We have reached the wrap-up of the seniors who may have made a difference articles. We end with taking a look at 1A Girls.
The teams you see listed below are the teams with--based on what we knew back in March--the best shot of contending for a trophy at state. The athletes listed are those seniors--girls who lost their final season of high school sports--who figured to have been difference makers for their team at the state meet.
Teams are treated in alphabetical order. No assumptions should be made that the teams are listed below in an order that reflects projected finish.
Cotopaxi - The Pirates had two seniors who figured to put on quite a show. Where that would have landed them on May 23 was anyone's guess, but there was no way to count this team out. Those two seniors were hurdler/jumper Claire Carlson and sprinter/thrower/jumper Jamie Sanchez.
Eads - Eads is one of the smallest schools in Colorado that supports a track and field program. Yet, the Eagles do a commendable job of it. Year in and year out. This year, the senior leadership and points figured to come from sprinter Kaycee Ellenberger and jumper Morgan Johnson.
Genoa-Hugo - For Genoa-Hugo, state meet success is generally about how well they do in the throws. This year, the thrower with big points potential was was senior Ryely Smartt. Smartt had the potential of chasing a state meet record in the shot put.
Heritage Christian Academy - Heritage Christian is seeming always in the thick of things. They would have been this spring, too. Most of their points figured to come from younger classes (a point to take note of for future seasons), but two seniors had a decent shot at leading the Eagles to some state meet points--middle distance type Catherine Lacey and distance runner Ansley Davis.
Lone Star - Lone Star appeared to have a bundle of state meet points coming their way this spring, but probably only one senior with a shot at contributing state meet points. And, since the pole vault is the (relatively) new event in town at Lone Star, it's only fitting that would be pole vaulter Michaela Kuntz.
Merino - In the not-too-distant past, Merino won a 1A Girls state title in track. Actually, twice. The Rams won it all in 2011, and then again in 2012. They weren't coming into the season this year as favorites, but they weren't exactly out of the hunt, either. Top contributing seniors figured to be distance runner Ainsley Powell and jumper Brooke Mertens. The Rams have a lot coming back, though, and so could figure to be a problem next spring.
South Baca - It's always a little more difficult to know exactly what you're going to get with South Baca. It's a loose coalition of very small schools that varies some from year to year. And, because it covers such a massive geographic area, it's not always a given that an athlete you have one year is back with the program the next year. That said, the Patriots figured to be leaning heavily on senior sprinter Delaney Eskew and distance runner Patience Crane. And, if I may be allowed to editorialize, Patience is an outstanding name for a female distance runner.