Colorado state track meet, Day 1: Live results from Jeffco Stadium (2024)

It’s Day 1 of the Colorado high school state track and field meet at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood. The Denver Post is there throughout the weekend providing live coverage. Refresh this page for the latest updates and results.

Thursday headlines

• Colorado state track meet primer: Storylines, returning champions and what to know ahead of this weekend
• In tiny Western Slope town of De Beque, Scottie Vines emerges as record-breaking high jumper

Updates

That’s a wrap (8:34 p.m.): That’ll do it for Day 1 of the CHSAA state track and field championships. Records were broken, medals were won and, best of all, it didn’t rain. See you back here again tomorrow! — Matt Schubert

Allori off to hot start (8:18 p.m.): Isabel Allori is making up for lost time. A year after an injury denied her the chance to defend her Class 3A girls titles in the 1600 and 3200 meters, Allori returned to the top of the podium with a 3A meet record time of 10 minutes, 39.03 seconds in the 3200. The victory came roughly two hours after the Notre Dame commit anchored the Eagles’ 3200 relay team, which won another title in 9:31.52. — Matt Schubert

Going for gold (6:19 p.m.): Kourtney Rathke added a new state title to her already extensive collection, claiming the 3A triple jump for the first time in her decorated prep career with a leap of 36 feet, 9.75 inches. Rathke is chasing three-peats in both the pole vault and long jump. The former won’t come easy, with The Classical Academy’s Anna Willis looking for revenge after finishing runner-up to Rathke two years in a row. — Matt Schubert

More records broken (6:12 p.m.): There’s just something about the pole vault pit Thursday at Jeffco Stadium. After Broomfield’s Lilly Nichols put on a show en route to a new Colorado prep record in the event, Eaton’s Ryan Martinez and Liberty Common’s Justin Bate went at it in an epic 3A boys pole vault showdown that saw both eclipse the meet record. Martinez came out on top with a vault of 15 feet, 5 inches, with Bate not too far behind at 15-2. — Matt Schubert

Four-timers club (6:04 p.m.): Eboselulu Omofoma’s domination of the high jump in the 2A girls meet has met its logical conclusion: A fourth and final state title. The Dayspring Christian senior won the event for the fourth year in a row with a leap of 5 feet, 7 inches, moving her one win away from reaching 10 individual state titles for her prep career. She’s chasing a second four-peat in the 100 hurdles and is also looking to defend her 2023 crown in the triple jump. — Matt Schubert

Backtracking (5:28 p.m.): The Niwot boys and girls have long been the standard bearers at the Class 4A level. Keeping with that theme, the Cougar boys set a 4A meet record in the 3200 meter relay, winning with a time of 7 minutes, 43.92 seconds. And the Cougars needed every bit of that to come away with gold. Thompson Valley (7:47.47) and Coronado (7:48.18) also broke the old meet record in finishing second and third, respectively. — Matt Schubert

Halfway there (5:15 p.m.): University thrower Johnny Whyrick is halfway to a second straight sweep of the throws in the Class 3A meet. The senior claimed the discus with a throw of 159 feet, 5 inches, narrowly topping Florence’s Gunner Busetti at 157-06.

Along those same lines, Ralston Valley’s Mary Ella Brooks took the first step toward a potential throws sweep in the 5A girls meet, winning the discus with a toss of 128-11. Next up: The shot put, which she won last year with a 37-3.75. — Matt Schubert

Alone at the top (2 p.m.): Lilly Nichols got her redemption … and so much more. The Broomfield senior claimed her third state title in the 5A girls pole vault on Thursday, a year after her bid to be a four-time champ fell one spot short. Then she went to work. In a series of vaults that turned the pole vault pit into the epicenter of the state meet, Nichols broke the girls state record not once, but twice, eventually clearing 14 feet to set a new standard in the event. She then dropped to her knees in tears. When she rose to hug her supporters, she was the greatest girls pole vaulter in Colorado prep history. — Matt Schubert

Lilly Nichols AGAIN!! The @Eagle_athletics senior not only breaks the all-Colorado record that she set a few minutes ago, but she easily clears 14 feet!@BoCoPreps @CHSAA @MooreAshleyE @BrentWNew @MattDSchubert @coloradopreps pic.twitter.com/vWm3NqkcSZ

— Alissa Noe (@crazysportgirl1) May 16, 2024

Vaulting to the top (12:01 p.m.): Monarch’s Tyler Rowan defended his 5A pole vault crown with relative ease, setting a new personal record with a vault of 16 feet, 9 inches on Thursday.

