Colorado girls state track championships: Notable second-day observations

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Arria Minor, of Denver East High School, flies around the first turn of the girls 5A 400 meter dash during the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood. Minor won the race with a time of 53.30.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Arria Minor, of Denver East High School, comes into the finishing stretch of the girls 5A 400 meter dash during the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood. Minor won the race with a time of 53.30.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Fountain-Fort Carson's Donovan Williams, middle, edges out Hinkley's Darrien Wells, left, by .03 seconds with a time of 00:10.70 to win the boys 5A 100 meter dash in the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood. Wells finished in 00:10.73.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Sarah Yocum, of Faith Christian, gets out in front during the girls 3A 100 meter hurdles during the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood. Yokum won the race with a time of 00:14:36.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
4A Valor Christian's Anna Hall competes in the 100 meter hurdles during the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Valor Christian's Anna Hall competes in the 4A High Jump during the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Erika Willis makes an attempt at 12'9" during the girls 3A pole vault on the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood. She didn't make the jump but she did win the event with a meet record of 12'5".
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
4A Valor Christian's Anna Hall competes in the 100 meter hurdles during the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Sarah Yocum, of Faith Christian, with her hair flying in her face, crosses the finish line to win the girls 3A 100 meter hurdles during the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood. Yokum' winning time was 00:14:36.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Erika Willis makes an attempt at 12'9" during the girls 3A pole vault on the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood. She didn't make the jump but she did win the event with a meet record of 12'5".
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Valor Christian's Anna Hall competes in the 4A High Jump during the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood.
From left to right Michaela Moore, Claire "Scotter" Ross, Mary McCowen and Ashlyn Ventimiglia jump and scream as they find out that they have won the girls 4A 4x100 meter relay during the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood. They won the race with a time of 00:49.05.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Mary McCowen, second from left, hugs, teammate Ashlyn Ventimiglia, left, while Claire "Scotter" Ross, facing forward in the back, hugs teammate Michaela Moore, when the foursome found out that they had won the girls 4A 4x100 meter relay during the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood. They won the race with a time of 00:49.05.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Arria Minor, of Denver East High School, smiles as she gets congratulated, while lying on the grass, after winning the girls 5A 400 meter dash during the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood. Minor won the race with a time of 53.30.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Faith Novess and teammate Cecilia Landeros run to their other teammates to celebrate the foursome's win in the girls 1A 4x100 meter relay during the final day of state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood. Their finishing time was 00:51.41.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
From left to right Sofia Anderson, Emily Pieper and Brianna VanVleeet, all seniors from Paonia High School, hold flowers and wave to the crowd during a ceremony in the middle of the state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Lakewood. Because many seniors missed out on their graduations when the track and field championships were cancelled due to inclement weather, a small ceremony celebrating their graduation was held for the seniors during the final day of state track and field championships.
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Seniors from different schools throw their graduation caps in the air in the middle of the state track and field chamionships at Jeffco Stadium on May 21, 2017, in Lakewood. Because many seniors missed out on their graduations when the track and field championships were canceled due to inclement weather, a small ceremony celebrating their graduation was held for the seniors during the final day of state track and field championships.
Rock Canyon's Emily Sloan hits the final hurdle and falls to the ground just in front of the finish line in the girls 5A 300 meter hurdle. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
LAKEWOOD, CO - MAY 20: Rock Canyon's Emily Sloan hits the final hurdle and falls to the ground just in front of the finish line in the girls 5A 300 meter hurdle. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood, Colorado. (Photo by Kathryn Scott/The Denver Post)
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Rock Canyon's Emily Sloan hits the final hurdle and falls to the ground just in front of the finish line in the girls 5A 300 meter hurdle. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Monarch's Isaac Green leads the pack in the boys 5A 3200 meter run. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Glenwood Springs Kourtney Gasaway runs to embrace teammates after they compete in the girls 4A 4x200 relay event. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Fountain-Ft. Carson's Jequan Hogan competes in the boys 5A triple jump. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Fans jump to their feet as runners cross the finish line. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Lutheran's Jacob Dack competes in the boys 3A shot put event.The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Vista Ridge's Anthony Bellot crosses the finish line to win the boys 4A 4x200 relay event. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Pueblo West's Frank Nash competes in the boys $a long jump. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Cherry Creek's Delaney Smith reacts after realizing she won the girls 5A 300 meter hurdle event. Rock Canyon's Emily Sloan fell over the last hurdle just before the finish line which allowed Smith to win the event. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Grandview's Brie Oakley, left, crosses the finish line in first place in the girls 5A 3200 meter event. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Athletes make their way around the track in the boys 3A 3200 meter event. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Grandview's Brie Oakley, left, and Fort Collins Lauren Gregory launch off the starting line in the girls 5A 3200 meter event. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Salida's Ashley Leopold, left, and Rebekah Earnhart say a prayer together before their sprint medley event. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Berthoud's Cora Fate runs to congratulate her teammates after they place second in the girls 4x200 meter event. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.
Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post
Mullen's Jeordon Holmes falls to the track when he realizes his teammate is not with the other runners in the boys 4A 4x200 relay. The state track and field championships take place at Jeffco Stadium on May 20, 2017 in Lakewood.

