Topping the record-setting performance of the 2018 state track and field meet won't be easy, but it's a sure bet that this year's crop of state qualifiers will give it their best effort.
A number of state meet records fell by the wayside last May at Jeffco Stadium, and in some cases, Colorado
Arria Minor, Denver East
File photo by Kevin Prickett
prep records were broken as well. The
Denver East girls team was the star of the show that weekend, with
Arria Minor setting all-classification marks in the 200 and 400 meters, and the Angels doing the same as a team in the 800-meter medley relay and tying the 400-meter relay record. Not to be outdone, Emily Sloan of
Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch) broke the Colorado prep record in the 300 hurdles.
Minor will be back in action this weekend for East, with hundreds of athletes joining her in looking for state glory.
Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) will be a strong contender in its first 5A state meet for both the boys and the girls – senior
Cole Sprout has already re-written the state record books this season with a Colorado prep mark of 8 minutes, 57.15 seconds in the 3200 in the Dakota Ridge Invitational.
What else does this weekend have in store? Only time will tell, but once that first gun sounds at 8 a.m. Thursday in the 4A girls 800-meter medley relay preliminaries, dozens of championships are up for grabs.
With that in mind, here are some athletes to keep an eye on this weekend across all five classifications:
Class 5A
Boys
Defending champion: Fountain-Fort CarsonAthlete to watch: Cole Sprout, Jr., Valor Christian
Sprout won a pair of state titles in 4A as a sophomore, taking the 1600 and 3200. The latter event he set the Colorado prep record in earlier in the year. Well, Sprout upped his game in 2019, breaking the prep record again – by more than four seconds. The Eagles junior is shooting for the distance trifecta this weekend in the 800, 1600 and 3200. Sprout is the No. 3 in the 800, but is only .38 seconds off the top time. He is the top seed in the 1600 and 3200, and his 1600 time of 4:11.13 at the St. Vrain Invitational in Longmont last weekend leads the state. It's also only .15 seconds off the 38-year-old state record.
Girls
Defending champion: Cherokee Trail (Aurora)Athlete to watch: Arria Minor, Sr., Denver East
It's doubtful that any athlete will have more eyes on them than Minor, the most decorated sprinter in Colorado history. An eight-time individual champion – Minor was denied her third consecutive sprint three-peat as a junior when she was edged in the 400 – the East senior enters her final state meet with Colorado prep and state meet records in the 200 and 400. She won't compete in the 400 this weekend, instead focusing on the 100 and 200, where she is the top seed. After re-writing the record books in the 200 and 400 during prelims last May at Jeffco Stadium, Minor enters state with a 100 time of 11.51 seconds (the state meet record is 11.33, and the Colorado prep mark is 11.31. The University of Georgia-commit's time in the 200 is 23.77.
Class 4A
Boys
Defending champion: Silver Creek (Longmont)Athlete(s) to watch: Luc Andrada and
Kain Medrano, Srs.,
Pueblo EastAndrada and Medrano have been prolific members of the East athletic program for years. The two created one of the top passing tandems on the football field, helping the Eagles to the 3A state title game last fall. Both are headed to play football in college – Andrada at BYU, and Medrano at UCLA. But first, the seniors are looking to
Taylor James, Niwot
File photo by Tom Hanson
close out strong at Jeffco Stadium. Andrada is the reigning 4A champion in the 100, and took second in the 200. He has the top time entering state in both events, and his 100 seed time of 10.55 is just .02 seconds off the 4A state meet record set in 2000. Medrano won the shot put and discus as a junior, and has the top marks in both events entering state. His shot put mark of 58-09.5 is more than a foot better than that of Silver Creek's
Samuel Dirkes. In the discus, where he already owns the 4A state meet record, his distance of 199-09 would have shattered his 2018 record. It's nearly 15 feet better than that of Dirkes.
Girls
Defending champion: Valor Christian (now in 5A)
Athlete to watch: Taylor James, So.,
NiwotJames made her state debut a year ago and came away with a state championship in the 800. Her encore performance is one that bears watching though. James enters state with the top time in rare trifecta of the 200, 400 and 800. Discovery Canyon's Lauren Gale, who swept the 100, 200 and 400 in 2018, has graduated. Former teammate Mary Gillett, who placed top three in all three sprint events, has also graduated. That opens the door for James to do something special this weekend. She'll run the prelims of the 200 and 400 on Thursday, and run the 800 on Friday. The finals for the 200 and 400 are Saturday.
