The 2026 Colorado state track and field meet is just around the corner, and everyone is vying for state-qualifying marks.

It’s official: The Race for State is on.

The next few days will see an all-out assault on the top-18 marks (top-nine for Class 1A), as all eyes will be on the MaxPreps rankings.

Note: CHSAA uses MaxPreps rankings to seed the state championships.

There’s so much anticipation building, you’d think Taylor Swift was dropping another album.

The equivalent for an album-drop would be Saturday, May 9, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. — that’s the closing time for meet results to be submitted.

After that, the rankings are the rankings. And the top 18 (top-nine for 1A) can celebrate their proverbial golden ticket to next week’s Big Dance.

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It was leagues-galore across the state this past week.

It felt like something big was happening in every corner of the state.

Literally.

This weekend, we saw a major shakeup in the rankings across every classification, as it’s clear that everyone is sharpening up their spikes…

Run Around The State

The Pueblo Twilight: There were fireworks in the boy’s 1,600-meter; there was a major shakeup in the 4A rankings. Coronado’s Oliver Horton took the win in a state-leading 4 minutes, 09.00 seconds, which was just ahead of Cheyenne Mountain’s Aiden Le Roux, who finished second in 4:09.21, while Air Academy’s Nolan Thackwell took third in 4:11.94 — that’s a five-second personal best for Thackwell.

Collectively, the race made up of the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5 in the 4A 1,600 rankings.

In the pole vault, Discovery Canyon’s Quinn Pascual cleared 16-9 for a state-leading mark.

For the girls Emry Schwalm moved up to the No. 2 spot in the 5A 1,600 rankings, clocking 4:54.89 to win the event, while Arapahoe’s Maeve Vancik beat a stellar field in the 3,200, clocking a 5A No. 3 of 10:42.53. The performance moved her from a 5A No. 15, all the way down to a 5A No. 3. Cheyenne Mountain’s Raegan McRae was a stride back in 10:44 for a state-qualifying 4A No. 3 — previously she was sitting outside the top-18, at No. 20.

Jeffco 4A/5A Championships: Standley Lake’s Anastasia Kullman cleared 12-0 in the pole vault to move to the No. 2 spot in 4A, while Valor’s Ruby Synder sprinted to a 5A No. 2 spot in the 300H, clocking 43.02.

3A/4A WSL: Summit’s Jay McDonald did it again — clocking 1:51.72 in the 800. He also won the 1,600 in 4:14.

Continental League Championships: Spectators got a bit of a state-preview in the boy’s 1,600, with defending state champ Ben Lee battling Ben Adams. Both were clocked at 4:15, with Adams taking the win in 4:15.14 to Lee’s 4:15.42.

Three Leagues Meet: The boys 800 saw a bit of history, as Niwot’s Quinn Sullivan became the second Coloradan to crack 1:50 in the 800 in Colorado. Sullivan blazed a 1:49.89 to win the event. Only Harrison Witt’s 1:48.5 state record from 2021 stands in front of Sullivan’s No. 2 All-Time performance.

Jaydan Martinez ran a Colorado No. 2, and 4A No. 2 of 37.14 to win the 300H.

Mead’s Rylee Klatt won the 100 in a hundredth-of-a-second off her 4A No. 1 mark, clocking 11.80, while Longmonth’s Terra Brubaker climbed from a 4A No. 11 ranking to a 4A No. 2, clocking 55.16 to win the event.

Longs Peak/Northern League Championships: Fossil Ridge’s Addyson Smith torched a state-leading 23.82 in the prelims of the 200. She went on to win the 200 in 23.96.

Smith also won the 100 in a state-leading 11.68, and the long jump in 18-9.

In the 300H Timnath’s Addison Geraets climbed to the No. 3 spot in 4A, clocking a season best of 43.86.

Loveland’s Brynn Torres won the 3,200 in a 5A No. 3 of 10:41, while Mountain View’s Madeline Clark ran away with the victory in the 800, clocking 2:10.72.

The relays saw two state-leading marks run, with Windsor running 1:39.23 to win the 4×200, while Fossil Ridge ran 9:18 to win the 4×800.
Fossil Ridge also won the 4×400 in a Colorado No. 2 of 3:53.93.

The Thompson Valley boys swept the top-three spots in the 1,600, with Antheney Herre taking the win in 4:19.29. Levi Smela took second in 4:19.84, while teammate Grant Pierson took third in 4:21.

Likewise, Fort Collins swept the top-three spots in the 3,200, with Cadel Ruthven taking the win in 9:10. Will Johns was second in 9:14.

In the 800, Thompson Valley went 1-3-4, with Berthoud’s Aidan Malherbe sneaking into the party. Levi Smela took the win in 1:53.16, while Malherbe was second in 1:53.88. Isaac Vasquez and Trent Gabrielson finished in 1:54.26 and 1:54.62.

Own Hays demolished the field in the 110H, clocking a Colorado No. 2 and 4A No. 1 of 13.69. Hays also won the 300H, clocking 37.81.

In the 100, Fort Collins’ DJ Ruff torched a state-leading 20.92 to win the event. Time leads the entire state by over three-tenths-of-a-second.

Southwest League Championships: Grand Junction Central Sage Siegrist ran a 4A No. 2 of 2:12.06 to win the 800. That’s just off her 2:11 personal best from 2025.

Highland Twilight: Strasburg’s McKenna Garcia added a few inches to her personal best in the long jump, landing at 18-3 for a 3A No. 2, while Wiggins’ Brooke Schimdt tossed a 3A No. 1 of 43-0.5 to win the shot put.

San Juan Basin Meet: Mancos’ Jonah Ritter ran a 2A No. 1 of 21.88 to win the 200.

Black Forrest League: Thomas Maclaren’s Sara Christensen swept the hurdles with two 2A No. 1 performances, clocking 14.74 in the 100H, and 44.49 in the 300H.