Tyler Rowan of @mohi_athletics, having already won the 5A pole vault, just set a new PR at 16-9@BoCoPreps @CHSAA @coloradopreps @BrentWNew pic.twitter.com/xfRo3ZmEao

— Alissa Noe (@crazysportgirl1) May 16, 2024

A three-way tie? Yes, a three-way tie (11:53 a.m.): For those wondering what happens when three high jumpers get stuck on the same mark, you have your answer: It’s a three-way tie. That’s what we got in the 4A boys high jump, where Severance’s Jaden Hoffman, Conifer’s Benson White and Standley Lake’s Asher Serlen all topped out at 6-5. — Matt Schubert

The wait is over (11:07 a.m.): Bethany Michalak’s long wait is over. A state champion as a freshman in the 2021 meet, the Air Academy senior finally got title No. 2 on Thursday morning, winning the 5A girls 3200 going away in a time of 10 minutes, 27.24 seconds.The N.C. State commit beat out the Mountain Vista duo of Keeghan Edwards and Claire Guiberson to claim gold. — Matt Schubert

Back-to-back (11:02 a.m.): Dane Eike is back on the top of the podium. The Valor Christian senior put together a strong closing kick in the 5A boys 3200 meter race to win it for the second straight year in a time of 9 minutes, 7.42 seconds. Eike could just be getting started. He has the top seed time in the 1600 and should be in the mix in the 800 as well. His sister, Farrah, is also favored to win the 5A girls high jump. — Matt Schubert

Record breakers (10:52 a.m.): The Class 5A meet record in the discus was broken not once, but twice by the combination of Chatfield’s Charlie LaFore and Overland’s Jarrius Ward in a head-to-head duel for the ages. LaFore entered the meet looking to repeat as the 5A throws champion, and his 193-foot, 6-inch throw normally would’ve been good enough to secure the discus title. It was, in fact, a 5A meet record. But Ward did him a few better, throwing a 203-4 to score the upset. — Matt Schubert

And we’re off (9 a.m.): The first day of state track is off and running. Outside of a few distance and relay finals, today is a day mostly reserved for field championship events and preliminary races. A few things we’ll have our eye on: 1.) We’ll get our first glimpse of the premiere distance running talent in the state with Valor Christian’s Dane Eike looking to defend his title in the 5A boys 3200 race and Air Academy’s Bethany Michalak aiming to beat out Fossil Ridge’s Tatum Berg in the 5A girls 3200. 2.) Chatfield’s Charlie LaFore begins his quest to sweep the 5A boys throws with the discus getting started bright and early. LaFore won both the shot put and discus a year ago and is the top seed in both this weekend. 3.) Liberty Common’s Isabel Allori is going for the distance race sweep in the 3A girls meet. First up, the 3200 at 6:30 p.m. tonight. — Matt Schubert

Championship winners through Thursday

Class 5A boys

3200: Dane Eike (Valor Christian), 9:07.42. 3200 relay: Mountain Vista, 7:46.16. Discus: Jarrius Ward (Overland), 203-4+; Long Jump: Wondame Davis (Overland), 22-11.25. Pole Vault: Tyler Rowan (Monarch), 16-9.

Class 5A girls

3200: Bethany Michalak (Air Academy), 10:27.24. 3200 relay: Mountain Vista, 9:09.83. Long Jump: Zenobia Witt (Eaglecrest), 19-9.50. Discus: Mary Ella Brooks (Ralston Valley), 128-11. Pole Vault: Lilly Nichols (Broomfield), 14-0.*

Class 4A boys

3200 relay: Niwot, 7:43.92+. High Jump (three-way tie): Jaden Hoffman (Severance), Benson White (Conifer) and Asher Serlen (Standley Lake), 6-5. Triple Jump: Matthew Kwong (Northfield), 47-7.25. Shot Put: Montrey Strickland (Golden), 59-4.

Class 4A girls

3200 relay: Niwot, 9:07.21. High Jump: Braelyn Bailey (Roosevelt), 5-7. Triple Jump: Bradie Menegatti (Pueblo West), 38-00.75. Shot Put: Jade West (Niwot), 43-4.

Class 3A boys

3200: Matthew Edwards (Classical Academy), 9:28.32. 3200 relay: Berthoud, 8:00.1. Discus: Johnny Whyrick (University), 159-0. Pole Vault: Ryan Martinez (Eaton), 15-5+. Triple Jump: Noah Osterloh (Classical Academy), 43-09.25.

Class 3A girls

3200: Isabel Allori (Liberty Common), 10:39.03+. 3200 relay: Liberty Common, 9:31.52. High Jump: Kyla Wolitzky (Elizabeth), Lilly Weisbrod (Rifle) and Sophie McNitt (Weld Central), 5-1. Triple Jump: Kourtney Rathke (Peak to Peak), 36-9.75.

Class 2A boys

3200 relay: Peyton, 8:08.42.Long Jump: Cristian Duarte (Yuma), 21-10.75. Shot Put: Judd Harvey (Meeker), 50-00.75.

Class 2A girls

3200 relay: Timnath, 9:46.79. High Jump: Eboselulu Omofoma (Dayspring Christian), 5-7.

Class 1A boys

3200: Anthony Pena (Primero), 9:55.29. Long Jump: Konner Rowden-Stum (Genoa-Hugo/Karval), 22-06.50+. Shot Put: Wyatt Cochran (Lone Star), 44-10.25.

Class 1A girls

3200m: Kya Piel (Merino), 12:28.99. 800 medley relay: Sanford, 1:52.42. Discus: Jaylyn Kechter (Idalia), 137-8+. Pole Vault: Jade Kuntz (Lone Star), 10-0.

* Colorado prep record | + CHSAA state meet record

Thursday’s schedule

Track

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Field

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