Class 5A

Boulder Panthers

Coach: Anthony Pinter

Last season’s result: The girls finished 16th at the state meet and the boys didn’t score. Then-senior Kiki Vaughn won silver in the 1,600 and 800.

Testing 1-2-3: Seniors Roman Tagliola (200, 400, 4×200 relay, 4×400 relay) and Abby O’Leary (800, 1,600, 3,200) will take the reins of team leadership this year.

The tea: Pinter hopes that a league title will be a jumping-off point for state qualifications and believes that his starring cast will include juniors Andrew Gilbert (110 hurdles, 300 hurdles, high jump, 4×400), Tenley Layne (200, 400, 4×200, 4×400), Toby Wong (800, 1,600, 3,200, 4×800) and sophomore Keira La Hue (400, long jump, 4×200, 4×400).

Broomfield Eagles

Coach: Justin Hazzard

Last season’s result: The boys placed 14th at state and the girls secured 26th.

Testing 1-2-3: Seniors Blaes Kane (110 hurdles, 300 hurdles) and Ellabelle Higgins (discus, shot put) both come back after qualifying for state in each of their events last year.

The tea: Hazzard hopes his young team will thrive later in the season once they get a little more experience and thinks that juniors Lila Hansen (hurdles), Kaitlyn Cole (sprints), Max Marchi (sprints) and Alexander Darby (hurdles) — among others — can help drive some early success.

Centaurus Warriors

Coach: Eddie Taylor

Last season’s result: The boys placed 25th at the state meet, while the girls didn’t score.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior Jesse Hatland (sprinter, distance) is testing out his legs in runs at nearly every length so far this season, save for the 100 and 3,200.

The tea: After fielding one of their largest teams in recent memory and qualifying many kids to state last year, the Warriors are looking to continue to build upon their success. Taylor said that Hatland, and seniors Joey Bermudez (high jump) and Andres Salata (110 hurdles) will lead the way this year.

Erie Tigers

Coach: Alan Culpepper

Last season’s result: The boys finished ninth at state and the girls finished 33rd.

Testing 1-2-3: Culpepper said that senior and UNC commit Sabina Stroia (3,200, 4×400) finished off cross country season strong and looks to carry that momentum into track.

The tea: Culpepper said he expects his athletes to have “many breakthrough performances … in all disciplines” with a shift in coaching and believes senior Hayden Fox (400), junior Braylon Toliver (100, 200), and sophomores Abi Bjerkaas (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump) and Anna Fott (100, 200) will only add to the Tigers’ arsenal.

Fairview Knights

Coach: Tricia Vieth

Last season’s result: Earned top-20 finishes for six events last year, including a second-place finish from then-senior Charlotte Elliston in pole vault.

Testing 1-2-3: Vieth said she hopes that senior distance runner Sierra Wall will break some school records, as she specializes in anything from the 400 to the 3,200 and dabbles in the 300 hurdles.

The tea: Vieth believes her Knights will be ready to compete as the season wears on, adding, “Not just our runners in both sprints and distance, but our throwers, jumpers and vaulters have all shown great promise.”

Frederick Golden Eagles

Coach: Sheli Mares

Last season’s result: Calling it “one of the largest groups of state qualifiers in recent years,” Mares said that three relays and five individuals qualified for the state meet.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior Tanner Kaufman (1,600, 800, 400) will take the lead on the longer-distance runs, while sophomore Lexus Gille (100, 200, 400) will lead the girls in the sprinting disciplines.

The tea: The Golden Eagles make the move up to 5A with their largest group of seniors ever, which Mares hopes will keep the team competitive in their new classification. Other athletes to watch include junior Alexis Walker (pole vault), and seniors Payton Torres (high jump, sprint relays) and Dylan Norwood (sprints).

Legacy Lightning

Coach: Todd Sheridan

Last season’s result: The girls placed 15th at state and the boys didn’t score.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior Annalina Torres, who put together a blistering performance at last week’s Broomfield Shootout, returns as the team’s leading runner (200, 400, 800). Senior Devin Shea will take the lead in the long jump and high jump.

