Lauren Gale captured three titles, and the title of Queen of the Sprints.
The titans of the girl's sprints hit the track and didn't disappoint. Lauren Gale, Mary Gillett, and Anna Hall starred in multiple events. In the end, the crown of Sprint Queen went to Gale, who claimed three state titles.
In the 100 Gale went 11.79 to Gillett's 12.21. The two toed the line again in the 200, along with Hall. Gale stormed to a 24.05, just ahead of Hall's 25.12, with Gillett in third at 25.18.
Gale was untouchable in the 400, running away with a 54.23 victory, while Abby Glynn finished second in 56.17, just ahead of Gillett's 56.53.
The 800 saw a new star rise, as Niwot freshmen Taylor James captured her first state title. James ran away with the win in 2:13.55, beating Kasey Klocek, who ran 2:14.71.
The 1,600 saw another freshmen rise to the occasion, proving that we've got some exciting years ahead of us. It was sophomore Joslin Blair who took the title, however, in 5:06.22, just ahead of Valor Christian freshman Taylor Whitfield. In third was Liberty Ricca, who had her day in the 3,200.
3,200 pre-race favorite Ricca capped off her breakout season with a state title in 10:57. The junior beat Whitfield to the line by three seconds. Behind them, Blair finished third in 11:01, and Palmer Ridge freshman Isabella Prosceno finished fourth in 11:06.
In the hurdles there was no stopping Anna Hall. If Gale was the queen of the sprints, Hall is the queen of the hurdles.
The Valor Christian junior led teammates Destiny Grimes and Lizzie Waters to a sweep of the 100 hurdles. Hall ran 14.23, while Grimes and Waters ran 14.44 and 15.04. The points proved vital in the team race at the time, though it was just the beginning of a Valor Christian runaway train.
Destiny Grimes, Lizzie Waters, and Anna Hall swept the 100 hurdles.
A day early Hall broke Emily Sloan's 300 hurdle Colorado state record of 40.77 in the preliminary heats. Hall ran 40.76, only to have the record broken minutes later by Sloan. Regardless, the time smashed the 4A state meet record, which stood at 42.34. Hall went on to win the finals in 42.67.
The high jump saw Rylee Anderson and Raina Branch go 5-7.5 for a tie. The two were less than an inch off the 19 year-old state meet record of 5-8.25. The top 12 broke five feet.
Hall added the long jump to her list of state titles. She went 18-9.75 to claim the win by eight inches.
In the triple jump the day belonged to Aaliyah Ricketts. The pre-meet favorite took the state title with a leap of 36-6.
Six went over 10 feet in the pole vault, led by Abigail Gray. The Silver Creek senior went 11-6 to win the event by six inches.
Logan DeRock claimed the title as best thrower in 4A by winning the shot and discus. The Roosevelt junior threw 133-8 to win the discus by two feet, and 40-0.75 to win the shot.
In the relays Cheyenne Mountain led five under 50 seconds in the 4x1. Less than half a second separated first from fifth. Cheyenne Mountain won the event in 49.57, just ahead of Air Academy's 49.64.
In the 4x2 it was all Valor Christian. They ran away with a two second victory in 1:41.89. Niwot finished second in 1:43.51.
Mead was the upset victor in the Sprint Medley, as they beat pre-race favorite Valor Christian in the final strides. Mead won in 1:45.17, while Valor and Discovery Canyon went 2-3 in 1:45.32 and 1:45.75.
With the team race boiling down to Valor Christian and Niwot, it only made sense that the two would battle it out in the 4x4. But while Valor had telescoped away with a team title already, Niwot claimed the 4x4 title in 3:55.64 to Valor's 3:56.
In the 4x8 there was no one who could keep pace with Battle Mountain. They simply ran away from the field with a 9:16 victory. 11 seconds back was Niwot in 9:27.
The overall team race was decided halfway through Saturday, as Valor Christian just had too much firepower. While early on it was clear this would be a two-way battle between Niwot and Valor, the title went to Valor Christian, as they tallied 151.5 points to Niwot's 114. In the wake of these two titans, Discovery Canyon was the surprise third-place finisher with 60 points.