Niwot track and field takes on busy first weekend of April

The Niwot High School track and field program sent athletes to three different cities, including one in California, during the first weekend of April.

Cougar colors were present in Longmont at the Birds of Prey Invitational, in Parker at the Legend Titan Track Clash, and in The Golden State for the renowned Arcadia Invitational and at all venues, Niwot runners enjoyed plenty of success against high-level competition.

At the Birds of Prey Invitational, hosted by Skyline High School on Friday, April 5, the Niwot girls placed second in the team standings behind Erie High School while the Cougar boys finished fourth. Junior Reese Kasper, a newcomer to the NHS track program, was particularly impressive on the girls' side, taking first in the 100, 200, and 400-meter dashes.

Other Niwot girls who won individual races at the Everly-Montgomery Field track were seniors Julia Rudolph (800 meters), Ashlenn Baca (100 and 300 hurdles), and Chloe Mitchell (discus). The Cougars also took first in the 4x400 relay. Not to be forgotten, juniors Kate Schmidthuber and Simocea Esquibel were close behind Kasper in the 100, 200, and 400.

Junior Gavin Engtrakul had Niwot's lone first-place finish on the boys' side, winning the 800 with a time of 1 minute, 58.88 seconds. Fellow junior Kyle Toothaker was runner-up in that same race while William Lennert took second in the 1,600. Kingson Staton (400), Aidan Jiang (1,600), Jackson Bates (high jump), Tanner Cole (pole vault), and Shuen Lim (javelin) each placed fourth in their respective events.

That same day, Niwot sent a group of runners to Echo Park Stadium for the Legend Titan Track Clash. Junior Cole Mazurana won the boys' 1,600 while senior Olivia Alessandrini took third in the girls' 800 and fifth in the 1,600. Additionally, Niwot was runner-up in the girls' 4x800 relay.

Niwot runners who traveled to Arcadia High School in Arcadia, Calif., included Keegan Geldean, Gavin Engtrakul, Addison Ritzenhein, Sarah Perkins and sisters Anna and Mia Prok. Ritzenhein, who was recently named the Gatorade Girls Cross Country Player of the Year, recorded the highest individual finish among Niwot athletes, a fifth-place mark in the mile.

The Boulder County Track Championships, scheduled for Saturday, April 13, at Centaurus High School in Lafayette, stands as Niwot's next major meet.