The 3A State Preview: Tight Battles On Tap









Teams

The defending state champs return to Penrose with a target on their back. 

The Classical Academy returns with two top-10 finishers from last year's state championships - Sawyer Wilson, and Kennedy McDonaldA year ago Wilson was the runner-up, and McDonald was fifth. 

This year TCA appears to be just as strong. 

Wilson has run 18:44 so far, while McDonald has run 19:00. 

But what makes TCA perhaps the most dangerous team is their pack - Cassidy McDonald, and Sophia Valentine have run 19:41 or faster, and all five under 20:30. Their fifth runner, Kyra Shanerwill be key Saturday, because the only team with a faster 1-2-3-4 is Basalt. 

Basalt could score an upset Saturday - on paper the team race looks that close.

Basalt has the best 1-2 punch of any squad with defending state champ Bower, and Katelyn Maley, who actually owns the fastest time - 17:21 - in 3A. It's very possible that they go 1-2 Saturday.

They've got two sub-18 runners on their squad, and they're flanked by Ava Lane, and Sarah Levy, who have run under 19:15.

Basalt has the No. 1 1-2-3-4 runners in the state. Though it's clear that every point will make the difference in Saturday's State Championships. 

TCA and Basalt stand quite tall in the team race, but after them it looks like there could be a battle that'll be separated by single digits - just like who'll take the state title. 

Faith Christian and Aspen are sending solid squads to Colorado Springs. 

Faith has two sub 19:30 runners with Audrey Orstead and Katherine Heekin. They've got four under 20:30, and five who have run 21:14 or faster. 

Aspen looks similar, though with a tighter pack. Kylie Kenny is their lone sub-20 runner (Elsie Weiss has run 20:01) though they have all five under 21 minutes.

As mentioned earlier, the team race will be decided in the individual race, because quite a few teams with state ambitions have individuals in the running as well. 

Individuals

This conversation much start with the defending state champ - Sierra Bower

The Basalt senior ran a season-best of 17:54 at the Delta Confluence meet, where she was the runner-up behind teammate Katelyn Maley (who ran 17:21 that day.)

Bower has two wins out of five races. She recently took the runner-up spot to Maley at the 3A Region 1 meet last week. 

While she isn't headed to Colorado Springs as a clear favorite, she has proven that she knows how to run this Penrose course when it matters the most - State. Last year she ran the fastest time of the day among all classifications. 

But, Bower will likely have competition. And in this race it's likely to come from her teammate - Maley. 

Maley has run herself into a new realm this season. 


The Basalt sophomore finished 12th at last year's state championships, but now she'll likely go stride-for-stride with the defending state champ, her teammate. She's done it several times this season already.

Like Bower, Maley has won two of five races, most notably last week's 3A Region 1 title. Add that Maley owns the fastest time in 3A - a 17:21 clocking from the Delta Confluence meet. Only Bower comes within 40 seconds of the time. 

Head-to-head, Bower owns the lean here 3-2. And of those five race, there were four where Bower and Maley went 1-2, or 2-1. 

Beyond this Basalt duo, the race is wide open. 


Florence senior Kylie Simshauser owns one of the best records thus far. She's won seven out of eight races this season, and owns a season-best of 18:35. Her only loss came in the 4A race at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampeded - to Elliot Pribramsky

Of her more notable wins or performances was a dominating victory at the 3A Region 2 Championships where she beat TCA's Kennedy McDonald by 59 seconds. 


Allison Beasley heads to Colorado Springs as the third-fastest runner in 3A. She recently proved she's got some legit wheels - kicking down Leah Hill for the 3A Region 3 title. Both were clocked at 18:29. 

Beasley has won three of four races, and her only loss was to 5A star Emma StutzmanLikewise, Hill has won four of five races, and her only loss is to Beasley. 

Another runner to keep an eye on - among the many - is TCA's Sawyer Wilson


Wilson is the second-best returner, having finished second at last year's state championships. Additionally, she's won four of five races, with her only hiccup being the 3A Region 2 meet, where she finished deep within the TCA pack in sixth. 

In reality the list can go on and on and on within the girl's field - it's just that deep this year.

Next Page: A New Champion Will Be Crowned, And A Tight Battle Between TCA & Frontier Academy