All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Niwot High School graduate Elise Cranny finished 11th in the women's 5,000 meters in Paris, France at the 2024 Olympics on Aug. 5. Cranny, 28, ran with the leading pack for most of the race, generally in sixth or seventh place behind the lead runners. With a lap to go, Kenya's Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet broke away from the pack, with Cheget taking the lead in the final strides to win the gold medal with a time of 14:28.56. Kipyegon appeared to finish second, but was initially...
Niwot High School graduate and distance runner Elise Cranny will compete this week in Paris, France, at her second Olympic Games. She will run in the women's 5,000-meter event as she did in Japan in 2021. This time she will be cheered on by family and friends who missed out on the last Olympics due to COVID restrictions. Round 1 of the event is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 2, at 10:10 a.m. MT. The final, where runners compete for medals, is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 5, at 1:10 p.m. MT. Both...
Niwot's annual Fourth of July celebration was packed with fun activities from start to finish, thanks to the continued efforts of the Niwot Community Association (NCA) which sponsors the event, with financial support from the Niwot Local Improvement District. Starting the morning off at 7:30 a.m. was the "Bert Steele Pancake Breakfast" served in front of the Niwot Market. Net proceeds from this year's ticket sales went towards purchasing another grill for the breakfast to help cover the increasi...
Niwot High School graduate Elise Cranny, who now runs professionally for Nike, is preparing for her second appearance at the Olympics, to be held in Paris from July 26 through Aug. 11. Cranny finished second to Elle St. Pierre in the 5,000 meters by two one-hundredths (0.02) of a second in a photo finish at the Olympic trials to secure a spot in Paris on the U.S. Olympic team. Last week, Cranny also ran the 1500 meters at the Olympic trials, finishing sixth with a time of 3:57.87 a sub-4-minute...
Niwot High School class of 2014 graduate, Elise Cranny, is headed to the Olympics for a second time this July. Cranny qualified to go to Paris to compete in the 2024 Olympics during the Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon, between June 21 and June 30. Cranny finished second in the 5000M at the trials on June 25 with a time of 14:40:36 - a mere 0.02 seconds behind the first-place finisher. "I feel honored to be able to represent the U.S. at the Paris Olympics," Cranny said, "especially because the last...
TRACK...
The Colorado State Track and Field Championships resulted in big wins for Niwot High School at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood. The 3-day event, which concluded May 18, gave the Cougars a chance to compete against the best in Class 4A in the state. And the runners and throwers from Niwot did not disappoint, turning in exceptional performances to dominate the meet, with a fifth consecutive state team championship by the Cougar girls, and a second-place tie by the Cougar boys. No other school came...
The vast majority of banners inside Niwot High School's main gym celebrate team championships. A select few, however, are hung in honor of individual achievements. Coming off a stellar sophomore season on the NHS cross country team, Addison Ritzenhein will soon have her name immortalized twice. After receiving the Gatorade Colorado Girls Cross Country Player of the Year award on Monday, the state championship-winning runner earned the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Player of...
Finding success on the big stage isn’t anything new for Elise Cranny, but this year’s trip to the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships was particularly special. Beyond securing her third straight 5,000-meter national title and her first in the 10,000, the 2014 Niwot High School grad was perhaps most pleased when she utilized an energized mindset to produce a pair of gold medals. “Overall, it was probably one of the proudest I’ve (been) leaving a meet,” said Cranny, who placed 13th in the 5K at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. “More so than that o...
Clocking the fastest times is far from the ultimate goal at REAL Training. Under longtime director and founder Maurice Henriques, the track and field club's primary focus is helping young athletes develop character and a work ethic that can be used throughout life. Henriques, often referred to as "Coach Mo," is using this summer to instill those values into his REAL athletes, who hail from high schools across the Front Range, including Niwot. "REAL" is an acronym for Responsibility, Education, A...
Gracing the podium's peak is nothing new for 2014 Niwot alum Elise Cranny. Nearly one year removed from her first Olympics, she made national headlines once again on June 26 by taking first place in the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships' 5000-meter with a time of 15 minutes, 49.15 seconds Cranny's win came courtesy of an impressive surge in the final 2000 meters. After crossing the 3000-meter mark well behind the leaders, and in ninth place - albeit still within one second of first - she made a m...
Back when she was a budding high school track star, Elise Cranny never thought she would be honored as she was during this year's Niwot Homecoming celebration. The 2014 Niwot graduate and 2021 U.S. Olympian was given a hero's tribute during the annual parade and football game on Sept. 17. Before finishing 13th in the Olympic 5,000 meter race, Cranny helped Niwot win two 4A girls track titles and competed collegiately at Stanford University. She said that with no fans allowed in Tokyo, the...
