Great At State: The 5A Recap

Arria Minor ran two state records and picked up two state titles.

We'll start with Arria Minor.

Minor was sensational over the span of three days. She endured preliminary heats of the 100, 200 and 400, and nabbed two state records on the first day of competition.

The height of her meet came Thursday, where she smashed the 200 and the 400 state records. She ran the No. 2 time in the country in the 200, running 22.89, and her 51.92 400 is No. 1 in the country. The only sprint record she didn't claim was in the 100. Her 11.51 was just off the record of 11.31 - but there's always next year. She claimed two state titles - the 100 and the 200.

The only hiccup in Minor's weekend was in the 400 final, where she proved to be only human.

Clearly, her record-breaking efforts caught up to her, as Lily Williams caught her in the final strides of the 400 for an upset victory in the 400.

The sophomore finished 53.85 to beat Minor's 53.95.  

Williams joined a very, very short list of competitors that have had the honor of saying they've beaten Arria Minor - and she clearly understood the rarity of such a feat.

"Arria is an amazing athlete," Williams said after the race. "She's pushed me to be better."

The distance events were close across the board, with kicks to win in each event.

The 800 was a three-way battle between Marlena PreighMadison Mooney, and Bryce Johansen

While Mooney had entered the meet as the favorite to take the title, Preigh was prepared to go into another gear - and she did in the final 100 meters. Preigh's 2:09.19 was the fastest time in the state this year, and it's No. 4 nationally. The junior took Mooney to the line, leading her to tie her best in 2:10.19.

Mooney's runner-up finish in the 800 was a prelude of what was to come in the 1,600, as she once again came agonizingly close to a state title.

This time it was Jenna Fitzsimmons, who claimed two state titles over the weekend. Fitzsimmons used a stellar kick to pass Mooney in the final strides for a 4:54.22-4:54.52 victory. The top four broke five minutes.

Fitzsimmons 1,600 victory was the second of her weekend, as the sophomore took the 3,200 with a kick, going away for a 10:35 victory over Brynn Sileswho ran 10:39.


Emily Sloan capped her incredible high school career with two state titles - the 100 and 300 hurdles, and she made sure to go out in style.

Like Minor, Sloan took advantage of the perfect weather during the preliminary heats. After watching Anna Hall take her 300 state record down in the prelim heats of the 4A competition by running 40.76 - a hundredth of a second faster than her record, Sloan stormed out of the blocks and took her record back, running 40.60.

The time is No. 2 in the country this year. She went on to win the even in cold and windy conditions Saturday in 41.42.

In the field events Kylee Harr shocked the state with a 5-10 win in the high jump. Harr's previous personal best coming into the meet was a modest 5-6, but the senior went big on the right day and was rewarded for it.

There was no stopping Sydnee Larkin in the long jump. Larkin took the event in 18-11.25, just ahead of teammate Chian DeLoach.

Larkin was denied a state title in the triple jump, however, as Aumni Ashby took the event with a 40-11.5 PR. The jump beat Larkin by just three-inches.

Defending state champion Mia Manson struggled early in the pole vault competition. After nearly deciding to opt out of this year's competition due to injury, Manson was only given the green light by her doctors days before the state meet. Despite competing at less than 100%, the sophomore battled back to defend her title with a 12-6 victory.

In the throws the name of the meet was Gabriella McDonaldThe senior dominated the shot and discus. Her 148-2 discus win was 18 feet beyond her nearest competitor, while her 42-8.5 in the shot won the event by two feet.

In the relays Broomfield was the surprise winner in the 4x800, though it may not have been much of a surprise to them. With anchor Madison Mooney blitzing the final two laps, they took the event in 9:16 over pre-race favorite Mountain Vista.

Denver East was nearly perfect in the relays, claiming the 4x1, 4x2, and Sprint Medley Relay, though with the overall team competition coming down to the 4x4, their hearts were dropped in the final strides of the final event of the state meet.

Cherokee Trail held a 85-80 lead heading into the 4x4, and were not in the event, leaving a state title on Denver East's doorstep. All Denver East would need was a fifth-place finish in the event to tie Cherokee Trail. A top-four finish or better would've given them the title. As fate would have it, Denver East finished sixth, however, and Cherokee Trail held on to win a team state title 85-84 over Denver East.

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