2026 State Championship

WHEN:  Saturday, 31 October 2026

WHERE:  Norris Penrose Events Center, Colorado Springs

The course is hilly, 100% gravel (mostly bike paths) and has one stream crossing shortly before the finish followed by two short and steep hills. 

LIVE RESULTS will be here. If that doesn't work, try the Rapid Results website.

TENTATIVE FRIDAY SCHEDULE:

• 1:00 - Depart SHS (Subject to slight change. Might be a bit earlier.) I will drive a mini-bus. (Tell me if you will be riding with parents and don't need a ride.) It is a 2.5 hour drive to Norris Penrose Event Center.

• 3:30 - Arrive at Norris-Penrose. Quickly get ready (have your running gear on or easily accessible) and do our course recon and pre-race workout. We will start as close to the finish line as we can get and do the last mile of the course backwards.

• ~5:00 - Depart for Hotel. Shower.

• ~6:00 - Depart for dinner in Manitou Springs or Old Colorado City. 

• ~7:30 - Briefly walk around Manitou Springs or Old Colorado City to see Halloween decorations.

• ~8:15 - Short team meetings in hotel

• 9:00 - In rooms

• 10:00 - Lights Out

Bring pajamas, toothbrushes and the other things you normally would for an overnight in a hotel. Bring cash for dinner Friday and after the meet on Saturday.

There is lodging available for up to 9 boys and 9 girls - the 7 designated racers at State plus the 2 alternates. This is a "business trip." All athletes are expected to be in bed by 10:00 p.m. 

Key Markers

• Start to "the pinch": 180 meters

Get out aggressively here and depending on starting box location, avoid getting squeezed into the fences on the left or right.

• Start to "hairpin" curve: 550 meters

Try to work towards the right of the pack while approaching the curve so you can run the shortest distance around it.

• Start to the creek bridge: 1250 meters

The approach to the bride and crossing the bridge can be congested. Keep your head up and stay calm. Changes of position are minor here. Climb the short but steep hill after the bridge with a steady effort and short, quick steps. Don't surge it.

• Hairpin curve to the creek bridge: 700 meters

There are a lot of spectators between the creek crossing and the start of "Little Willis", including the 1-mile mark. Stay relaxed here, holding your position and preparing for a strong second mile. The flat section between the 1 and 2 mile marks roughly divides the course into thirds, with the southeast loop being the middle third of the race.

• Start of first climb (Little Willis) to left turn: 400 meters

The climb is only about 100 meters and isn't that steep, but some people will be fading here. Keep a steady effort, perhaps a bit harder, to the top. You will be passing people. Don't match people that are climbing too hard. Let them go. You will catch them later. Accelerate at the top of the climb and get back into a slightly faster than average pace. It is slightly downhill here. Most people won't accelerate at the top of the climb. The race starts spreading out here. You will be passing people.

• Left turn to start of descent: 400 meters

The southernmost stretch of the course. This is very slightly uphill (and there will be no spectators). The field will spread out. You can put distance on pursuers here.

• The descent: 340 meters

Relax and roll with it, but don't push. Cycle through high knees and landing beneath you. Don't reach forward with your heels.

• The climb from the road crossing to 2 mile mark: 300 meters

It starts getting hard here. You have trained hard and can endure discomfort. Stay steady and drop more competitors.

• 2 mile mark to start of the "Boulevard": 400 meters

You are back into the cheering crowds. Stay calm and locked in to your pace. There is still a third of the race to go.

• The Boulevard to the start of the woods: 400 meters. 

This can be the most difficult section of the race because 1) It is straight and looks longer than it really is. 2) It is slightly uphill. 3) It is exposed to the sun and can feel warm. 4) It is still fairly far away from the finish (you are running away from the finish, not towards it) 4) There are few spectators/coaches shouting and cheering. 

Stay locked in. Do your body scan and repeat your mantra. Exhale. Spot the competitors that are fading and close on them.