Niwot community pride was on display during last weekend's homecoming events. Friday afternoon's bright sun and cool temperatures set the stage for the parade, which returned following a pandemic-induced break. Junior Olivia Lacert was watching with friends from just outside 1914 House. "I'm excited to go to a homecoming game and to have the dance this year," she said. "I love dances. Last year we didn't have a lot of school events, so this is pretty cool. The football game is later and I'm...
Niwot High graduate ('14) and 2020 Olympian Elise Cranny is returning to her alma mater. On Friday, Sept. 17, the decorated distance runner will be riding in Niwot High's motorized homecoming parade, which departs the school parking lot at 3:15 p.m. Later that night, Cranny is also scheduled to make an appearance during halftime of Niwot's football game at Everly-Montgomery Field. Cranny is a two-time state cross country champion, and won multiple state titles in track & field for Niwot. In...
Niwot's Sept. 11 matchup against Eagle Valley (2-0) got off to a thrilling start for the home fans, with a foiled onside kick attempt, a long run by quarterback Ben Classen, and finally, a 1-yard touchdown run by Thomas Carnagie, all within the first minute of play. But neither the thrill nor the lead would last, as Eagle Valley scored just three plays into their first possession to tie the game. The Demons then scored a touchdown on the possession after that, and the one after that, and then...
Niwot's downtown was packed on Friday, July 30 – at 4:00 a.m. Over 200 fans of Niwot High grad Elise Cranny packed Niwot Wheel Works to witness Cranny's Olympic debut as part of the USA track team. Cranny did not disappoint her fans, finishing fourth in the second heat of the 5,000-meter prelims to qualify for the finals. The first five runners in each heat qualified for the finals, plus the five next-best times. Cranny's heat began at 4:26 a.m. Mountain Time, but the downtown vibe was what y...
After narrowly missing the qualifying mark for the 2016 Team USA women's discus team, Silver Creek graduate Valerie Allman made the mark and more in Tokyo. Allman became just the third American since 1932 to win gold in the women's discus with a 69.98 meter (229.6 feet) hurl on Aug. 2. She backed up a 66.42 meter (217.9 feet) throw in the qualification round on July 30 which had then set a record for the farthest throw ever by an American woman in the Olympics, yet still short of her 70.15...
Niwot High School alum Elise Cranny will take the world's center stage on July 30 at 4 a.m. MST when she competes for Olympic gold in the women's track and field 5,000 meter event. Cranny, who graduated from Niwot in 2014 with multiple Colorado state titles in cross country and track before running at Stanford University, won the Team USA 5,000m qualifying race in June with a time of 15:27.81. Her family watched from the sidelines at Hayward Field in Oregon as Cranny punched her ticket to...
The Niwot track and field program has produced its fair share of talented athletes, most notably Elise Cranny, who will be representing the U.S. in the 5000-meter Olympic race on Friday, July 30. But Taylor James stands out even in that elite group. During a storied track and cross country career at Niwot, the versatile performer earned seven individual state track titles, a handful of relay titles, a runner-up title in cross-country, and set at least two Class 4A records. For longtime Niwot tra...
To say that Niwot's track and field teams turned in a historically dominating performance at the 2021 Colorado Class 4A championships is technically true, yet also understates the magnitude of the accomplishment. From Lucca Fulkerson's unbeatable kick in the 3200 meter race on opening morning, to the boys' stirring second-place finish in the 4x400m relay to close out the three-day meet, the Cougars won state titles in 14 events, the runner-up title in six events, and set two new Class 4A state...
The past year has been challenging for prospective college athletes, particularly those who missed their junior seasons of competition in the spring of 2020. But for 15 Niwot High athletes, the arduous journey through the virtual recruiting process came to a satisfying end at the school's Letter of Intent signing ceremony on May 3. "This is probably the hardest year in the history of college athletics to have an opportunity to play at the collegiate level," Niwot High athletics and activities...
Stanford University track and field has claimed another prize recruit from Niwot. Standout Taylor James has announced that she will be taking her prodigious talents to Palo Alto next fall, following the trail blazed by former Cougar standouts Elise Cranny and Mary Gillett. "In the end there were a couple of main things that swayed my decision," the talented senior said of her choice. "Obviously Stanford's athletic and academic prestige is one of the big ones. Also, Coach [J.J.] Clark seems...
Track standout Taylor James didn't get a chance to win any big races for Niwot in 2020, but she still claimed a big prize at season's end. On June 25, the rising senior was named the Colorado Girls Track Athlete of the Year by Gatorade, one of the most exclusive awards in high school athletics. "She's definitely special," Cougar cross country coach Kelly Christensen said of the talented runner, who was also named ColoradoClass 4A Girls Athlete of the Year in 2019. "Gatorade is a tough award, so...
