Cougars run away at regionals

The Niwot High School cross country team secured top team finishes at the 5A Region 3 Championships in Broomfield on Thursday, Oct. 24. Both the boys and the girls teams demonstrated dominance, sweeping the top places and showcasing their readiness for the upcoming 5A State Championship.

Boys Team

The boys team claimed the first eight spots and an impressive 15:54 average time, well ahead of their closest competitors. Boulder High School held an average time of 16:22 and Fairview High School averaged a 16:55 finish time. Leading the pack for Niwot was junior Rocco Culpepper, who crossed the finish line first at 15:50.40, closely followed by junior Ryder Keeton, who finished just milliseconds behind with a time of 15:51.03. Sophomore Quinn Sullivan, juniors Hunter Robbie and Gabriel Marshall, and seniors Keegan Geldean and Evan Kear claimed the next spots, with each runner finishing under 16:05.

Rounding out Niwot's top eight was senior Cole Mazurana, who clocked in at 16:11.61. Senior Gavin Engtrakul contributed with a strong twelfth-place finish at 16:20.64, exemplifying the depth of the Niwot boys lineup. With such a comprehensive performance, Niwot secured the first-place finish, proving the Cougars' capability to excel in a competitive field and underscoring the skill and conditioning they have built up this season.

Girls Team

Niwot girls claimed the team victory with a 1-3-8 finish that saw them average an 18:48 time, besting Boulder High School's average of 19:14 and Fairview High School's 19:43.

Junior Addison Ritzenhein set the pace for Niwot, clocking in at 17:24.30 to capture the individual title. Not far behind was fellow junior Anna Prok, who secured third place with a time of 18:35.50. Sophomore Elise Hagen took eighth place, finishing in 19:10.74.

Senior Eleanor Ottem and sophomore Scarlett Parks followed closely in fourteenth and fifteenth places, with times of 19:26.12 and 19:27.90, respectively. Junior Avalon Beltran and sophomore Wendy Cheruiyot also finished in the top twenty, while senior Alena Kasanicky added depth to the team with a thirty-ninth-place finish at 20:39.23.

State Meet

With both boys and girls proving their strength at the regional meet, Niwot's cross country program heads into the state championship as a formidable force. Each team member's performance contributed to the collective success, highlighting their competitive spirit and readiness to face off against the best teams in the state.

The Cougars' first season in the Class 5A division has been marked by continued success. As the girls team aims for a seventh consecutive state championship and the boys team seeks a back-to-back title, both teams have shown they are ready for the challenge at the 5A level. Their strong performances at regionals have set them up as favorites for the Class 5A State Championship in Colorado Springs on Nov. 2.