The madness that is the Colorado state track & field championships begins on Thursday, and as usual, teams and individuals from the Pikes Peak region are posed to top the podium.
The Colorado Springs area has five returning champions who will compete Thursday through Saturday at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood.
Looking for consecutive titles are Jackson Neppl of St. Mary’s (2A boys’ 800 meters and 1,600 meters), Mesa Ridge’s Janise Everett (4A girls’ 200 meters), Sierra’s Marcus Mills (3A boys’ 110-meter hurdles) Cheyenne Mountain’s Antoni Smith (4A boys’ high jump) and TCA’s Jordan Wenger (3A boys’ triple jump).
Vista Ridge’s Brandon Hills is also a 2021 champion in the long jump, though he came up short in defending last year just months after suffering a gunshot wound.
Hills, a Washington State football commit, enters this year as the favorite in the 5A long jump and seeded second in the 100-meter dash.
Another past champion is TCA's Anna Willis, whose victory in the 3A girls' pole vault in 2021 marked seven consecutive titles in the event for the Willis sisters. She finished second last year and enters this weekend seeded second, 2 inches behind the leader.
Wenger is seeded fourth as he looks to defend his triple jump crown, but he’s also favored in the high jump and among the top five in the long jump as he looks to help the perennial contending Titans to a team title.
TCA finished second last year among 3A boys, the same spot as the Cheyenne Mountain boys in 4A. There were among eight local teams finishing in the top five.
Here are some other things to track this week in the action that gets under way Thursday with four local seeded first in the competition – and that’s just in the morning session:
• Air Academy’s Bethany Michalak was second in the 1,600 and 3,200 last year in the 5A girls’ competition. She’s a huge favorite this year in the 3,200, within range of a state meet record and perhaps a Colorado prep record.
• Everett of Mesa Ridge, one of the returning champions, is favored to double up in the 4A girls 100 and 200, with teammate Danaya Kinnard perhaps her top competition. The Grizzlies girls are also favored in 4x100 and 4x200 relays.
• Cheyenne Mountain will be the team to watch in the 4A boys’ 3,200 meters, as Kaden Levings enters as the favorite and four more Red-Tailed Hawks harriers are seeded in the Top 14.
• TCA’s Chandler Wilburn finished second last year in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200. He broke through in the fall with a state cross country title, now he’ll look to close his time in track in similar fashion. Wilburn qualified in all three events again this year. In the 3,200, he will be seeded second, behind only teammate Matthew Edwards.
• Jada Miller of Fountain-Fort Carson is the 5A favorite in the triple-jump and is seeded fourth in the long jump. The school-record holder in the 100, she is also seeded third in that event.
• It’s strength in numbers for Harrison. The Panthers boys, led by freshman Gulong Craft, are favored to win the 3A boys 4x100 relay and are within striking distance in the 4x200. Harrison also has three boys among the top eight qualifiers in the boys long jump.
• Another Harrison athlete to watch is Michaela Cruickshank, who is a top-three qualifier in the 3A girls 100, 200 and 400.
• TCA girls are ranked in the top five in all five relays, including second place in the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x800.
• Peyton junior Landon Hadley is favored to win the 200 in 2A boys and is top three in the 100 (second) and 400 (third). The Panthers are also favored to win a pair of relays and could earn points in two others, making them a potential team contender.
• The Banning Lewis 4x800 girls’ 2A team posted the top qualifying time by 11 seconds.
• Brianna Tira of Falcon leads in 4A girls long jump.