The tea: Sheridan lauded his “young and talented team,” especially in the running disciplines, and believes that the best of his cast will include sophomore Lola Pereira (100, 200), and seniors Gabby Shepston (200, 400), Koa Hewlett (100, 200, 400) and Brandon Abila (long jump).

Monarch Coyotes

Coach: Kent Rieder

Last year’s result: Boys finished 20th and the girls 25th at the 5A state meet.

Testing 1-2-3: The boys team is led by returning state qualifier Ethan Nuttall (pole vault), a senior, who finished third in the event at the 2024 state meet. The girls are headlined by sprints senior Maren Holecek, who took fourth at state in 200 and sixth in the 100.

The tea: Rieder, in his 22nd season leading the Coyotes’ track and field program, said he has “a very young team with great potential.” For his girls, senior Catherine Campbell is also back after having a strong state performance, finishing 16th in the 300 hurdles. She’s joined by talented distance runner Sofie Donker. For the boys, seniors Gavin Fagan (sprints), Brek Hoenninger (hurdles, jump), Emmett Sutter (distance) and sophomore Malakhi Payne (sprints) will help lead the way.

Class 4A

Holy Family Tigers

Coach: Isaiah Remington

Last season’s result: The girls won the 4×100 3A title and finished third at state. The boys finished fifth with a 100-meter title from then-senior Griffin Eastman.

Testing 1-2-3: Junior Claire Tannehill returns after finishing state runner-up in the 100 and 200, just as senior Michael Dooley placed fourth in the 110 hurdles.

The tea: “With the move up to 4A, we are looking to build on the momentum from last year as we rise to the new level of competition,” Remington said. He believes that alongside Tannehill and Dooley, seniors Anabella Descalzo (distance), Parker Nelson (distance) and Brady Lindoerfer (shot put) will be strong competitors.

Longmont Trojans

Coach: Scott Dickinson

Last season’s result: Girls placed fourth at the state meet while the boys took eighth.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior Teagan Malcom comes back after winning the 300 hurdles title last year, while senior Ella Augustaitus hopes to end at top-three in discus and shot put in May.

The tea: The Trojans hope to stay competitive at every big meet and, eventually, place top 10 at state. Other athletes to keep an eye on include seniors Miles Miller (3,200, 1,600), Lea Irvin (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles), juniors Bode Becker (800, 1,600), Mason Hendricks (high jump), Terra Brubaker (400, 200) and Maya Pears (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles).

Mead Mavericks

Coach: Drew White

Last year’s result: Girls finished 30th and the boys 41st at the 4A state meet.

Testing 1-2-3: Freshman Ben Morris (high jump) has the eighth-highest jump for boys this season in Colorado at 6-2. Junior Rylee Klatt (sprints, middle distance, jumps) has the sixth-fastest time for in-state girls in the 100 and the seventh-quickest time in the 200.

The tea: The Mavericks have talent scattered up and down their roster, some experienced and others quite green. For the boys team, senior Grant Gordon (throws) is back after he finished 15th in the 4A discus last season, and so is sophomore Asher Parsons (distance). Helping lead the way for the girls are junior Ava Mierau, who is coming off an 11th-place finish at the 4A cross country meet in the fall, as well as senior Courtney Wright (hurdles, middle distance) and juniors Sage Morris (sprints, hurdles, jumps) and Johanna Williams (throws).

Niwot Cougars

Coach: Maurice Henriques

Last year’s result: The girls won and the boys finished second at the Class 4A state meet.

Testing 1-2-3: The Cougars have around 50 returning state qualifiers from the 2024 meet, including 4A champs and distance star runners Rocco Culpepper, who won the boys’ 800 and 1,600 last spring and helped his team win Nike Cross Nationals in December, and junior Addy Ritzenhein, the 2023 Nike Cross champ who won the 1,600, 3,200 and 5A cross country title in 2024.

