Colorado State Champs Earn Double And Triple Crowns

Colorado State Championships
Olivia Ekpone


* Parker Wolfe and Harrison Witt battled for the 5A 1,600m title

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There were too many top performances to count at the Colorado State Track and Field Championships this weekend. 

The state's best athletes set personal bests and endured difficult doubles and triples on both the girls' and boys' sides. 

Gavin Schurr, the state's fastest sprinter, opted against competing at the state championships in Colorado and instead entered -- and was accepted -- in the 200m at the U.S. Olympic Trials. He clocked a 20.91 on Friday in the first round but didn't advance to the semi-finals. 

Back in Colorado, one of the top races arose in the boys' 1,600m. 

To start off, Mountain Vista's Harrison Witt ran away with two state titles in the Class 5A 800m and 1,600m. 

In the 1,600m, Witt faced Cherry Creek's Parker Wolfe, the Gatorade Athlete Of The Year for cross country, and went toe-to-toe with the Cherry Creek senior.

Wolfe and Witt separated themselves from the rest of the field within the first lap. The Cherry Creek senior led from the front through the first 1,200 meters until Witt made a strategic move coming down the homestretch of the final lap to pass Wolfe on his inside.  

Witt crossed the finish line in a new state record of 4:04.36 and Wolfe finished in 4:10.09. Caleb Boutelle of Pine Creek came in third with a 4:11.42. 

Wolfe capped off his final state championships with a victory in the 3,200m. In a solo effort, the University of North Carolina signee won the event in 9:07.87.

5A BOYS 1600 METER RUN FINALS	
PLACE	ATHLETE		TEAM	RESULT	WIND	H#
1	Harrison Witt	12	Mountain Vista High School	4:04.36		1
2	Parker Wolfe	12	Cherry Creek High School	4:10.09		1
3	Caleb Boutelle	12	Pine Creek High School	4:11.42		1
4	Ryan Montera	12	Legacy High School	4:13.57		1
5	Jacob White	12	Dakota Ridge High School	4:14.82		1
6	Peter Fox	12	Grandview High School	4:17.43		1
7	Lukas Haug	12	Boulder High School	4:17.80		1
8	Dalton Kaines	11	Rocky Mountain High School	4:18.46



* Harrison Witt won the 800m at the Colorado State Track and Field Championships

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In the 800m, Witt ran his second sub 1:50 of the season. He clocked a blistering 1:48.75. Two weeks ago, he broke the state record in a new personal best of 1:48.50. 

He completely ran away from the field and won the event by almost three seconds over Castle View's William Merrick. Caden Smith of Cherokee Trail came in third with a 1:52.18.


5A BOYS 800 METER RUN FINALS	
PLACE	ATHLETE		TEAM	RESULT	WIND	H#
1	Harrison Witt	12	Mountain Vista High School	1:48.75		1
2	William Merrick	12	Castle View High School	1:51.90		1
3	Caden Smith	12	Cherokee Trail High School	1:52.18		1
4	Camden Law	10	Chatfield High School	1:52.55		1
5	Drew Costelow	10	Valor Christian High School	1:53.19		1
6	Caleb Boutelle	12	Pine Creek High School	1:53.24		1
7	Clifton Thompson	12	Lakewood High School	1:53.47		1
8	Timothy Thompson	11	Rocky Mountain High School	1:53.50		1



* Zane Bergen shares his thoughts after the 3,200m victory

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In Class 4A, Zane Bergen of Niwot, ran away with three victories over the weekend. Along the way, Bergen set two personal bests in the 800m and 1,600m. In all three of his races, he had more than a two-second cushion over the rest of the field.

In the two-lap race, Bergen clocked a 1:51.26 to win the title over his training partner Grayden Rauba and Longmont's Connor McCormick. 

Moving up to the 1,600m, Bergen finished with another lifetime best of 4:09.51. The junior then finished almost four seconds ahead of the field in the 3,200m when he crossed the finish line in 9:18.78. 

For the 2020-2021 season, Bergen finished the year with his first individual state titles in his career. He wraps up the regular season with four championship titles: three from this state meet and one from cross country. 




