The Scoop: 16 Boys Break 9 Minutes At Arcadia

Apr 07, 2018

By Bobby Reyes - Colorado MileSplit - Full Mullen Invite Coverage on Co.MileSplit - Link

Arria Minor returned to the track after her highly successful indoor season, and she didn't disappoint. The Denver East junior did what she does best.

Minor made no contest of the 100m and the 200m, in which she simply dominated the field with (wind-aided) 11.38 and 23.23 wins. Both times are new state-leading marks.

Likewise, Anna Hall shined in a variety of events, more specifically the hurdles. Hall ran the No. 2 time in the county, 42.03, in the 300 hurdles. She also placed second (to Minor) in the 200 in 24.45, and won the 100 hurdles in 14.52 over Jaiden Paris, who was second in 14.63.

Kyairra Reigh made no contest of the 400, winning the event going away in 54.65
MaLeigha Menegatti was the upset winner of the 800, which saw seven go under 2:19. Menegatti ran 2:17.54 for the win.
Marlena Preigh led a star-studded 1600 that saw seven of the top nine times in the state. Preigh used a calculated sprint to down Jenna Fitzsimmons 5:03.39 to 5:04.11. Isabella Bowland and Katelyn Mitchem were also in the mix, running 5:04.3, and 5:04.9
In the field, Taylor James dominated the high jump with a mark of 5-6, while Amber Gustason enjoyed a similar domination in the discus with a toss of 121.35.
Maya Evans and Sydnee Larkin shined in the jump, with Evans winning the long jump in 18-6.25, and Larkin taking the long jump in 40-4.
The girls pole vault was a highly competitive event, with eight going over 10-8. It was Mia Manson, however, who outlasted her competition, going 12-8 for the win.

Full Story on Co.MileSplit - Link

Sixteen sets of brightly colored spikes toed the starting line for the boys 1600m at the Mullen Invitational. Among them was a black pair of adidas with bright white stripes. Its owner, Cole Sprout, leaned at the line with an intensity in his eyes that said it all.

I'm going to win this race.

When the gun shot, the 16 bodies crashed around the track in a distance sprint.

Sprout led a stellar field in a hot pace that passed 400m in 64 seconds.

By the third lap, the pace was beginning to hit the field. Sprout cruised up front while his competitors began to thin out. Heading down the backstretch of lap three it appeared that only Carter Dillon, Caden Foster, Cal Banta, and Chase Dornbusch remained up for the challenge . . . but so was Sprout.

As they reached the bell, lap Dillon made a surge up to Sprout's shoulder. For a slither of a moment it appeared that the hot pace may have taken its toll on Sprout, and Dillon sensed blood in the water. But the moment passed, and Sprout bore down, keeping Dillon inches behind him.

The two telescoped away from the field as it was evident the winner would be one of them. They rose to their toes in a sprint for the finish that started on the backside of the track. The crowd rose to its feet, well aware that they were witnessing something special.

Sprout led Dillon by inches as they reached the 200 mark, but Dillon wasn't willing to let this one go just yet. The two remained locked in a slugfest that made everyone cringe in anxiety. That intensity from Sprout's eyes had gone up into the ether as everyone could feel the intensity of this race now. When they rounded the final corner they could see the finish. Dillon went out into lane two, but Sprout didn't give him in an inch. The two pumped their arms and lifted their knees all the way down the final straight. They ran the gas tank all the way down to "E" as neither was willing to give an inch.

When that bright white finish line that held their anxiety nearly four minutes and 11 seconds before was feet away, Dillon leaned at the line. But it was Sprout's.

He had decided that much when he toed the line and waited for the starter's gun. When he crossed in 4:12.75, the agony was over for him, and everyone watching. The sophomore had just won an instantclassic, as right on his heels was Dillon, who ran 4:12.91. It was the first time in Colorado history that two boys had run 4:12 in the same race. Both boys ran nearly 10-second personal bests.

While history will remember Sprout as the winner of this epic race, Dillon's second-place finish is equally impressive. Currently he's the fastest second-place finisher inside Colorado's top 10 times in the 1,600 . (One thing is certain: the 4A state 1,600 race is going to be historic, as Sprout, Cruz Culpepper, and James Lee will toe the line together.) When the 1,600 was over, it wasn't even lunchtime at the Mullen Invitational. The morning was young and a laundry list of top-tier performances was ahead.