Class 3A
Boys
Defending champion: BayfieldAthlete to watch: Mason Anthony, Sr.,
ElizabethAs a junior, Anthony fell just short in the 110 hurdles and the 300 hurdles. Both times he came up behind Bayfield's Carl Heide – by .06 seconds in the 110 hurdles, and .19 seconds in the 300. But Anthony enters his
Mason Anthony, Elizabeth
File photo by Tom Hanson
final state meet with the top time in both hurdle events, as well as the long jump. In the 300 hurdles, his time of 37.92 seconds at the Mullen Invitational leads the state, and bests the time Heide record in setting a 3A state meet record last spring. His long jump mark of 22-10.5 isn't far off the 2003 state meet record of 23-01.25. Anthony will have his hands full with
Nate Hanson of
Lutheran (Parker) in both hurdle events.
Girls
Defending champion: The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs)Athlete to watch: Jordan Lanning, Sr., Bayfield
Lanning had a strong junior showing at state, competing in four individual events and winning the high jump with a meet record height of 5-07.75. She took second in the 100 hurdles, third in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the high jump. Entering her final state meet, Lanning owns the top seed times in both hurdle events and the high jump – where she cleared 5-9 earlier this spring – and is second in the long jump. The defending champions in both hurdle events are back, with
Esther Diza-Mbelolo of
D'Evelyn (Denver) seeded second in the 100 hurdles, and Elizabeth's
Ashten Loeks second in the 300 hurdles.
Class 2A
Boys
Defending champion: Resurrection Christian (Loveland) (now in 3A)
Athlete to watch: Isaac Roberts, Jr.,
LyonsThree years ago, Paul Roberts put on a show in the 2A meet for Lyons, setting meet records in winning the 1600 and 3200 and coming in second in the 800. As a sophomore, Isaac took second in the 3200 and third in the 1600, but enters this weekend's state meet as the favorite in both events. Roberts has the top time by more than six seconds in the 1600 and nearly 10 seconds in the 3200. His 800 time is third, but he's only .28 seconds behind top-seeded
Chris Carrouth of
Hayden and .10 seconds behind teammate
Colton Jonjak-Plahn.
Girls
Defending champion: Highland (Ault)Athlete to watch: Kaiya Firor, Sr.,
HotchkissAs a junior, Firor defended her 2A titles in the 400 and 300 hurdles, and placed third in the 100 dash. Entering her final state meet, Firor is the top seed in the 400 and both hurdle events, and could be chasing records. Her 400 time of 56.32 seconds would be good for a 2A state meet record, as would her 300-hurdle time of 44.28 seconds. Another individual to watch is Highland junior
Remington Ross, the two-time defending champion in the 100 dash. Ross also won the 200 as a sophomore and is the top seed in both events. Ross is second in the long jump.
Class 1A
Boys
Defending champion: Heritage Christian (Fort Collins)Athlete to watch: Seth Bruxvoort, Sr., Heritage Christian
Last spring it was Bruxvoort's teammate,
Levi Kilian, who stole the show with state titles in the 800, 1600 and 3200. Kilian, who set 1A state meet records in the latter two events, is the top seed in the 800 and second in the 1600 headed into this weekend. But for Bruxvoort, who placed third in the 1600 and second in the 3200 as a junior, this could be his year to shine. The senior won the 2A boys cross country title in the fall, and is seeded second in the 800 and first in the 1600 and 3200. Both Bruxvoort and Kilian have times in the 1600 that would easily set state meet records, but Bruxvoort's 3200 seed is what really stands out. He ran 9:31.99 at the Dakota Ridge Invitational earlier this spring, a time good for 12th overall in the entire state. For comparison, Kilian won the 3200 in 2018 with a record time of 10:04.98.
Girls
Defending champion: Heritage ChristianAthlete to watch: Faith Novess, Sr.,
De BequeA three-time state champion as a junior, Novess is mixing it up and pursuing four titles again in her final state meet. The Dragons senior is seeded first in four events – the 100 and 300 hurdles, the high jump and the long jump. As a junior, she won both hurdle events and the 200 dash, placing third in the high jump. Novess' times in both hurdle events would already be good for 1A state meet records (she holds the 100 hurdles record set last year). Her high jump seed of 5-04 would also be good for a 1A state meet record, though she'll have a battle in the long jump with
Sangre de Cristo (Mosca) sophomore
Avery Palmgren.
