Caitlin Simmons had her jumps game going strong in indoor. She never got to show it in outdoor.
Under ordinary circumstances, this would be state week. And with that acknowledgement go a lot of sighs. We'd all rather be at Jeffco Stadium Thursday through Saturday.
Seeing that we can't though, let's take a quick look at what might have been in 3A Girls. Essentially, the point of this article is to recognize the seniors--and what their contributions could have been--on teams that might likely have been in the trophy hunt this spring.
And, by the way, I have no idea what happens with the trophies. Were they already ordered and shipped? Will CHSAA replace the plates and use them next year? I don't know, but it's an intriguing question.
So, here we go with the teams--in alphabetical order:
Alamosa - The Mean Moose came in line for a lot of disappointment this spring--in individual events and in relays, perhaps most especially the 4x400. Sprinter Allyssa Romero and middle distance type Lilly Lavier seemed almost shoo-ins to place at state and bring a lot of points Alamosa's way. High jumper Taylor Motz (and that, by the way, is a surname that runs deep in Alamosa high school sports history) warranted some consideration as well. While that exhausts the list of likely state-placing seniors for Alamosa, we're talking a healthy number of points here with just these three and the relays they would contribute on.
Berthoud - It's been a while since the Spartans were in a state trophy hunt, but this spring might have been the year. Seniors who may have had a large say in that include throwers Celsey Selland and Emily Cavey, plus jumper Alyssa Bailey.
Faith Christian - The Eagles had but one senior who figured to do some serious damage at state--Shannon King. But it doesn't take a lot of imagination to contemplate what kind of havoc King was set to wreak in the 800, 1600, and 3200.
Grand Valley - Like Faith Christian, the Cardinals didn't have a lot of seniors to bank on this spring, but one they did have figured to go a long way. That would be senior sprinter Jordyn Pittman. Pittman may even have gone up as far as the 800. She has that kind of range, which is rare for a true sprinter.
Lutheran - The Lions won it all last spring and this spring figured to be the showcase for a whole lot of purple-clad seniors. Among them are sprinter Regan Aurich, jumper/sprinter Caitlin Simmons, hurdler/jumper Ashley Kenny, and jumper Brooke Stremler. Lutheran is left to wonder much about what could have been. And, while you're at it, stop and figure the kind of damage the seniors would have helped inflict on relays as well.
The Classical Academy - TCA was very close the Lutheran at state last spring. And the Titans had a few seniors of their own with high hopes of going out with a big finish at state. Count hurdler/jumper Shenna Daum, pole vaulter Kristina Willis, thrower Morgan Zachman, distance runner Mickey Curl, and middle distance type Rebecca Thompson among those (a little inside secret here--Thompson was going to run mostly 4s and 8s this spring and was progressing very well at it when March 12 rolled around).