The 2023 Colorado State Cross Country Championships gave us a glimpse at the future...
Let's take a look at how freshmen fared at the biggest stage in Colorado...
Colorado, meet Timnath freshman Izzy Schimmelpfennig!
Schimmelpfennig was the top freshman in 3A, clocking 19:04 to finish fifth.
Scanning over her season, it's clear that you'll want to keep an eye on her moving forward - she competed in 10 races this fall, never finishing worse than ninth.
On seven occasions she finished inside the top-five, including six top-three finishes.
Her fastest finish this season came at the Colorado 3A Region 4 Cross Country, where she finished third in 18:43.
What's additionally impressive is her improvement throughout the season - she ran 19:48 on the state course at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede (Pre-State).
At State she took 44-seconds off that time.
As an eight-grader she ran personal bests of 5:36 in the 1,600, and 2:38 in the 800. She also finished fifth in the Colorado Middle School State Cross Country Championship last fall.
Quick Takes
Mariah Hook - Air Academy - She finished third at the 5A Colorado State Cross Country Championships in 17:50.
Chamorra Cooper - Air Academy - She finished seventh at the 5A Colorado State Cross Country Championships in 18:00.
Sutton Persichina - Chaparral - She finished 21st at the 5A Colorado State Cross Country Championships in 18:51.
Raegan McRae - Cheyenne Mountain - She finished 13th at the 4A Colorado State Cross Country Championships in 18:56.
Oliver Horton - Coronado - He finished ninth at the 4A Colorado State Cross Country Championships in 15:49.
Jay McDonald - Summit - He finished 17th at the 4A Colorado State Cross Country Championships in 16:06.