The tea: The Cougars, yet again, have a ton of talent under their 15th-year coach. Along with distance national headliners and multiple returnees from their boys and girls relay state championships, senior Jade West (throws) is back after she repeated 4A shot put and won her first title in discus. Senior Reese Kasper, too, returns after winning the girls’ 300 hurdles. So far this spring, West has the top mark in shot put (43-6) and Kasper has the best time in the 300 hurdles (43.62) and the second-fastest mark in the 100 hurdles (14.95). On the boys’ side, senior Cole Mazurana (distance) has the fastest 1,600 (4:18.72), while junior Hunter Robbie is third (4:22.13). Ryder Keeton has the second-fastest mark in the 3,200 (9:27.18). Other standouts include senior girls Eliana Henriques (sprints, hurdles) and Simocea Esquibel (sprints), who along with Kasper, led the Cougars to gold in last year’s 4A 4×200 and 4×400. Kate Schmidthuber (sprints) was also a part of that winning 4×200.

Silver Creek Raptors

Coach: Jacy Riel

Last year’s result: The girls finished 14th and the boys 22nd at the 4A state meet.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior Cloe Ruth, a decorated distance runner, is committed to the University of Utah for cross country and track. On the boys’ side, Michael Fertitta has finished inside the top five in pole vault in each of the last 4A state meets, finishing third in 2023 and fifth in ’24.

The tea: The boys team is strong, led by Fertitt, as well as fellow seniors Jack Boyt, Jackson Coleman and Kameron Sam, who were all a part of the Raptors’ 4×200 that finished fifth at the 4A state meet last spring and the 4×100 that took sixth. They also have a rising talent in sophomore Caellum Majka, who has the 13th-longest mark in the triple jump in Colorado this season. The girls are led by Ruth, who finished second in the 4A 800, third in the 400 and ninth in the 1,600 last spring. She is joined by the 2024 state-qualifying sprint medley of juniors Willa Lover-Brandt, Riley Crawford, Whitney McVeigh and sophomore Brenley Ludlow, who has the 22nd-fastest time in Colorado this season in the 100 (12.76) and the 36th-best time in the 200 (26.85).

Skyline Falcons

Coach: James Davis

Last year’s result: The boys finished 39th and the girls did not score at the 4A state meet.

Testing 1-2-3: Junior Miley Davis finished seventh in the 4A triple jump at last season’s state meet, while classmate Logan Mault finished 13th in the pole vault.

The tea: Davis (jumps, sprints) and Mault (PV, sprints) should be able to contend for a spot on the podium in their field events this season. They’re joined on the boys’ side by senior Matthew Muncy (sprints, middle distance), who has the 71st fastest time in the state this season in the 400 (53.71), as well as rising talents in juniors Cameron Wilson (shot put), Brayden Strock (discus) and freshman James Flores (1600). The girls are headlined by senior hurdlers Keira Reuter and Svea Hallberg. Reuter also did sprints events last year and long jump early this season. Hallberg runs the 100, 200 and 400.

Class 3A

Jefferson Academy Jaguars

Coach: Eric Thimsen

Last season’s result: The girls finished fifth at the state meet while the boys claimed 17th.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior Rylan Mills (distance) helped pace the boys cross country team to state runner-up in the fall, while senior Sierra Buzick should be “a cut above others” in sprints and jumps, according to Thimsen.

The tea: “The Jaguars return a well rounded lineup that can be very dangerous if all cylinders are firing right,” Thimsen said. He believes that juniors Leyna Gibson (distance), Liam Wall (sprints, jumps), and seniors Lydia Thurston (throws) an Elsa Nygren (sprints, soccer dual-sporter) only add to their firepower.

Peak to Peak Pumas

Coach: Ruben Anguiano

Last year’s result: The girls placed seventh and the boys 23rd at the 3A state meet.

