Tatum VanPelt of Resurrection High School is the top returner both based on time and the reigning state champion in the 100m. Her PR of 12.28 is the best out of 3A, which she ran to win the individual title! She is also the fastest returner in the 200m, running a time of 25.49 and finished 2nd overall at the state meet. Not too far behind her is Sofia Siggs from Berthoud High School with a PR of 25.51. She finished 3rd overall in the 100m at the state meet, so she could definitely be one to look out for in either events. Finally, Alex Horton of Kent Denver School is incredibly strong in the hurdles events, but has wonderful top end speed. She finished 3rd overall in the 200m at the state meet and has a PR of 25.55.
In the 400m, Jessi Huber of James Irwin Charter High School has the top returning time of 57.13 and finished 3rd overall at the state meet behind two seniors. Behind her on the returners list is VanPelt with a personal best time of 58.23, showing a lot of range for this sprinter. Not surprisingly, Horton is #3 on the list with a time of 59.22, though she will have to pick the events she would like to focus on because she is the top returner in both hurdle events.
In the 100m hurdles, Horton ran 14.79 - the only girl to run under 15 seconds in 3A! She also won the 300m hurdles at the state meet with a time 44.42. So far this indoor season, Horton has improved immensely on her speed and block starts, seen in her 60m hurdle times. Currently her PR is 8.64, which is #2 for Colorado for the indoor rankings. That time also puts her in the top 30 for the whole nation giving her good momentum going into the outdoor season!
Distance
In the 800m, the top returner is Effie Fletcher of Coal Ridge High School, who has a fantastic PR of 2:12! She is also the reigning state champion in the event and has a two second lead on the next best returner in Delaney Reuter of Eaton High School. Fletcher had a very strong fall season improving her 5k time in almost every race, though she did have an unfortunate DNF at the cross country state meet. With her improvement on the endurance side, it will make Fletcher that much harder to beat.
In the 1600m, we have a similar story with Fletcher and Reuter near the top of the returners list. However, we have the inclusion of Vivian Jack of The Classical Academy, who has the top returning time of 4:56. Reuter did win the state title in an impressive time of 4:59 over both Fletcher and Jack. These three are the only returning names who have broken five minutes in the 1600m for 3A, so it may be another battle between these three at the state meet.
However, when it comes to the 3200m, it is hard to bet against Reuter. Unfortunately, her and a handful of other girls were disqualified in the state race because of a lane violation during the early stages of the race, but Reuter won by a landslide. She also has a PR of 10:18 with Jack the next closest at 10:51. After her is, you guessed it, Fletcher with a time of 11:06. Though these three seem to be the top of 3A, Ellie Askew of The Classical Academy could make a run for a top placement in this event, considering she ran 11:16 as a freshman, so she has a lot of potential to still grow.
Field Events
In the discus, there is no one even close to Mackinzy Wall of Manitou Springs. She comes into this season as the reigning runner-up at the state meet and has a PR of 142-7. The next best returner is over 20 feet behind Wall! She is also the #2 returner in the whole state of Colorado.
In the high jump, Myah Scott of Salida High School jumped 5-5 making her the top returner for this season. Interesting enough, Scott was only a freshman last year and made it on the podium in the 100m hurdles, along with a podium finish in the high jump. Though she did only place 5th for the high jump, she was very young. With another year of experience under her belt, she may be very tough to beat. However, Carlin Weber of Lamar High School is also only a freshman and did jump 5-5 as well. Similar to Scott, she did not place as well at the state meet, but still has a lot of potential to grow and mature going into this new season.
In the horizontal jumps, Jordan Halley of University High School has the top returning marks in both the long jump and the triple jump. In the long jump, Halley got out to 19-1.5, leading the next best returner by almost two feet! She is also the defending state champion in the event. For the triple jump, she has the best wind legal PR of 37-2.5 ahead of her teammate, Ruby Naber. However, Naber proved victorious at the state meet over Halley, with a wind-aided jump of 38-4. It may be another season of these two battling in this event.