Student Athlete of the Week Addison Ritzenhein

Only midway through her prep career, Addison Ritzenhein has already cemented herself as one of the greatest runners to ever come through Niwot High School.

In the past few months alone, the sophomore standout secured her first Class 4A cross country individual state title and surprised many by finishing first at the Nike Cross Country Nationals on Dec. 2. Her efforts were then honored on Jan. 23 when she became the first Niwot runner to win the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Player of the Year award.

Ritzenhein, who received the Gatorade Colorado Girls Cross Country Player of the Year award the day prior, was all smiles when reflecting on her almost halfway-complete Niwot career.

"Looking back on everything, it's so surprising," Ritzenhein said. "I'm really very grateful for everything."

Those who surround Ritzenhein also deserve some credit for her recent success. While her parents, former University of Colorado Boulder distance runners Dathan and Kalin Ritzenhein, always offer a listening ear, she typically relies on Niwot cross country head coach Kelly Christensen for racing guidance. Ritzenhein shared that Christensen's best advice to her has been to "live in the moment and have fun."

With overbearing parents all too common in youth/high school athletics these days, the Ritzenheins realize that pressure often causes more harm than good. Dathan, for instance, was quick to commend his daughter's ability to separate running from other aspects of her life.

"Running's very social for her," Dathan said. "She wasn't outwardly super competitive, but you can see it now. She's really good and she gets really competitive with herself, but she definitely seems to compartmentalize things. She seems to have a good grasp of that."

To make Ritzenhein's rise even more impressive, she has only been running competitively for a couple of years. Her father shared that she didn't even begin running regularly on a competitive level until about eighth grade, soon after their family moved to the Niwot area.

Now recognized as the nation's top high school girls cross country runner, Ritzenhein believes the recent success can uplift both herself and those around her.

"It gives me a lot of confidence," Ritzenhein said. "I can't wait to see what I can do and see how far this will help my teammates, too, and the community."

Ritzenhein is currently focusing on winter training, which includes plenty of weight lifting, ahead of her sophomore track and field season.