State track and field schedule for area participants seeded first or second
Thursday
8:30 a.m.: 4A girls long jump – 1. Brianna Tira, sr. Falcon (18-4)
8:30 a.m.: 5A girls triple jump: 1. Jada Miller, sr., Fountain-Ft Carson (39-5)
8:45 a.m.: 4A boys 3200 – 1. Kaden Levings, Cheyenne Mountain (9:15.95)
11 a.m.: 5A girls discus – 2. Geneva Gigi, sr., Palmer Ridge (135-7)
11:10 a.m.: 5A girls 4x800 – 1. Air Academy (9:16.95)
11:30 a.m.: 4A boys long jump – 2. Trei Ginn, sr., Mesa Ridge (23-4.5)
2 p.m.: 3A boys long jump – 2. Jamison Taylor, sr., Harrison (23-3)
4:30 p.m.: 2A boys 4x800 – 2. Peyton (8:20.2)
4:45 p.m.: 2A girls 4x800 – 1. Banning Lewis (10:19)
5 p.m.: 3A boys 4x800 – 2. TCA (8:08.33)
5:15 p.m.: 3A girls 4x800 – 2. TCA (9:48.88)
6:30 p.m.: 2A boys 3200 – 2. Andrew Bel, so., CSCS (9:48.33)
Friday
8:20 a.m.: 3A boys 3200 – 1. Matthew Edwards, jr., TCA (9:28.86), 2. Chandler Wilburn, sr., TCA (9:32.22)
8:30 a.m.: 3A boys discus – 2. Gunner Busetti, jr., Florence (154-10)
10:30 a.m.: 5A girls 3200 – 1. Bethany Michalak, jr., Air Academy (10:11.28)
11 a.m.: 5A boys long jump – 1. Brandon Hills, sr., Vista Ridge (23-11)
11:15 a.m.: 4A girls 300 hurdles – 2. Rimari Facey, Mesa Ridge (45.05)
11:30 a.m.: 3A girls pole vault – 2. Anna Willis, jr., TCA (13-0)
Noon: 4A girls 800 sprint medley – 2. Mesa Ridge (1:48.86)
12:30 p.m.: 2A boys 800 – 1. Jackson Neppl, St. Mary’s (1:57.76)
12:35 p.m.: 2A girls 800 – 2. Alexia Gonzales, so., Banning Lewis (2:24.43)
1:25 p.m.: 3A boys 4x200 relay – 2. Harrison (1:29.71)
1:30 p.m.: 4A boys high jump – 1. Antoni Smith, Cheyenne Mtn (6-6), 2. Osita Agbo, sr., Lewis-Palmer (6-5)
1:35 p.m.: 3A girls 4x200 relay – 2. TCA (1:45.85)
1:45 p.m.: 4A girls 4x200 relay – 1. Mesa Ridge (1:41.53)
1:50 p.m.: 2A boys 4x200 relay – 1. Peyton (1:31.18)
Saturday
8:30 a.m.: 4A boys triple jump – 2. Osita Agbo, sr., Lewis-Palmer (48-3)
9:30 a.m. : 3A boys 110 hurdles – 2. Jordan Davis-Voss, sr., Harrison (15.09)
9:33 a.m.: 4A boys 110 hurdles – 1. Marcus Mills, sr., Sierra (14:22)
10 a.m.: 2A boys long jump – 2. Isaac Templin, so., Thomas MacLaren (21-8.5)
10:33 a.m.: 3A girls 100 – 2. Heidi Nielson, so., TCA (12.35)
10:40 a.m.: 4A girls 100 – 1. Janise Everett, Mesa Ridge (12:16)
10:50 a.m.: 2A boys 100 – 2. Landon Hadley, jr., Peyton (11.15)
10:57 a.m.: 5A boys 100 – 2. Brandon Hills, sr., Vista Ridge (10.54)
11 a.m.: 3A boys high jump – 1. Jordan Wenger, jr., TCA (6-9)
11:50 a.m.: 2A boys 400 – 2. James Webb, sr., Ellicott (50.59)
12:50 p.m.: 5A boys 1600 – 2. Jacob Bach, sr., Palmer Ridge (4:17.16)
1:22 p.m.: 4A girls 200 – 1. Janise Everett, Mesa Ridge (25.04), 2. Danaya Kinnard, Mesa Ridge (25.14)
1:34 p.m.: 2A boys 200 – 1. Landon Hadley, jr., Peyton (22.54)
2:23 p.m.: 4A girls 300 hurdles – 2. Rimari Facey, Mesa Ridge (45.05)
2:45 p.m.: 2A boys 1600 – 2.Josh Kearse, sr., Peyton(4:29.21)
2:55 p.m.: 2A girls 1600 – 2. Alexia Gonzales, so., Banning Lewis (5:25.83)
3:05 p.m.: 3A boys 4x100 relay – 1. Harrison (42.5) , 2. TCA (42.99)
3:10 p.m.: 3A girls 4x100 relay – 2. TCA (50.46)
3:20 p.m.: 4A girls 4x100 relay – 1. Mesa Ridge (48.43)
3:35 p.m.: 2A boys 4x100 relay – 1. Peyton (43.9)
Your Privacy Choices