Girls track and field takes second at Broomfield Shootout

The Niwot High School track and field team braved another windy spring day on Saturday, March 22 at the Broomfield Shootout. The girls team placed second overall, behind only host Broomfield High School, while the Niwot boys tied for 20th with Air Academy High School.

Senior Reese Kasper continued to prove she is a top hurdler in the state, winning the 300-meter hurdles in 43.05 and taking third in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.81. Kasper was not the only Cougar bringing home hardware, as fellow senior Eliana Henriques was a force both on the track and in the field. Henriques won the long jump with an 18-foot, 1.5-inch leap and also placed fourth in the 200 meters (25.93).

Niwot's sprinters and relay teams held their own in a crowded field. In the 100 meters, senior Kate Schmidthuber placed eighth (12.92), and sophomore teammate Sammie Holliday finished 14th (13.06). Holliday also had an impressive runner-up finish in the 400 meters, running 59.31. The girls 4x100-meter relay team took second, finishing in 49.89, while the 4x800 team came in ninth (11:30.43).

In the throws, senior Jade West continued to dominate. She won the shot put with a throw of 45 feet, 3.5 inches and placed sixth in discus (105'5"). Sophomore Mahlya Blanks also chipped in with a seventh-place finish in shot put (32'7.5"). Junior Phoebe Donovan cleared nine feet in the pole vault to place seventh.

On the boys side, senior Weston Domich led the way in the triple jump, placing third with a 43-foot, 4-inch effort. Junior Kingston Staton had a busy day, finishing fifth in the 300-meter hurdles (42.01), eighth in the 110-meter hurdles (15.44), while also competing in the triple jump (seventh, 41'10") and the long jump (26th, 19'10").

Junior Townes Bernstein was another bright spot for the Cougars, placing ninth in the 400 meters (52.92) and competing in the 200 meters (23.86). The boys 4x800 and 4x400 relay teams both grabbed 10th-place finishes.

In the distance events, senior Evan Kear placed 25th in the 1600 meters (4:49.89) and 16th in the 800 meters (2:05.43). Junior Nate Thompson (24th, 10:27.06) and Senior Will Becker (34th, 10:41.09) represented the Cougars in the 3200 meters. Freshman Grant Hansen cleared nine feet in the pole vault, tying for 17th.

With a solid showing at Broomfield under their belts, the Cougars will turn their focus to their next meet, and this time, they will be competing on their home track. Niwot hosts its annual invitational on Saturday, March 29, and the team will be looking to keep building momentum.