• The Boulevard and the Woods: This is an 800 meter loop

• The Gardens parking lot to the finish: 1000 meters to go

It's time to start your kick to the finish. The right hand corner from the gardens parking lot into "the woods" is downhill. Round out the apex, accelerate down the hill and your momentum will carry you across the bridges and through the woods.

• End of the Woods to the Stadium entrance: 400 meters to go

Another gear shift. Faster. Roll down the hill to the creek and run across the creek as if it was dry. It is only a few inches deep. Running across the creek as if it were dry maintains your momentum and body postion to attack the short climb on the other side. Lot's of runners try to jump the creek and collapse on the other side, losing their momentum. There is a short flat after this and then a 30-meter rather steep climb up to the stadium. Accelerate a bit before the base of the climb and attack it with short, quick steps and just a bit more effort. After the hill there is a short 50-meter flat section before the right turn into the stadium. Accelerate on this.

• The Stadium: 90 meters to go

You will hear the announcer before you can see the finish. There is a sharp right blind turn (around a building) before entering the stadium. Round this out and carry full speed into the finishing kick. Run on the left approaching the corner, round the corner smoothly and swing back left at full speed. Lots of runners will run a "right angle" here, having to cut speed at the corner and then accelerate after the corner. You will pass them and carry max speed into the finishing chute.

2025 State Championship Results

Going into State the boys were in a three-way race for the championship and the girls were in a five-way race. I told a few coaches I would be happy if one team was on the podium (meaning top 2, as only two teams receive trophies at State) and very happy if we had two teams on the podium.

I’m happy.

Boys Highlights

The boys were up against nationally ranked Coronado and last year's State Champions, Thompson Valley. Thompson Valley had great depth while Coronado had one of the best one-twos in the nation, with a strong third. 

The boys raced great. One or two of the Coronado boys had to have off days if we were to beat them. They didn’t. It was one of their strongest races of the year. They left no chinks in their armor that we could exploit. It's tough to beat the #16 team in the nation if they have a good day. Coronado had a very good day. Despite our boys running really well, we fell a bit short. Jay had the slightest of off days, placing 6th. Before the race I told Jay that he could go for the win when going for the win wouldn't cost the team the win. Meaning don't risk blowing up by racing up front early. In other words, I asked Jay to sacrifice his personal aspirations for the betterment of the team. Jay put the team before himself and didn't go with Oliver Horton and Dylan Blair early, despite having beaten Dylan three times this season. 

Lukas and Johnny raced surely the best races of their lives, placing 7th and 13th. Carter had another great State race, using a different strategy than 2024, where he started slow and moved up. This time Carter started at a strong yet controlled pace and held steady. Owen overcame stomach problems before the race for a strong 24th place overall. Cain and John ran a different strategy, running the first mile a bit conservatively and then moving up a couple dozen places.

Summit placed 5 boys in the top 25 for 71 points. That is fantastic. The State meet has been won with a lot more than 71 points before. We simply came across a very strong Coronado team that also had a great day.

The boys top 5 averaged 16:08. That is 32 seconds faster than last year, which was our best ever!! The 1-5 split was just 43 seconds, 28 seconds closer than last year and also our best ever. The top 7 average was just 16:22, 29 seconds faster than last year, with a 1-7 split of 1:23.

Girls Highlights

The Summit girls were up against last years State Champions, Timnath, as well as runner's up Battle Mountain. Both teams returned most (Timnath) or all (Battle Mountain) of last year's runners. Cheyenne Mountain and Palmer Ridge had also shown that they were capable of fighting for points. With a five way battle, I was pretty sure no one would score under 100 points.

The Summit girls raced great. Milla and Leah had by far the best races of their young careers. Leah overcame a fall with cuts and bruises, in the loose asphalt chunks at the hairpin 500 meters into the race. She responded calmly and slowly caught back up to her teammates Milla and Lily. 

