Ella Hagen ran in a sea of green.
It was the Summit sophomore verses one of the best teams in the country.
Heading to 4A Colorado State Cross Country Championships it was well-known that Hagen would be up against a stellar Niwot squad, the only question was who from Niwot, and where everyone would finish.
And just as Hagen has done all season, she took matters into her own hands to answer this question.
By the time the 4A race took off the cool morning temperates had risen, and it matched what we saw on the course.
The Summit sophomore endured a barrage Niwot runners, and turned the tables over the second half of the course.
Hagen capped her breakout season by claiming the 4A state title in 17:48. The win marked her fifth victory of the season, which saw her compete nine times, tallying four runner-up finishes.
Behind her the Who's Who of Niwot went on to make history once again - by tying their team tally from last year.
Freshman Addison Ritzenhein led Niwot into Penrose by finishing second in 17:56. Mia Prok took third in 18:18, while Bella Nelson, Madison Shults, and Lex Bullen went 4-5-6, running 18:24, 18:29, and 18:35 to cap Niwot's scoring with only Hagen in the mix.
Niwot put six inside the top-eight, with Anna Prok finishing eighth. The only runners outside Hagen and the US No. 2 Niwot squad to crack into the top-10 were Silver Creek's Cloe Ruth, who finished seventh, and Battle Mountain's Milaina Almonte and Lindsey Whitton, who finished ninth, and 10th.
Niwot replicated last year's record tally of 20-points to defend their state title in dominating fashion.
Behind them Battle Mountain ran true to form, finishing second with 122 points, which was just ahead of Durango's 134.
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