Desert Twilight Impresses Once Again
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Winning never gets old, especially when it's paired with a personal best and a major title. Addison Ritzenhein made that statement loud and clear at the 2024 Desert Twilight in Gilbert, Arizona.
The Niwot junior, fresh off last year's Nike Cross National Championship, dominated the race with a time of 16:41, finishing 39 seconds ahead of the field and beating her own winning time from the previous year by three seconds. It was her fifth consecutive victory this season and a powerful display of Colorado's strength, as six of the top 10 finishers hailed from the state.
| PLACE | VIDEO | ATHLETE | TEAM | MARK | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Addison Ritzenhein | 11 | Niwot High School | 16:41.30 | 1 | |
| 2 |  Payton Meineke | 11 | Riverdale Ridge High School | 17:20.10 | ||
| 3 |  Gianna Rahmer | 9 | Eldorado High School | 17:25.10 | 2 | |
| 4 |  Julie Moore | 12 | Mountain View | 17:31.90 | 3 | |
| 5 |  Emily Cohen | 11 | Cherry Creek High School | 17:36.20 | 4 |
Riverdale Ridge's Payton Meineke finished second in 17:20, with El Dorado freshman Gianna Rahmer close behind in 17:25. Rahmer, who placed sixth at NXN last year as an eighth-grader, is already making waves early in her high school career.
In the team standings, Niwot claimed the title with 80 points, ahead of Highland (123) and Mountain View (141), while Fairview secured fourth place over Cherry Creek by tiebreaker.
On the boys' side, Rio Rancho's Charlie Vause denied Niwot a sweep of the top spots with a personal best of 14:42, narrowly defeating Niwot's Rocco Culpepper, who ran 14:44. Coronado's Oliver Horton took third in 14:45, rounding out an exciting top three.
| PLACE | VIDEO | ATHLETE | TEAM | MARK | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Charlie Vause | 12 | Rio Rancho High School | 14:42.20 | 1 | |
| 2 |  Rocco Culpepper | 11 | Niwot High School | 14:44.30 | 2 | |
| 3 |  Oliver Horton | 10 | Coronado High School | 14:45.10 | 3 | |
| 4 |  Kyle Steadman | 12 | Mountain View | 14:46.10 | 4 | |
| 5 |  Aidan Danny Torres | 12 | El Paso Eastwood | 14:47.40 | 5 |
Niwot's boys' team still reigned supreme, winning the team title with 69 points, comfortably ahead of Rio Rancho (117) and Coronado (138). Niwot's 1-5 split was an impressive 39 seconds, with an average time of 15:09.