Meanwhile, Kayla was in a battle with 5 to 7 other girls up front. Kayla raced very intelligently, "relaxing" in that lead pack through one mile, then going with her biggest rival Reagan McCrae from Cheyenne Mountain to drop all the others in the hilly second mile. Watch the video for the epic finish, where Kayla made up 20 or more meters after the stream crossing and nearly caught Reagan.

While Kayla was catching Reagan, the other Summit girls were making a strong push to move up into Championship contention. Battle Mountain started very fast and had a big pack at the front and a big lead in the team race at one mile. The Summit girls were in 7th place at 1 Mile and moved up to 4th at 2 miles. At 1 mile it looked like we were out of it and Battle Mountain had it locked up, but Battle Mountain had started too fast and couldn't hold the effort. By 2 miles, Milla, Leah and Lily had broken up Battle Mountains pack and were intermixed with Timnath runners. Leah was only 79th at mile 1 after the fall! She moved up to 41st by mile 2 and all the way to 24th by the finish, crossing the line with Milla, with Lily just 5 seconds back. Ashley and Lucia ran similar strategies to Cain and John, starting conservatively and passing dozens of runners.

We were in contention to win, but Sophie, who had been our very consistent second runner every race, had the flu. A healthy Sophie would have been expected to be in the top 20. Instead, despite her best efforts she drifted back, out of scoring position. (Her doctor said it would be okay for her to try running. I made the gamble to let her run. It was a wrong decision.) 

The other girls did their best to cover for her, but fell just short - 2 points behind Battle Mountain, who had beaten us twice earlier this year. (We beat them by 8 points at Regionals.) If Sophie hadn’t been sick and Leah hadn't fallen, we would have beaten Battle Mountain and I’m fairly confident Timnath as well for our first ever State championship.

But that's racing, and nothing is ever guaranteed. 

The girls top 5 averaged 19:47, with a 1-5 split of 1:41. The average time is a bit slower than last year, but was hurt by Sophie's illness. The top 7 averaged 20:04 with a 3:10 split.

Outlook

Looking forward to next year, the boys are favorites to be State Champions with the girls third behind TCA and Cheyenne Mountain. That isn't pre-ordained. Summit will be the team everyone is trying to beat. We will need the same level of dedication and effort, perhaps even just a bit more, good health and a bit of luck (no ill-timed illnesses) to win.  Double State Champions is a reachable goal that I hope everyone is inspired - and committed - to chase after.

Analysis and Stats

• The boys 2nd place and girls 3rd place finishes are the best ever by Summit.

• Our progression:

• The boys didn’t qualify for State in 2021, were 10th in 2022, 7th in 2023, 5th in 2024 and 2nd in 2025.

• The girls didn’t qualify in 2021, were 6th in 2022, 5th in 2023, 3rd in 2024  and 3rd this year.

• Our 2nd and 3rd place finishes were the best combined finish in 4A. 16 schools (out of 64) qualified both boys and girls teams to the State championship.

• Scored like a XC meet our 5 points compared to 9 for Palmer Ridge (4th and 5th), 10 for Coronado (1st and 9th), 14 for Ponderosa (7th and 7th), 16 for Cheyenne Mountain (5th and 11th), 18 for Holy Family (6th and 12th), 20 for Lutheran (4th and 16th), 21 for Timnath (1st and 20th), 21 for Mead (9th and 12th), 23 for Lewis-Palmer (6th and 17th), 28 for Grand Junction (11th and 17th), 28 for Roosevelt (12th and 16th), 29 for Berthoud (14th and 15th) 32 for Longmont (13th and 19th), 33 for Palmer (15th and 18th) and 37 for Mesa Ridge (18th and 19th).

• Scored as Dual Meets, the boys finished the Colorado season with a record of 339 wins to 3 losses. The girls recorded 258 wins to 36 losses.

• Had Sophie placed as our normal 2nd, the Summit Girls would have had the highest 4th, 5th, and 6th place finishers in all of 4A.

