The 2026 spring track season is nearly upon us with the season officially starting on Monday, February 23rd and some of the first meets of the season kicking off the first weekend of March. Here are the biggest names to look out for going into the new season in Class 5A for the boys!
Sprints and Hurdles
On the sprint side, the indoor season has been dominated by names such as Isaiah Watson of Vista Peak High School and Zaccary Southern of Wheat Ridge High School. Watson sits a top the Colorado indoor 60m list, running a time of 6.78. He is also one the top returners in the 5A rankings in the 100m, with a season best time of 10.67. He clearly has some of the best power out of the blocks, but we will have to wait and see how that will translate into the outdoor season, considering he will need to run much faster than his season best time to make an impact at the state meet.
For Southern, he does not have the best returning times for the outdoor season, but is coming in with some of the top indoor times. He has run 21.55 for the 200m on the indoor oval and ran 21.22 at a pre-season outdoor race. That time already puts him in front of the returner rankings in the 200m. He also ran 6.84 in the 60m, showing off improvements in his block starts and acceleration.
In terms of top returners from the state track and field meet, DJ Ruff of Fort Collins High School placed 4th overall in the 100m and has the fastest 100m time going into the new season. He has also put together a decent indoor season, running times of 6.95 in the 60m and 22.01 in the 200m.
In the long sprints, the 400m will be competitive with names such as Gery Lockman of Poudre High School and Ryan Fick of Valor Christian. Lockman placed 3rd in the 400m and 4th in the 200m at the state meet. He ran a personal best time of 47.25 in the 400m to earn that podium finish. Fick ended up a little bit ahead of Lockman in the state final, running a time of 47.17! He also continued that momentum into the summer track season, where he ran a new personal best time of 21.26 in the 200m.
Moving right along with the hurdle events, Jackson Conroy of Loveland High School is the top returner in the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.93. He is one of the only Colorado sprinters to break 14 seconds from last season is the reigning 5A state champion in the event! For the 300m hurdles, Elian Oliva of Northfield High School returns with the top time of 37.45 in all of Colorado, not just the 5A division. He is also #3 on the Colorado returner list in the 110m hurdles. Backing up his hurdles, Oliva has the best mark in the triple jump with a jump of 46-10.75, making him a name to watch going into this season, both on the track and on the field.
Distance
Though Niwot High School is not in 5A during the track season, there are plenty of names to watch out for in the biggest classification. The biggest name to watch is Benjamin Adams of Mountain Vista High School. He has the top returning time in the 3200m in the whole nation, running 8:46 last season! He also is ranked in the top 5 on the returners list in the 1600m, running 4:01. He will have his hands full, at least in the 1600m, where he will have to battle Ben Lee of ThunderRidge High School. He also is sitting very nicely on the nation returners list at #12, running a time of 4:03. Lee is the reigning state champion in the 800m and 1600m, so he is another name to look out for.
Cadel Ruthven of Fort Collins High School also has a lot of momentum going into this season, after competing quite well during the fall season. Ruthven qualified for the Brooks XC National Championship and placed 22nd overall. In terms of the track, Ruthven has a PR of 1:52 and 4:08 in the 800m and 1600m placed on the podium in both events at the Colorado state meet. With the strong fall season, Ruthven is looking to apply that strength to his middle distance speed.
Another name that could also make some waves in the distance events is Jackson Ferguson of Golden High School. Ferguson is only a sophomore but had an incredibly strong fall season, where he finished 4th overall at the 5A Cross Country State Championship and finished the season with a PR of 14:49 in the 5k. He recently ran 9:19 in the 3200m at an early preseason outdoor track meet - a very strong starting point for early February. He definitely has a lot of momentum going into this season and could make some noise during the outdoor season.
Field Events
Ashton Daly of Loveland High School is high on the list for both throwing disciplines, starting with the shot put. Daly had a strong summer season, where he finished off the season with a throw of 53-8 in shot put, placing him at #3 for returners, but top returner in 5A. He is also #2 in discus with a mark of 163-6, just behind Truitt Boothe of Fort Collins High School, who has the top spot at 163-8.
In the long jump, Jeramiah Craft of Castle View High School has the best returning mark in 5A, getting out to 23-0 even. However, Cameron Bell of Eaglecrest High School is the top placer at the state meet among returners. He finished 3rdoverall in the long jump. He also is ranked incredibly well in both hurdles events and finished 2nd to Conroy in the 110m hurdles at the state meet.