By Kyle Newman | knewman@denverpost.com | The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: May 21, 2017 at 6:31 p.m. | UPDATED: May 21, 2017 at 10:05 p.m.

Notes and observations from the second and final day of the 2017 CHSAA girls state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood:

Minor completes 5A sprints sweep

Denver East sophomore Arria Minor swept the Class 5A sprinting events for a second straight year, with Sunday’s wins in the 100- (11.53) and 400-meter (53.30), adding to a win in the 200 on Saturday to give Minor six individual titles in her young prep career.

“Yesterday, I was really dehydrated and a little dizzy, but I made sure to take care of myself last night and into today,” Minor said after her final race. “The winning is nice, but as usual, I’m just focused on my own progress.”

Grandview, Air Academy win first team titles

Both programs ran away with their first state titles — Grandview topped runner-up Fort Collins in 5A, while Air Academy bested runner-up Niwot in 4A. In 3A, The Classical Academy (last season’s 4A champion) captured its tenth team title — ranked second all-time behind Mullen’s 11 crowns — while Paonia won its fifth straight 2A title and Springfield won 1A for the school’s first girls team title.

Sloan rebounds, claims 100-meter hurdles

After Emily Sloan clipped the final hurdle and fell in Saturday’s 300 hurdles race — a mistake that potentially cost her not only a state record in the event, but the 5A championship as well — the Rock Canyon sensation bounced back on Sunday with a title in the 100 hurdles. Her time of 13.58 is the best mark for a junior in the entire nation, according to MileSplit.

Cherokee Trail holds off Denver East in 4×100

In a rematch of last year’s dramatic 5A 4×100 relay finals — when Cherokee Trail held off anchor Arria Minor and Denver East by .04 of a second — the Cougars again emerged victorious this year as Jaiden Paris, Taylor Watson, Chian Deloach and Sydnee Larkin turned in a title time of 47.48 to the Angels’ time of 47.71. Larkin also repeated as champion in the triple jump with Saturday’s 36-10.50 mark.

Koopman claims 5A long jump crown

Fort Collins senior Audra Koopman launched her way to a second straight 5A long jump title with a 19-00.50 mark. It’s the fourth straight year the Penn State pledge has landed on the podium in the event to go along with a runner-up finish in 2014 and a third-place finish in 2015.

McDonald sets 5A record in discus

After winning her second consecutive shot put championship on Saturday, Rocky Mountain junior Gabriella McDonald topped herself on Sunday with a 5A state meet record discus toss of 154-4 en route to the title. It was the Colorado State commit’s first championship in the event following runner-up finishes as a sophomore and junior.