• Coronado boys had the highest placed 1st through 4th runners, but the Summit boys had the best 5th, 6th and 7th place finishers. Our 5th runner was ahead of the 4th runner and our 7th runner was ahead of the 5th runner from every team but Coronado and Thompson Valley. 

• SHS Historical Performance at State

  • Summit Girls have run at State a total of 106 times. Had Sophie run her normal, our top 5 this year would all be in the top 16 by time and top 25 by place. The top 7 would be in the top 35 by time and 55 by place.

  • Kayla ran the third fastest time by a Summit girl, just 3 seconds slower than Whitney Anderson's winning time on a 3 mile course in 2004. That was the fastest time at State by a Summit Freshman ever.

  • Summit boys have raced at State 52 times in total. This year's top 5 are in the top 10 ever by time and top 13 by place. This year's 7 are in the top 22 ever by time and top 23 by place.

  • Jay and Lukas are ranked 2nd and 3rd by place and 1st and 2nd by time. Liam Mierow's winning time in 2013, 16:27, was surpassed by four boys this year. (Although the course then was slower.)

Full Results with Splits

Press

2025/11/2: Years of dedication pay off as Summit cross-country reaches new heights at state meet

2025/11/2: Battle Mountain girls cross-country team runs to 10th top-2 finish at state meet in last 11 years

2025/11/2: Eagle Valley runner places second at state meet as Colorado all-class record gets reset

2025/11/3: Eagle Valley boys cross-country team says farewell to 8 seniors at Colorado state meet

2025/11/11: Summit runners named to all-state teams for 2025 cross-country season

2025/11/2: Coronado’s Oliver Horton’s record-setting day highlights state cross country 

Through the Lens: The CO XC State Championships

4A Videos

Rewatch the 2025 Colorado State XC Championship Races

Video of 2025 Colorado 5A Boys Cross-Country State Race - Shot with a telephoto from atop Little Willis. Really good to review next year before the race.

Video of 2025 Colorado 4A Boys Cross-Country State Meet - Shot with a telephoto from atop Little Willis. Really good to review next year before the race.

Video Excerpts

CHSAA articles

4A Girls Cross Country: Cheyenne Mountain's Raegan McRae Kicks to Title, Timnath Repeats

4A Boys Cross Country: Oliver Horton's Course Record Leads Coronado to Team Title

Girls Cross Country: All-State Teams Released for 2025 Season

Boys Cross Country: All-State Teams Released for 2025 Season

Girls Cross Country: Champions Crowned in Four Classes

Boys Cross Country: State Championships Earned on Record-Setting Day

2025 Cross Country State Pamphlet

CHSAA Girls Cross Country Championship History

CHSAA Boys Cross Country Championship History

Top SHS Times and Places in State Championship History

Outlook (2026 Projections)

Taking the returning runners and their times from (just) the State meet and scoring them, both the Summit boys and girls are ranked 1st for 2026. 

Last year, the Summit boys were 3rd and the girls 6th in this "returning State runners" ranking. Of course, many teams, Summit included, have strong 8th, 9th, etc. runners that will fill their ranks next year, plus new freshmen. These forecasts do not account for improvement next year due to effective training, injuries, transfers, drop outs, new runners or new freshmen. And this is a rebalancing year, with changes to the teams that are in 4A. Early indications are that strong programs dropping down to 4A from 5A include Air Academy, Durango and Northfield. The Classical Academy is moving up from 3A.

Including ALL returning runners (not just those that competed at State) and ALL times from the season (including Central Grand Junction, which gives us an “inflated” boost), both the boys and girls are favored to win 4A, with the boys highest ranked in all classifications, even higher than Niwot. Take out the CGJ times and the girls are ranked third in 4A, behind newcomers Air Academy and TCA. 

That isn't pre-ordained. 

Summit will be the team everyone is trying to beat. We will need the same level of dedication and effort, perhaps even just a bit more, good health and a bit of luck (no ill-timed illnesses) to win.  Double State Champions is a reachable goal that I hope everyone is inspired - and committed - to work for.