VOLLEYBALL Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) was part of Stanford's NCAA national championship team, which defeated Wisconsin Dec. 24 in the NCAA finals. Fidelak, a sophomore opposite hitter, played in six contests during the season, but did not see action in the NCAA tournament. Her most extensive action came against Arizona State in a 3-0 victory Oct. 13, where she played all three sets, recording 11 kills and only three errors. She had an attack percentage of .348 against Arizona State, and also...
The track and field and cross country scene in Niwot hasn’t been the same since R.E.A.L. Training Colorado opened its doors in 2007. Led by accomplished coaches Maurice Henriques and Kelly Christensen, the facility offers top level instruction for track and field and cross country athletes. Hard work is a top priority at R.E.A.L. and the athletes take this to heart. Bringing on runners that exemplify these traits is a top priority for Henriques. The success that his runners have had is no m...
The boys may have waited until the final event of the meet to claim their team title, but for the Niwot girls, the Class 4A track and field championship was theirs to lose from the start. Shortly before 9 a.m. on the opening morning of the three-day state meet at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood, Niwot junior Samrawit Dishon crossed the finish line of the girls 3200 meter race with a season-best time of 10 minutes, 53.76 seconds to claim second place overall and score the Cougars’ first eight p...
All soccer teams are inherently “goal-oriented,” so when third-year head coach Steve Dimit referred to the 2019 Niwot girls soccer team as such, it wasn’t the squad’s on-field play he had in mind. “They’re a team that’s really goal-oriented and very, very focused on making another run at the league title, and making the playoffs and having a really good experience this year,” Dimit said. “They’re just committed every day to making this a great season.” Of course, having a great season will depen...
VOLLEYBALL Sarah Falk (Niwot) played 10 matches for Sacramento State this fall, seeing action in 14 sets. Falk, a redshirt freshman, playing middle blocker. Falk finished with seven kills on the season in 10 attacks, with only two errors. Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) was part of Stanford’s NCAA Championship team. The freshman outside hitter saw action in three early season games for the Cardinal, but was able to preserve a redshirt season. Fidelak, who wore jersey number 7, earned substantial s...
VOLLEYBALL Sarah Falk (Niwot) has played eight matches for Sacramento State this fall. Falk, a redshirt freshman, is a middle blocker. After seeing action in only three of the first 18 games, she has played in five of the last eight games. Falk has five kills on the season in 10 attacks, with only one error. Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) played her first collegiate match for Stanford University in a 3-0 victory over West Virginia Sept. 1. Fidelak, who is listed as an outside hitter/opposite on the r...
BASEBALL David Bote, son of former NHS Baseball Coach Bob Bote, earned his third promotion to the Chicago Cubs’ major league squad June 26 when Kris Bryant went on the disabled list. Bote has been back and forth between Iowa (AAA) and the Cubs this season after making his major league debut with the Cubs during an April trip to Colorado. At Iowa, Bote was hitting .268 with 12 homers and 38 RBI, both high marks on the team. He has played second base, third base, shortstop and outfield in the m...
The Niwot girls soccer team sent their eight seniors off in memorable fashion with a tight 1-0 victory over first-place Northridge to clinch at least a share of the 2018 Northern League title. In front of a packed home crowd on hand to celebrate Senior Night, the Cougars dismantled their final conference opponent with a controlled possession attack that kept the Grizzlies’ defense on its toes and the ball away from its high-scoring offense. “Individually, everybody came to play today,” Niwot hea...
After her breakout cross country season, which included an impressive win in the regional meet, it would be easy to pigeonhole Niwot freshman Taylor James as mainly a distance runner. In her inaugural track and field season, however, the ninth-grader has shown a surprising depth of talent for both sprinting and jumping. Case in point is her performance at the exclusive Mullen Invitational, where she extended her streak of high jump wins to five with a mark of 5’6”, both a personal best and the s...
Even on St. Patrick’s Day, it wasn’t hard to spot the green-clad Niwot athletes competing in the Windsor Invitational, as they were almost always out in front of the pack. On a sunny spring day, tailor made for running fast, both veterans and newcomers set new personal bests in many of the meet’s sprint events, helping both the boys and girls to their second top-ten finishes of the still-early season. “It’s a perfect day,” Niwot head coach Maurice Henriques said. Now in his eighth year, Henri...
The Niwot girls soccer team passed an early season test in the March 15 home opener with a 2-0 win over the Standley Lake Gators. A long Kenzie Pasma free kick into the Standley Lake box bounced in front of sophomore Natalia Storz who chipped it past the Gator keeper to break a scoreless tie in the 68th minute. Six minutes later, senior Anna McCarthy netted her sixth goal of the year to seal the victory. On the other side of the ball, senior keeper Allie Colvin and the Niwot defense staved off...
