Fossil Ridge girls track and field duo battle for each other in big win

Addyson Smith pumped her arms as her tight, brunette ponytail dangled in her wake.

With 100 meters to go in the 400, Smith felt great.

With 50 meters to go, not so much.

The proverbial bear had jumped on her back, but despite the additional weight, Smith wasn’t slowing down much.

The Fossil Ridge senior continued to pour on the pace and emptied her tank as she leaned into her stride in the final meters of the 400 at the Altitude Invitational.

When she hit the line, the clock read 56.26 seconds.

Then she hit turf on the infield.

She took deep breaths to fill her lungs as if coming up for air from the depths of the ocean.

While she’d likely debate whether she conquered the distance or the distance conquered her, she wasn’t alone on the track.

Fossil Ridge teammate Lily Wale quickly embraced her in the moment on the infield, pulling her up and wrapping her arms around her, having just finished a second back.

There’s nothing better than sharing the pain and agony of a quarter-mile with a teammate.

Or maybe there is — perhaps something that doesn’t require the burning of the lungs and the legs.

But for the moment, Smith and Wale had each other.

And they had what they just left out on the track, which put the state on alert.

For Smith, the performance came from a sprinter whose specialty is half the length of the track, or even one-fourth of it.

She just dropped the No. 5 time in Class 5A in her first attempt at the distance this season.

Smith conquered the first 400 of her season (and second open 400 in the last two years). And she did it in dominating fashion — from the front.

When the sun had set on the day Smith owned four top-five marks across five events, excluding any relays.

She’s currently ranked No. 2 in the 100, No. 3 in the 200, and No. 2 in the long jump — Smith also won the event with a leap of 18 feet, 7.25 inches.

For Wale, who kicked late for a runner-up finish in the 400, she was rewarded with a season-best and 5A No. 7 time of 57.82. She’s also ranked No. 9 in the 800.

What’s additionally impressive with Wale’s performances is consistency— it hints at a breakthrough on the rise.

She’s run 59 seconds once, and 57 seconds twice, and she’s run between 2 minutes, 18 seconds and 2:19 all three times she’s raced.

As we round the bend and into the final half of the season, we’re bound to see some great performances in front of us.
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There were plenty of highlights coming out of the Altitude Invitational.

Starting with the boys 1,600.

Thompson Valley junior Antheney Herre ran himself into the conversation of a 4A 1,600 state title hunter.

Herre kicked to win the 1,600 over defending 5A state champ, ThunderRidge’s Ben Lee.

The Thompson Valley junior ran a 4A No. 3 of 4:12.35, which was a monstrous personal best by four-seconds. What’s makes his performance all the more impressive is the fact that it’s already 14-seconds faster than his 2025 PR.

Lee took a close second in 4:12.93, which is a 5A No. 1 by five seconds.

In the 200, Fort Collins’ DJ Ruff torched a state-leading (wind-aided) 21.14, while teammate Preston Mozer was second in 21.55.

Mozer did get a victory on the day, however, winning the 400 in a 5A No. 1 of 48.00.

In the 110H, Roosevelt’s Owen Hays added another state-leading time to his resume, clocking 13.81. The time currently leads the state by almost two-tenths of a second.

The 800 saw a wild kick finish following a mild opening lap. Rocky Mountain’s Caleb Emery took the victory in the final straight, clocking a 5A No. 2 of 1:53.63, which was just ahead of Fort Colinns’ Cadel Ruthven, who clocked 1:53.91.

In the relays, the Fort Collins boys put together the fastest 4×400 to date, clocking a state-leading 3:18.21.

Likewise, on the girls side of the competition, the shorter relays were dominated by Windsor, who clocked Colorado No. 1 times of 36.90 in the 4×100, and 1:40.87 in the 4×200.

In the 4×800, Fossil Ridge ran away with the victory, torching a Colorado No. 1 of 9:25.10. The time currently leads the state by 10-seconds.

The mid-distance events saw some great finishes, with the 800 and 1,600 going down to the line.

In the 800 ThunderRidge’s Jetta Betts outlasted the field to win the event in 2:13.70.

Meanwhile, Madeline Clark has continued to prove that she’s made The Jump. The Mountain View senior won the 1,600 in a 4A No. 2 of 4:54.85, which was just ahead of Eaton’s Delaney Rueter, who finished second in 4:56.97.

Clark currently owns the fastest 800 run in Colorado at 2:08.99.

Going down in distance, Kiana Cumings continued to rage over the track. The Windsor senior and Texas-Tech commit anchored Windsor’s relay victories, and blazed the field — and the clock — to win the 200 just off her season-best, clocking 24.55.

Run Around The Country

Oregon Relays: Niwot came, saw, and conquered. On the boys side of the competition, Niwot’s Rocco Culpepper, Quinn Sullivan, and Hunter Robbie went 1-2-3 in the Championships Mile. Culpepper took the win, clocking 4:05.95, which was just ahead of Sullivan’s 4:05.97. Robbie took third in 4:08.71, while Niwot freshman Jude Ritzenhein finished 11th in 4:11.

For the girls, Niwot senior Addy Ritzenhein made it a Cougar sweep of the event, claiming the girls title in 4:45.70 — a four-second victory. Niwot teammates Elise Hagen and Scarlett Parks took fourth and sixth, clocking 4:52 and 4:54.

In Saturday’s action, Culpepper came back to take the runner-up spot in the 800, clocking 1:50.56. In the 300 hurdles, Denver East’s Mulyndwa Kafuuma took second in 37.70.

In the relays, it was once again all Niwot.

The girls squad took the Distance Medley Relay in dominating fashion, clocking a US No. 1 of 11:32. Likewise, the Niwot boys duplicated the feat, clocking a US No. 1 of 9:53.

David S. D’Eveyln Invitational: Golden’s Abigail Trapp swept the short sprints, clocking 12.24 to win the 100, and 24.86 to win the 200. She also finished second in the 400, behind Fairview Lillian Graves, who clocked 55.56. On the boy’s side of the competition, Ralston Valley’s Phoenix Tomsick swept the sprints, clocking 10.74 in the 100, and 21.63 in the 200.

Frank Woodburn Invitational: Grand Junction’s Isaac Baca swept the throws, tossing 176-9 to win the discus, and 53-0 in the shot put.

Legend Titan Track Clash: Mountain Vista’s Payton Mathelier won the 200 in 24.79, just ahead of Grandview’s Alexis Fischer, who finished second in 24.82. Eaglecrest’s Jenna Win won the 800 in a season-best of 2:14.72.

For the boys, Legend’s Case Matteson won the 100 in a state-leading 10.65, while Eaglecrest’s Camerson Bell ran himself into the 5A No. 2 spot in the 300H, clocking 37.44.

City of Littleton Championships: Heritage’s Zona Welling swept the sprints, clocking two state-leading times, running 11.92 to win the 100, and 24.41 in the 200.