4A projections below include ALL returning runners (not just those that competed at State) and ALL times from the season (including the Central Grand Junction meet, which gives us an “inflated” boost). Both the boys and girls are favored to win 4A, with the boys highest ranked in all classifications, even higher than Niwot. These rankings below are for 2025 season 4A teams. The teams in 4A will change next year (2026 and 2027 Cross Country seasons) with several 5A teams moving to 4A and The Classical Academy from 3A also moving to 4A because they have won State three years in a row. Add Air Academy from 5A and the Classical Academy from 3A and take out the CGJ times and the girls are ranked third in 4A for 2026. 

2025 State Championship

WHEN:  Saturday, 1 November 2025

WHERE:  Norris Penrose Events Center, Colorado Springs

The course is hilly, 100% gravel (mostly bike paths) and has one stream crossing shortly before the finish followed by two short and steep hills. 

LIVE RESULTS will be here. If that doesn't work, try the Rapid Results website.

FRIDAY SCHEDULE: 

• 1:00 - Depart SHS (Subject to slight change. Might be a bit earlier.) I will drive a mini-bus. (Tell me if you will be riding with parents and don't need a ride.) It is a 2.5 hour drive to Norris Penrose Event Center.

• 3:30 - Arrive at Norris-Penrose. Quickly get ready (have your running gear on or easily accessible) and do our course recon and pre-race workout. We will start as close to the finish line as we can get and do the last mile of the course backwards.

• ~5:00 - Depart for Hotel. Shower.

• ~6:00 - Depart for dinner in Manitou Springs or Old Colorado City. (Maybe Pallivicini's.)

• ~7:30 - Briefly walk around Manitou Springs or Old Colorado City to see Halloween decorations.

• ~8:15 - Short team meetings in hotel

• 9:00 - In rooms

• 10:00 - Lights Out

Bring pajamas, toothbrushes and the other things you normally would for an overnight in a hotel. Bring cash for dinner Friday and after the meet on Saturday.

There is lodging available for up to 9 boys and 9 girls - the 7 designated racers at State plus the 2 alternates. This is a "business trip." All athletes are expected to be in bed by 10:00 p.m. 

Transportation and Lodging

Course that was used for the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede - and may be used for State.

2025/10/26: I'm told State will be run on the "traditional" course, with the hairpin curve and without the loop around the horse barns and finishing loop in the stadium.

2024 State Results

Press

Summit’s Ella Hagen earns second cross-country state title with dominating performance

Ella Hagen, already a three-sport individual state champion, adds another trophy by dominating Class 4A state cross country meet

Aiden Le Roux, Addison Ritzenhein are fastest boy and girl in Colorado after setting course records

Eagle Valley boys cross-country team ties best finish in program history at state meet

Battle Mountain girls shock the state at 4A cross-country championship

Colorado State Meet Recap 2024

Thompson Valley wins 4A boys cross country state title; Cheyenne Mountain's Le Roux wins solo crown

Timnath Surges to Top in 4A Girls Cross Country; Hagen Claims Second Individual Title

Boys Cross Country: 2024 All-State Teams Announced

Girls Cross Country: 2024 All-State Teams Announced

4A Girls Finish Line Camera - starts about -5:08. There is no boys video.

Ella interview with MileSplit.

All 7 of our boys were in the top 45% of the field, with the scoring 5 in the top 35%. Our girls were all in the top 58%, with our scoring 5 in the top 28%. Our 5th, 6th and 7th boys were ahead of Eagle Valley's 5th, but they edged ahead of us in each of the 1 through 4 positions. Our 1st and 5th girls were ahead of both their Timnath and Battle Mountains counterparts, but Timnath and Battle Mountain beat us in the 2, 3 and 4 positions, with Timnath ahead of Battle Mountain everywhere but 5th. Battle Mountain's first 3 girls had new personal records, which is what moved them ahead of us. Three of Holy Family's girls also ran PRs.

