Before seven runners had crossed the finish line everyone knew what was coming.

Niwot’s Quinn Sullivan and Hunter Robbie had just emptied out their tanks to finish fifth and sixth — clocking 15 minutes, 9 seconds and 15:11 — at the Nike Cross National Championships (NXN) in Portland, Ore.

While Muhammad Ali famously threw 12 punches in 2.8 seconds, Niwot’s Sullivan and Robbie gave Niwot a 1-2 punch that no team in the country would rival, and it started a historic tally that would rewrite the record books in about another 56 seconds.

No one would really need a pencil to tally this team race out — even from just watching the finish it was clear that the Niwot boys would defend their title.

The only question was how dominant they’d be.

Behind the best 1-2 punch in the country, Niwot senior Ryder Keeton was third for the Cougars on this day, finishing 33rd in 15:45, which was just ahead of freshman teammate Jude Ritzenhein, who finished 40th in 15:49. Of additional note on Ritzenhein, he was the first freshman.

Closing out Niwot’s tally was Gabriel Marshal, who finished 65th in 16:05.

“We came here two years ago, and barely got in,” Sullivan shared in a post-race interview with RunnerSpace. “Last year we won, then did it again this year in a record. It’s been a natural progression and that’s what makes it so special.”

For the freshman Ritzenhein, he’d been on the outside looking in for years, but finally got his chance to toe the line with the Cougars.

“I’ve been here for the past three years (as a spectator) and was super jealous watching them race and my sister (Addy Ritzenhein) race,” he shared. “So, I was just super hyped to get to race (with them).”

Two years ago Niwot finished third at Nike Cross Southwest Regionals and had to wait a week to earn an at-large berth before going on to finish fifth at Nationals. Last year they finished second at regionals and won nationals. This year, they kept a clean sheet and won regionals and nationals — but in a record tally.

Niwot tallied 61 points — the lowest in Nike Cross Nationals history, and a 36-point victory. Add that their 1-5 spread was just 56 seconds.
As quick as the team results were made official, the conversation shifted to Niwot’s historic victory being among the best team performances ever.

“We’re just grateful to be here,” Sullivan said. “It’s always just have fun, believe in the team culture. There’s not much we can do besides work, work, work.”

While it’s doubtful that Sullivan intended to quote Rihanna, it’s clear that the approach has worked.

Niwot’s performance put them alongside the historic 2021 Newbury Park squad that scored 29 points and averaged 14:14 to win RunningLane — in a year where Nike Cross Nationals did not take place.

While it’s difficult to compare one course to another (the RunningLane course in Alabama in 2021 was the fastest in history, while the NXN course in Oregon is notoriously difficult) it’s clear that Niwot’s historic tally among the deepest field in history garners such a distinction.

In terms of NXN history, Niwot stands alone.

Herriman (UT) took second with 97 points. Coronado earned the At-large berth after finishing third at the Southwest regional championships, and went on to finish 11th among the 22-team field at Nationals, proving that they belonged at NXN.

Individually, Niwot’s Sullivan and Robbie led Colorado with their fifth and sixth-place finishes. Coronado’s Oliver Horton capped off his season with a 14th place finish, running 15:22, while Summit’s Jay McDonald was the fourth Coloradan to finish, clocking 15:39 for 25th.

To add another perspective on how dominant Colorado was, consider the Niwot’s Keeton was the fifth runner from the Centennial state to cross the line — and he finished 33rd.

While Niwot’s boys ran just beyond expectations, Niwot’s girls stunned the field by nearly making it a Cougar sweep.

Nearly.

Nearly, as in finishing five agonizing points behind team champions Wayzata, who tallied 142 points to Niwot’s 147.

Niwot’s runner-up finish came after not getting an auto-qualifier at NXR-Southwest — they received one of four At-large berths after finishing third. Per true to the program’s form, the Cougars outperformed their regional result.

Leading Niwot was Addy Ritzenhein, who had an extremely rare off-day but gritted out a 32nd-place finish, clocking in 17:59.

Anna Prok was their second runner, finishing 60th in 18:34, while Tereza Koudelka was 70th, Scarlett Parks was 84th, and Elise Hagen capped off their scoring, finishing 90th.

“I’m so proud of this team,” Ritzenhein shared. “We couldn’t have done it without each and every one of us. Every day we run for each other, that’s my biggest inspiration.”

Niwot’s runner-up finish marked their third in the past four years.

As a program, Niwot’s performance at the 2025 Nike Cross National Championships solidifies them as the best program in the country.

Consider that over the past four years, Niwot has won two boys national titles and finished fifth, the own three girls runner-up finishes, and one individual national champion (Addy Ritzenhein).

And they weren’t the only ones dropping impressive performances.

The Heritage girls ran to their US No. 5 ranking, finishing fifth with 198 points, giving Colorado two squads inside the top five. Emry Schwalm led the squad with a 15th-place finish, clocking 17:36. Caroline Fender and Scout Destafno dipped inside the top-100, finishing 63rd and 77th.

“One of the biggest things is knowing that I’m helping my team, because my team means the world to me,” Schwalm shared. “To know that I can help them place higher makes me so happy, so I was doing it all with my team in mind.”

Individually, Eaton’s Delaney Reuter led Colorado with a 10th-place finish, clocking 17:28. Heritage’s Schwalm was the second Coloradan to cross the finish line (in 15th), while Cherokee Trail freshman Maddie Lange was 25th in 17:52, and Cherry Creek’s Emily Cohen was 30th in 17:57.

Colorado put five runners inside the top-32 overall, outperforming every state.