Student Athlete of the Week Jade West

Despite being Colorado's most successful Class 4A girls track and field program over the past decade, Niwot High School had remarkably never produced a state title winner in shot put until May 19, 2023, when Jade West staked her claim to history.

West's heave of 40 feet, 8.25 inches traveled a full 29 inches further than what the second-place thrower produced at the 4A state championships in Lakewood. In fact, observers reported that West had another throw that reached 42 feet at state, but it landed just outside the boundary.

The Niwot sophomore was humbled by her accomplishment and hopes that her crown can catapult the Cougars into taking first again in future years.

"The fact that it's never really been a huge thing at Niwot was kind of shocking to me," said West. "I'm really excited to be the first and I know that there's so many more to come. I'm just really proud to set the bar for everyone else."

Head coach Maurice Henriques agreed that West's win could have the power to attract more Niwot athletes to compete in throwing events.

"The future is bright," Henriques said. "With her (West), we'll start building more kids interested in doing the throws. It'd be great. (She has a) great personality (and) is all about the team. To see her at the state meet and how she was interacting with the crowd, she was having fun."

While West's shot put win at Jeffco Stadium was certainly her biggest of the year, it didn't exactly come out of nowhere. She finished in a disappointing 11th place at state last season, but this spring, she took first at several other competitive meets, including the Boulder County Track Championships, the Niwot NOCO Invite, the St. Vrain Invite, the Longs Peak/NCAC/Mile High Championships and the Centaurus Twilight, where she recorded a career-best throw of 41 feet, 3.25 inches. In fact, she never lost a shot put competition all season.

West credited Henriques and assistant coaches Craig Sherman, Darius Reed and La'Mar West, her father and Niwot High's campus supervisor, for guiding her throughout the season.

"It was a lot of building, a lot of working with different coaches, a lot of getting new ideas from my dad, especially," West said. "At the start of the season, I was just trying to throw over my PR from last year and get in a safe, comfortable spot. From there, it was just building and building so I knew I was ready for state. I didn't hit the No. 1 seed until a couple of weeks before state. My goal was to be top-five and when I got to that point where I threw the 41 at Centaurus, I knew I was going to be okay."

As West mentioned, her father, a former Niwot thrower himself, was crucial in her development as a thrower.

"I didn't really know how good he was until I got to Niwot when I saw his name on the record board and I was like, 'Oh, you were kind of good at this,'" the younger West said. "I always saw pictures and stuff when I used to be a swimmer and I was like, 'Oh, I didn't know he did that.' When I quit (swimming), I was like, 'You know what, let me do something my dad did' - because swimming was something my mom did for Niwot. It was kind of taking after my parents, and then I grew to love it. I was worried about being in his shadow but at this point, he's my main supporter and I couldn't be more happy to have the same legacy he does at Niwot."

Over the summer, West plans on competing in both the Great Southwest Track and Field Classic in New Mexico and the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia. She is also looking forward to her junior season with Niwot volleyball.