1:51.63.

Cherry Creek’s Jordyn Colter is all smiles after winning the 5A girls’ 800-meter race Friday. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow)

He knew what it was like to be on top in the record books, but he had never won a state crown either, finishing only as a 5A runner-up in 2014. Even though, like anyone, Yount wanted the title, the senior’s main focus was snatching back his all-classification best.

“Time means more to me,” he said. “There’s kids in other classifications, like Mayhew and Paul (Roberts) in 2A, there are people who can race fast across the state. Time is a universal measurement to compare everyone.”

Yount proved too much for a field of Monarch’s Isaac Green (1:52.62), Denver East’s Hayelom Fitsum (1:52.86), Fountain-Fort Carson’s Dylan Day (1:53.79), and Cherry Creek’s Daniel Book (1:54.30), perhaps the most competitive group in 5A history. The Smoky Hill star cruised 1:50.59, a new 5A and Colorado record, and joined Mayhew as the only high school boys to ever post 1:50.

The University of Oklahoma recruit said he has been hoping to race Mayhew for awhile. While they aren’t in the same classification, they did test themselves against one another.

“I wanted to race him head-to-head on the same track on the same day,” Yount said. “Today was the closest we’ve gotten.”

“It would be interesting to race him,” Mayhew chimed in. “I would like to go at it.”

Big schools tend to get the most attention, but the smaller classifications can’t be ignored, especially on a day with exceptional performances at every level.

Erick Enriquez-Acosta of Idalia, only a sophomore, became the first sub-two minute runner in 1A history with a 1:57.86. The all-time best was set in 2012 by Robert Ryland of Sierra Grande, who went 2:00.53.

On the girls side, Shining Mountain Waldorf’s Ginger Hutton, who already held the 1A record in the 800 with a 2:15.95 at the Liberty Bell Invite this season, dropped a 2:12.81 to finish nearly 12 seconds ahead of Heritage Christian’s Rebekah Rairdon (2:24.00). The time would have placed fifth in 5A.

Ginger and Birdie Hutton, a 2012 grad from SMW and currently a runner for the Princeton Tigers, are sisters who hold the classification records in the 400, 800, 1,600, and 3,200.

“She was one of the main reasons why I came out for track freshman year, because all through middle school, she was like, ‘you have to come run,’” Ginger Hutton said. “Then, I came out in high school and fell in love with it. It was her from the start.”

“I always try to beat her state records,” she added with a laugh.

Ginger, a senior, claimed her third consecutive state championship in the 800 and her sixth title overall. She hopes to add to her legacy on Saturday in the 400 and 1,600.

If the 800 hadn’t dazzled enough already, Cherry Creek’s Jordyn Colter was in the final heat.

Colter, of 800 supremacy with the Colorado record of 2:05.48, the nation’s No. 1 time this season, ran 2:04.56 on Friday to easily win 5A.

The senior fed off the momentum.

“I was warming up and I kept hearing all these records,” she said. “I feel like it’s the best thing to get a record on this track at the state meet. I’m so glad I was able to pull it off. The crowd is so awesome.”

Monarch’s Elissa Mann was the runner-up in 2:10.39. Lauren Gregory of Fort Collins, after defending her 3,200 crown in 11:01 earlier in the day, finished third in 2:11.45.

Colter also won her third consecutive championship in the 800 and fifth overall on the track. She won cross country as a freshman and will look for another 1,600 crown on Saturday.

Air Academy’s Katie Rainsberger was the 4A 800 champion in 2:08.87, just off Elise Cranny’s 4A state meet record time of 2:08.50. Rainsberger was the 3,200 winner and helped lead Air Academy to the 3,200 relay championship on Thursday.

The 2014 all-state girls cross country teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

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

The athletes who won championships at their classification were named runner of the year.

Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A

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Class 5A

Runner of the year: Lauren Gregory, Fort Collins
Coach of the year: Mike Callor, Fort Collins

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Class 4A

Runner of the year: Katie Rainsberger, Air Academy
Coach of the year: Kevin Clark, Mountain View

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Class 3A

Runner of the year: Lily Tomasula-Martin, Estes Park
Coach of the year: Larry Zaragoza, Alamosa

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Class 2A

Runner of the year: Tabor Scholl, West Grand
Coach of the year: Mark Roberts, Lyons

The 2013 all-state girls cross country teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

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

The athletes who won championships at their classification were named runner of the year.

Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A

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Class 5A

Runner of the year: Lauren Gregory, Fort Collins

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Class 4A

Runner of the year: Elise Cranny, Niwot

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Class 3A

Runner of the year: Eva Lou Edwards, Bayfield

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Class 2A

Runner of the year: Miriam Roberts, Lyons