Niwot takes first in 10 events at Boulder County Track and Field Championships

At the Boulder County Track and Field Championships on Saturday, April 13, Niwot High School athletes topped the podium in 10 of the day’s 38 events. The NHS girls took first in the team standings while the Cougar boys placed second behind Erie High School.

With about one month remaining until the state championships, several Niwot athletes once again proved themselves as legitimate Class 4A title contenders. Reese Kasper and Jade West continued their impressive junior seasons, standout sophomore Addison Ritzenhein recorded another two-mile win, and fellow second-year star Rocco Culpepper edged out teammate Ryder Keeton to lead the boys’ one-mile.

West, the defending girls shot put state champion, took first in both the shot put and discus, tallying distances of 40-feet, 2.5 inches and 121 feet, 11 inches, respectively. Kasper, Niwot’s only other two-event winner, won the 100 hurdles (14.80 seconds) and 300 hurdles (43.65). She also placed runner-up in the 100 and 200 dashes.

Ritzenhein produced one of the most dominant wins of the day in the two-mile, crossing the finish line a full 50 seconds ahead of her teammate and second-place finisher Olivia Alessandrini. Fellow Cougars Elise Hagen and Avalon Beltran followed in third and fifth-place, respectively.

Niwot’s Prok sisters, Anna and Mia, each impressed as well. The senior Mia took second to Anna’s third in the one-mile, but their results were switched in the 800, as the sophomore Anna placed second, one spot ahead of her older sister.

The Niwot girls also secured gold in the 4x800 (Kendall Madine, Scarlett Parks, Eloise Boyd, and Alena Kasanicky) and 4x200 (Eliana Henriques, Kate Schmidthuber, Julia Rudolph, and Simocea Esquibel) relays.

On the boys’ side, Niwot had two individual first-place finishes: Culpepper in the one-mile (4:22.87) and sophomore Hunter Robbie in the two-mile. Additionally, James Anthony, Lincoln Brewer, Cole Mazurana, and Gavin Engtrakul won the 4x800 relay with a time of 8:05.80. Junior boys Weston Domich and Engtrakul placed second in the triple jump and 800-meter, respectively.

Coming up, Niwot is scheduled to be back in Lafayette on Friday, April 19, for the Centaurus Twilight.