Three state titles, one runner-up, and a Colorado state record (as well as a US No. 1)?
Yes please.
Tavon Underwood hinted during the 2023 indoor season at what was to come outdoors. But I don't think many could fully predict what everyone at JeffCo Stadium would see in May.
Underwood was a breakout star during the first half of 2023.
The Mead senior came out of the gates swinging - he torched a 47.32 to win Nike Indoor Nationals in March - and that was just the tip of the iceberg for someone who's 2022 personal best was 49.11.
Two months later he pieced together perhaps one of the most difficult, most impressive quadruples at the Colorado State Track and Field Championships.
He primarily raced the 100, 200, and 400 throughout the season, which makes enough sense.
Sprinters stick to sprints. Distance runners stick to distance.
But the week before the state meet he doubled up in distance.
The week before the State meet Underwood raced his first 800 - a 1:55.52 clocking at the NoCo Last Chance Qualifier on May 9. His one go at the two-lap burner qualified him for State.
Fast-forward a week...
Underwood cruised through the prelims of the 100, 200, and 400.
And then came the 800 final on Friday...
He sliced another four-seconds off his previous PR, running 1:51.97 to win the state title.
State title No. 1: Check.
While that performance alone was already monumental - winning a state title is no easy feat - it was what he did Saturday that really elevated Underwood into the history books.
First he finished second in the 100 in 10.67.
Then just a few hours later he rewrote Colorado's history books, torching a state record, US No. 1. of 45.36.
Not only did Underwood break the state record, he demolished it, becoming the first Coloradan to break 46-seconds in Colorado.
J.T. Scheuerman's 46.23 had stood since 2006.
And Underwood took nearly a second off it...
State title No. 2: Check.
State record No. 1: Check.
Oh yeah, and several hours later he came back to pick up state title No. 3, running 20.93 to win the 200.
The performance was the fourth-fastest run in Colorado history.
State title No. 3: Check.
