Niwot girls grab fifth consecutive cross country state title, boys take runner-up

Make it a five-peat.

For the fifth time in as many seasons, the Niwot High School girls cross country team took first place at the Class 4A state championships on Oct. 29.

Months of preparation, including two trips to the Norris Penrose Event Center course in Colorado Springs, helped Niwot score 20 points - miles ahead of second-place Battle Mountain (122) and third-place Durango (134).

"It was just incredible," said senior Madison Shults, who was one of six Cougars to finish in the top 10. "Afterward, I was crying tears of joy because it was emotional to know it was my last state meet with this specific team for cross country. It was a little emotional, but also very gratifying and amazing to know how strong our team is this year."

Freshman Addison Ritzenhein, much as she has done all season, led the Cougars with her second-place finish (17:56.50). She was immediately followed by junior Mia Prok, sophomore Bella Nelson, Shults and senior Lex Bullen, in that order.

Silver Creek High School's Cloe Ruth took seventh, and Niwot's final two runners, freshman Anna Prok and junior Olivia Alessandrini, took eighth and 14th, respectively out of a field of 156 runners.

Only the top five finishers count in determining team points. To understand how dominant the Niwot girls squad was, a perfect score would be 15 points, and Niwot finished with 20 points. Niwot's Anna Prok (8th) did not score for Niwot, but would have been second on any other team. Alessandrini (14th) suffered the same fate for Niwot, but would have been no worse than third on any other team.

The Cougars' average time of 18 minutes, 20 seconds was 1:38 ahead of Battle Mountain and 12 seconds faster than the Class 5A champion, Air Academy High School.

Head coach Kelly Christensen said that this year's state title was special considering how much adversity his girls overcame. Several of his runners dealt with injuries and illnesses throughout the season, but despite all that, they continued to find ways to win.

"It's helped that we've had success in the previous years," Christensen said. "It allowed us to be calm, and we know the process now, and we know when to show up emotionally and when to check out and just focus on the training.

"The girls trust each other more than they ever have; they trust the relationship they have with the sport, and they trust the coaches. It's helpful to have gone through some stressful seasons leading up to this year that really just allowed the seniors and juniors to just show up and not overanalyze things. The freshmen and sophomores feed off that."

In her final state meet, Shults ends her high school career knowing only how it feels to be a state champion. Shults said it was her dream to guide the program as a senior and thanks in part to her leadership, she completed the rare high school four-peat (Niwot's other senior, Bullen, transferred to Niwot midway through high school).

Niwot's boys team, however, fell just short of its goal and left Colorado Springs with its second consecutive runner-up trophy. The Cougars totaled 92 points, 16 more than Cheyenne Mountain's 76 points. It was a two-team battle as Central Grand Junction was a distant third with 159 points.

"(It was) disappointing because of the work (put in) and the goal was to win," Christensen said. "We're proud as coaches, it's just sad. But that's life, though, right? When you set high goals and you come up short, it's a little bit emotional either way."

Just like the girls' side, the Cougars' top runner was a freshman. Rocco Culpepper, the younger brother of accomplished Niwot cross country runner Cruz Culpepper, placed 10th in his first state meet with a time of 16:01.90.

"We've had freshmen lead on one side but never both sides," Christensen said. "Both are actually really new to this. Six months ago, they didn't even know if they wanted to be distance runners or do cross country at all in high school."

Two seniors followed Culpepper: Carlos Kipkorir Cheruiyot (15th) and Jeremy Gillet (19th). Niwot's other runners included sophomore Gavin Engtrakul (25th), senior Frederick Ambrose (31st), sophomore Christopher Wood (33rd) and senior Stefan Haug (39th).

Unlike most other high school sports, Niwot's season doesn't end with the state championships. The Cougars instead return to competition on Nov. 9 under the lights of their home track at the TEAM BOSS CO Mile & 2 Mile 4 REAL.

The event's purpose is to help raise funds for the Sachs Foundation, an organization that provides scholarship opportunities for Black and African American students in Colorado.