Testing 1-2-3: Ethan Rathke, the sophomore brother of Kourtney Rathke, who won seven track and field titles in high school and is now at Michigan, currently has the fourth-highest mark in the state in boys pole vault (15-2).

The tea: The Pumas are led on the boys side by Rathke and junior Teagan Trasky (100, 200, 400), who has a top-20 time this season among in-state boys in the 400 (51.20). The girls, despite the graduation of Rathke, who won in track and field events, are still strong, too. Senior Emory Vazquez (distance), juniors Chelsey Streifel (PV, jumps, sprints), Skye Williams (distance) and sophomore Riley Watson (throws, sprints) each have top-100 state times in an event this spring.

Prospect Ridge Academy Miners

Coach: Mary Marr

Last year’s result: The girls finished 32nd and the boys 35th at the 3A state meet.

Testing 1-2-3: Girls senior Emily Jones (distance) is committed to run cross country and track at South Dakota School of Mines next season. Boys senior Nick Shoemaker (distance) is committed to run at St. Mary’s College of California.

The tea: Four athletes for the Miners currently have top-50 marks in Colorado in an event this season, including girls Kayah Robbins, who has the eighth-longest throw in shot put (34-10), Elli Schmachtenberger (jumps, sprints), and Jones (800) and boys Shoemaker and Nathan Yoho (jumps, distance). Others to watch include seniors Machaon Puga and Sebastian Diaz, who were a part of the boys’ seventh-place finish in last year’s 3A 4×100. Junior McKenna Cook, too, who is back after she and Jones helped lead the girls’ 4×800 to eighth in 3A.

Class 2A

Lyons Lions

Coach: David Goodman

Last year’s result: Boys placed sixth and the girls finished 24th at the 2A state meet.

Testing 1-2-3: Sophomore Berit Larson returns for the Lions after finishing sixth in the girls’ 2A 100 hurdles. And so is senior Caleb Christensen, who placed 12th in the prelims of the 2A 300 hurdles.

The tea: “We have a big, young and strong team this year,” the third-year Lions coach said. “We have over 25% of the school out for the team this year.” Goodman said he wants to double the amount of state qualifiers from last year’s 20 (four individuals and 12 including relays for the boys and four individuals for the girls). Some of those could include boys senior Mebratu Duckwitz (100, 200, relays), junior James Newell (800, 1,600, high jump, relays), girls senior Leah Shelton (1,600, relays) and sophomore Afton Dewart (200, 400, relays).

Nederland Panthers

Coach: Kathy Butler (girls), Gavin Coombs (boys)

Last year’s result: Did not place at the 2A state meet.

Testing 1-2-3: The Panthers are led by talented distance runners in senior Ben Weber, who finished 31st at the 2A state cross country meet in the fall, and Amika Begin, who took 14th in the 2A 3,200 at last year’s state track meet.

The tea: Butler is back as the girls head track and field coach at Nederland after her first stint ran from 2008-15, while Coombs is in his fourth year. Along with Begin for the girls team, sophomore River LeMaster (hurdles, sprints, jumps) is back after finishing 13th in the 2A high jump as a freshman. Junior Abby Hess (distance, relays) returns after finishing 30th at last fall’s state cross country meet.

Twin Peaks Timberwolves

Coach: Pamela Wanninger

Last year’s result: The boys finished 26th and the girls did not score at the 2A state meet.

Testing 1-2-3: The Timberwolves have a strong boys’ middle distance squad led by sophomores Ethan Firth (800, 400), Brody Gripka (800, 1,600) and Micah Arndt (hurdles, 400).

The tea: The Timberwolves are very young on paper but their eighth-year coach said she still expects “to see some state qualifiers in jumps, mid-distance and throws” this spring. Others to watch on the boys’ side include sophomores Christian Rodriquez (discus), Eli Mowat (jumps) and freshman David Bosire (jumps, 400). For the girls, freshman Emery Ryan-Pomeroy runs the 800 and 1,600, while Sophie and Elizabeth Zeh lead the throwers.