* Eddie Kurjak cleared 7-0 at the state championships

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Eddie Kurjak almost grabbed the triple in the field events: the high jump, long jump and triple jump.

He was able to solidify the victory in the high jump and triple jump. 

Kurjak raised the bar to 7-0 to set a new personal best and tie the state record. The Longmont senior cleared 6-11 twice before the state championship.

In the triple jump, he won the event with a wind-legal leap of 45-05.75. 

The long jump competition was Kurjak's toughest event of the weekend. He finished second behind Mitchell's Daryon Wilson who jumped 23-5.25 to Kurjak's 22-06. 



* Riley Stewart won the 3,200m at the Colorado Class 5A State Championship

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Riley Stewart of Cherry Creek endured one of the most challenging triples: the 800m, 1,600m AND 3,200m. 

Mission accomplished for Stewart.

She finished the 800m in 2:09.60 and was the only girl in the field who broke 2:10.

Stewart took control of the race in the 1,600m and added another victory to her resume. She crossed the finish line with her third-fastest time of the season of 4:45.96. She was just off by a hair of her personal best of 4:44.13.

In the 3,200m, Stewart shaved almost 21 seconds off her previous best this season to win this race. 




* Agur Dwol won the long and triple jump competitions at the Colorado State Championships

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In the sandpit, Agur Dwol of Mullen left the meet with a double victory in the long and triple jumps. 

She leaped her second-best performance of the year with an 18-11.25. She won the competition by over a foot. 

In the triple jump, Dwol remained undefeated all year in this event. She jumped 40-9, which is her fourth jump over 40-0 this season. 


4A GIRLS LONG JUMP FINALS	
PLACE	ATHLETE		TEAM	RESULT	WIND	H#
1	Agur Dwol	11	Mullen High School	18-11.25	-0.4	2
2	Madissyn Moore	12	Palmer Ridge High School	17-09.00	-0.2	2
3	Devyn Thornton	12	Windsor High School	17-03.50	-1.1	2
4	Jahzara Davis	12	Sand Creek High School	16-10.50	-0.8	2
5	Quinn Patterson	11	Discovery Canyon High School	16-10.25	-0.1	2
6	Sally Marshall	12	Longmont High School	16-08.75	-0.6	2
7	Jadyn Ledoux	12	Sand Creek High School	16-05.50	-1.1	1
8	Kathryn Carroll	11	Niwot High School	16-04.75	-1.1	2


4A GIRLS TRIPLE JUMP FINALS	
PLACE	ATHLETE		TEAM	RESULT	WIND	H#
1	Agur Dwol	11	Mullen High School	40-09.00	-0.4	2
2	Kathryn Carroll	11	Niwot High School	36-05.50	-1.2	2
3	Devyn Thornton	12	Windsor High School	36-05.00	0.8	2
4	Ella Pears	9	Longmont High School	35-11.25	1.5	2
5	Sally Marshall	12	Longmont High School	35-06.50	1.4	2
6	Emily Kruse	12	Green Mountain High School	35-02.00	2.4	1
7	Kiara Welch	9	Erie High School	35-01.50	-0.5	2
8	Quinn Patterson	11	Discovery Canyon High School	34-07.75	+0.0	2



* Niwot swept the relays and most of the individual track events at the state championships

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What was really impressive at the Colorado State Class 4A Track and Field Championships was the Niwot girls nearly swept all the events from the 200m through the 3,200m. 

Taylor James won the 200m-400m double. The senior clocked 24.61, to set a new lifetime best in this event, and 54.69 respectively. 

Sophomore, Madison Shults won the 800m in 2:12.97. 

In the 1,600m, freshman Bethany Michalak of Air Academy edged out Lucca Fulkerson of Niwot in this event. Michalak ran her second-fastest time of the season with a 4:55.01 to take the victory of Fulkerson's 4:55.08. 

Moving on to the 3,200m, Fulkerson was able to be the first runner across the finish line in a comfortable victory of 10:34.65. Her teammate, freshman Mia Prok came in second in 10:51.80. 

As a team, Niwot also swept the of the relays.



Other Top Performances from the Colorado State Championships:


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