Track and field athletes sharpening up with state less than 2 weeks away

Think about this: In two weeks from the day this is published, all state champions will have been crowned.

That’s how close we are to the 2025 Colorado state track and field championships — literally less than two weeks.

The top 18 performances in Class 5A-2A will book their ticket to the state championships, while the top nine will qualify in 1A.

This means everyone is sharpening up for next week’s big dance in Lakewood.

As with previous years, the Pueblo Twilight was the highlight of the weekend.

And as per the usual, the distance races were on fire.

The girls 3,200-meter nearly stole the show Friday night, as Cherry Creek’s Kinley Wolfe and Air Academy’s Tessa Walter made this one of the fiercest battles of the meet

Wolfe clawed her way to victory here, clocking 10 minutes, 26 seconds, while Walter was a stride back in 10:27.

These are two of the top-three times run in Colorado this season. Of additional note, 22 girls have broken 11 minutes this season.

Also take note – in the girls distance events, there was a bit of an Air Academy versus Cherry Creek theme.

Cue the Girls 1,600.

Going down in distance, it was once again a Kadet battling a Bruin, only this time the roles were reversed.

Air Academy’s Chamorra Cooper and Cherry Creek’s Emily Cohen’s battle mirrored the 3,200.

Cooper got the victory here in a huge personal-best of 4:52.91, while Cohen was hot on her heels in 4:53.90.

Collectively, those made for two of the top four times run in Colorado this season.

Likewise, the boy’s 1,600 lived up to the hype with Coronado coming out in full swing.

Oliver Horton took a tight win over his teammate Xzavier Campos, running 4:14.16, and 4:14.67. Boston Potts made it a Cougar sweep, finishing third in 4:16.

As of this writing, Coronado owns the No. 3-5 times in 4A.

In the 3,200, Cheyenne Mountain’s Brogan Collins nearly became the third runner to break 9 minutes in Colorado.

In yet another insanely fast 3,200 Collins ran 9:02, while teammate Aiden Le Roux was two seconds back in 9:04, and Benji Anderson was third in 9:05.

That’s the second time this season that there’s been a 3,200 with three running 9:05 or faster in the same race.

Additionally, there are now four runners on knocking on the Sub-9 door.

Coming out of the Western Slope League Championships, there was an eyebrow-raising, jaw-dropping performance that just upended the landscape in the girls 800.

Coal Ridge sophomore Effie Fletcher recorded a state-leading 2:12.13 to win the 800. This is a personal best by seven seconds. Add that she won this race by four seconds.

What’s additionally interesting about her performance — what hints that it was coming — is the fact that she ran 2:19 three consecutive times before the breakthrough.

Clearly, she’s run herself into the list of favorites to claim the 800 state title in a few weeks.

In the Southern Peaks League Championships, the highlight came from Centauri’s Troy Sowards, who soared to a state-leading 6 foot, 11 inch clearance in the high jump. Sowards has been insanely consistent all season long, going from 6-8 to 6-9 to 6-10, to currently 6-11. How high does he fly at state? We’ll know in another week and a half.

Meanwhile, earlier in the week Riverdale Ridge’s Payten Meineke showed that she’s sharpening up for state — she won the 800 in a 4A No. 4 of 2:12.91 at the Longs Peak/Rocky Mountain League Championships.

At the Continental League Championships, there was plenty to talk about.

Ponderosa’s Payton Becker once again proved that she’s the favorite heading into the statre meet – she proved that Liberty Bell was no fluke, as she torched a 14.02 to back up her 13.79 clocking from Liberty Bell. She currently leads the state by just under half-a-second in the event.

On the boy’s side of the competition, Mountain Vista’s Ben Adams sliced another second off his Colorado PR in the 1,600, winning the event in a state-leading 4:10.03. ThunderRidge’s Ben Lee was hot on his heels, clocking 4:11.64.

That means there are currently three boys in 5A who have run between 4:10 and 4:11.

Lee didn’t end his meet without a win, however.

Lee battle with Mountain Vista’s Benjamin Anderson in the 800, clocking a state-leading 1:52.16 to Anderson’s 1:52.70.

Similar to the 1,600, there are currently four boys who have run between 1:52 and 1:53 in the 800.

In other words, we have some exciting battles on tap!

Going way down in distance, Chaparral’s Wilkins Persichina continued in his theme of running a PR every week in the 200 – he clocked a 21.09 in the event. He currently leads 5A in the 100 and the 200.

The girls 400 has been insanely competitive all season, and this weekend the bar was once again raised.

Legacy’s Annalina Torres reclaimed her place on top of the latest rankings by clocking a state-leading 54.55 at the Three League Meet. She is currently the only quarter-miler to dip under 55-seconds this season, so far.

Likewise, Niwot’s Reese Kasper sliced nearly a half-a-second off her 300 Hurdle PR, clocking 41.52 to win the event. She leads the state in the event by nearly a second-and-a-half.

The 2025 Colorado state track and field championships are less than 14 days away from launching off the starting line!