NHS track and field takes a victory lap in postseason awards

The Niwot High School track and field teams have once again proven their dominance, with the girls team winning the state title for the fifth consecutive year and the boys team finishing as state runner-up. Their outstanding performance through the season has been recognized with numerous awards, showcasing the incredible talent of both teams under Coach Maurice Henriques, who was named CHSAA's 4A Girls Track Coach of the Year.

Leading the girls team, sophomore Addison Ritzenhein had a stellar season, earning CHSAA 4A All-State First Team honors in the 1600 meter, 3200 meter, and 4x800 meter relay, and being named the Longmont Times-Call Athlete of the Year and Niwot High School's Female Athlete of the Year as well.

Seniors Olivia Alessandrini and Mia Prok, and sophomore Anna Prok were also key members of the 4x800 meter relay that earned them CHSAA 4A All-State First Team honors. Alessandrini was named to the Longs Peak All-Conference First Team for the 3200 meter and the All-Conference Second Team for the 1600 meter.

Senior Julia Rudolph and juniors Eliana Henriques, Simocea Esquibel, and Reese Kasper demonstrated their talent in the 4x200 meter relay and 4x400 meter relay by earning All-State First Team honors in the two events. Kasper was also named to the All-State team for the 300 hurdles and the Longs Peak All-Conference First Team for the 100 meter and 300 meter hurdles, the sprint medley relay, and the 4x200 meter relay.

Henriques received All-Conference First Team for the sprint medley relay and the 4x200 meter relay as well as All-Conference Second Team in the long jump. Rudolph earned All-Conference First Team honors for her contributions in the sprint medley relay, 4x100 meter, 4x200 meter, and 4x400 meter. Esquibel was named All-Conference in the 400 meter and the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays.

Kate Schmidthuber, a junior, made the All-State First Team and All-Conference First Team in the 4x200 meter relay, All-Conference First Team in the sprint medley relay, and All-Conference Honorable Mention for the 200 meter. Junior Jade West, another standout, dominated the field events, earning All-State First Team and All-Conference First Team in discus and shot put.

Freshman Sammie Holliday ended her first high school season by making the CHSAA All-State Second Team for the 4x100 meter relay and earning All-Conference First Team in the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays. She was also honored with All-Conference Honorable Mention for the 100 meter. Sarah Perkins, a senior, earned All-State Honorable Mention honors.

The Cougars' depth was further highlighted by several athletes making the All-Conference teams, including senior Audrey Robinson (4x800), senior Desta Soma (4x800), sophomore Zoey Zabel (4x800), freshman Alaan Foster (4x800), and freshman Stella Priest (4x100) on the first team. Senior Kendall Madine (800) earned second team honors, while freshman Elise Hagen (3200), senior Chloe Mitchell (discus), and senior Ashlenn Baca (300 hurdles) received honorable mentions.

The boys team had several standout performers as well, with sophomore Rocco Culpepper named to the All-State First Team in the 1600 meter, the 800 meter, and the 4x800 meter relay, and earning the Longmont Times-Call Athlete of the Year.

The 4x800 relay team, which included Culpepper, junior Gavin Engtrakul, junior Cole Mazurana, and freshman Quinn Sullivan, not only received All-State First Team honors, but also set a new state record for the event. Mazurana earned All-Conference Second Team in the 800 meter and Sullivan earned All-Conference Second Team for the 4x400 meter relay.

Senior Abraham Menjivar and sophomore Joshua Archuleta earned All-State Second Team and All-Conference Second Team honors for their roles in the 4x400 meter relay. Junior Weston Domich received All-State Honorable Mention in the triple jump and was named to the All-Conference Second Team for the same event.

Junior Evan Kear, who made the All-Conference First Team in the 3200 meter, also earned an honorable mention in the 1600 meter.

Senior Mats Lehan was named to the All-Conference Second Team for the 110 meter hurdles and the 300 meter hurdles. Lehan was Niwot High's Male Athlete of the Year as well.

The boys team also showed depth in various events with several athletes making All-Conference Teams, including senior Aidan Jiang (4x800), senior Ben Whitcomb (4x800), junior Brayan Herrera (4x800), junior Zach Hlavacek (4x800), and junior James Anthony (4x400) on the second team and sophomore Kingston Staton (long jump, 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles) with honorable mention honors.

The Niwot track and field teams' performances this season not only added numerous accolades to the program's history book, but also reaffirmed their status as a powerhouse in the state. With many talented athletes set to return next season, the future looks bright for the Cougars as they continue to build on their legacy of excellence.