BASEBALL David Bote, son of former Niwot High Baseball Coach Bob Bote, is in his first major league spring training camp with the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, AZ. Bote, playing second base, opened the exhibition season in the starting lineup and collected a single in his first plate appearance. He followed with another base hit in the second game of the spring, coming in as a replacement for Javier Baez. Bote, the Cubs’ 15th-ranked prospect, is featured on a video on the Cubs’ website, talking about working with Hall-of-Famer Alan Trammell last fal...
The graduation of standouts Kailee Stobbe and Maddie Barkow left two giant holes in the Niwot girls soccer team lineup, but head coach Steve Dimit isn’t panicking. With 13 varsity players returning this year and a group of very promising underclassmen joining them, Dimit believes the Cougars have all the tools they need to defend the Northern League title and make another deep run in the postseason. “We have a good, young crew,” Dimit said. “Everybody came back with something new, and I was rea...
Mackenzie Fidelak - Stanford For as long as she can remember, Niwot volleyball standout Mackenzie Fidelak has had Stanford University at the top of her college wish list, but not necessarily for obvious reasons. To be sure, Stanford is home to one of the most successful collegiate volleyball programs in the country. Winners of seven NCAA national championship matches —and runners-up in another eight—the Cardinal are a perennial top-ten team that has never finished a season with a losing record....
SOFTBALL Nicki Blue (Niwot) finished her season with a 10-12 win-loss mark for South Carolina, which ended the season with a 34-25 record. Blue was the losing pitcher in a 9-0 loss to fourth-ranked Arizona, allowing six runs in 5.2 innings, as Arizona scored four times in the sixth inning when the South Carolina leftfielder lost a ball in the sun for a run-scoring double. South Carolina was ranked number 24 at the time and lost in the Regional final. Blue tied for fifth all-time in South...
Led by Maddie Barkow and Kailee Stobbe, the Niwot girls soccer team outscored its opponents 16-3 in three games last week, including a convincing 4-2 win over the high-scoring Erie Tigers (8-4) and a 10-0 rout of the Greeley Central Wildcats (1-10), which saw eleven Cougars tally a point. For head coach Stephen Dimit, though, the game of the week was the Cougars’ narrow 2-1 win over crosstown rival Longmont, a team far more competitive than a 2-10 record suggests. “Any time we can get a win over...
BASEBALL Pate Katechis (Niwot) is second on the team in homeruns with three for Kearney-Nebraska. Katechis, who plays leftfield, is hitting .228 on the season, with 15 RBI. He had two doubles, scoring a run and driving in two runs, in an 11-2 win over Washburn March 31. Greg Reynolds (Silver Creek) is hitting .342 for Colorado Mesa this season. Reynolds, who started at shortstop and moved to third base, had two hits including a double, scoring a run in an 11-10 win over New Mexico Highlands April 1. Ford Ladd (Niwot) is hitting .500 for New Yor...
It’s that winning formula envied by high school coaches in every sport: veteran leadership with playoff exposure plus developing talent with the potential to surprise. In the constant turnover of high school sports rosters, that can be a rare combination, but Niwot girls soccer Head Coach Stephen Dimit thinks he’s found it in the 2017 Cougars squad. “All the pieces are there,” he said. “It’s an interesting blend of a lot of experience and then some new players and different positions....
BASEBALL Sean Ratliff (Niwot) began his professional coaching career as hitting coach for the Kingsport Mets in 2015. In 2016 Ratliff moved up to the Brooklyn Cyclones, the short-season Class A affiliate of the Mets. And this fall he coached in the Instructional League, where his prize pupil, Tim Tebow, homered on the first pitch he saw. Ratliff was drafted by the Mets out of Stanford University, where he starred in the College World Series. He worked his way up to Class AA in the Mets organization, and appeared in several spring training...
TRACK Elise Cranny (Niwot), a junior at Stanford University, ran in the 1500 Meters at the 2016 Olympic Track and Field Team Trials, in Eugene, OR, July 7-8. The top three runners in each event qualified for the Team USA for the Rio Olympics. Cranny made the semi-finals, but fell short of making the finals of the event. She was back in Colorado after finishing second in the 1500 Meters at the NCAA finals, missing first place by .004 seconds with a time of 4:09.54. It was the closest finish in th...
TRACK Lauren Sharpe (Niwot) and Rachel Sharpe (Niwot) competed for the University of Colorado at the Tom Benich Invite in Greeley April 2. Lauren took 14th in the 100M Hurdles with a time of 16.29, while Rachel was right behind, finishing 15th with a time of 16.56. In the 400M event, Rachel took 12th with a time of 26.21, while Lauren finished 15th with a time of 26.81. In their best event of the day, the Sharpe sisters placed ninth (Rachel) and tenth (Lauren) in the Long Jump, with leaps of 5.15M and 5.10M, respectively. A week later, Rachel...