Congratulations to Josh on his second consecutive podium. Josh ran in 4th place for the first mile plus of the race. Although a few runners passed him, it was a race to be proud of. Jay and Will were clearly hindered by their recent, and lingering, illnesses. That they raced so hard despite their illnesses, and didn't make any excuses, is a great testament to their competitive spirit and devotion to their team and teammates.

Carter had a fantastic record, setting a new personal best by 10 seconds. Carter was the only one to run faster than at Liberty Bell, although Lukas (17 seconds) and Josh (20 seconds) were close. Carter ran 30 seconds faster than last year at State. Lukas was a huge 46 seconds faster and Cain 33 seconds faster.

The boys top 5 averaged 16:40, 4 seconds faster than last year, with a 1-5 split of just 1:11, 37 seconds faster than last year. The top 7 averaged 16:51, a full 20 seconds faster than last year, with a 1-7 split of 1:22, a full 80 seconds less than last year.

This shows our improved placement from 7th to 5th was driven by the improvement in our depth - from the 4th to 7th runners. This bodes well for next year. (See the 2025 forecast below.)

Ella had another consistently great race, winning her second State XC championship. She was accompanied by Chloe Ruth of Silver Creek for the first mile and ran the last two miles on her own. Ella ran 8 seconds faster than last year, for the second fastest 4A girls time ever run at Norris Penrose.

Sophie had a fantastic race to place second for Summit. She is clearly getting fitter and stronger and learning how to race hard and push herself. Sophie was the only Summit girl to run faster at State than the easier Liberty Bell course - by 3 seconds. 4 other girls were close, including Milla who ran the same time as at Liberty Bell.

Avery and Lily had solid races to place 3rd and 4th for SHS, while Paige had an excellent State debut for our 5th. Paige was the closest in our top 5 to her time at the faster Regionals course, at just 4 seconds slower. 

Ashley ran 6 seconds faster than last year at State for our solid 6th. Milla, despite recent sickness, was the only girl to run faster than last year (23 seconds) and at Regionals (12 seconds).

The girls top 5 averaged 19:28, 21 seconds faster than last year, with a 1-5 split of 2:38, 1:07 less than last year. The top 7 averaged 19:51, a big 28 seconds faster than last year. The 1-7 split was 23 seconds less than 2023.

Like the boys, the improvement in our depth at positions 4 through 7 was the reason for us placing 3rd at State, 2 spots higher than 2023. This also speaks well for our potential for next season.

Checking our splits, it is clear we are a strong team who raced intelligently and with determination. Most of our runners moved up or held steady during the race. 

The girls moved up from 5th place at 1 mile to 3rd at 2 miles. They continued to close the gap on Battle Mountain in the last mile, it just wasn't quite enough. Sophie was 42nd at the mile and moved all the way up to 22nd by the finish. Page advanced 4 spots from the mile for her 44th place finish. Sophie and Paige were the 3rd and 5th freshmen girls in the race.

The boys were 5th at the 1 mile mark and moved up to 4th at 2 miles. A surging Eagle Valley and a few boys losing some places, dropped us to 5th at the finish. Carter passed 41 runners between the 1st and 2nd miles. Cain advanced 22 spots from the 1st mile to the finish. (And, conspiracy theory on some inaccurate results, video shows him finishing in front of two boys ahead of him in the results.) Owen advanced 10 spots from the mile to the finish.

---------------

Despite some disappointment in placing a spot lower than hoped, it was a wonderful season. We are very pleased with your hard work and great spirits that made this fantastic season possible.

Of course, the Colorado season may be over, but the full season has several more weeks. It is absolutely fantastic that the majority of the team volunteered to put in the extra work and expense of competing at NXR - and Footlocker Midwest for several more. For our underclassmen, these extra weeks of training, and exposure to even higher levels of racing, will pay off hugely in coming seasons - and track! For our Seniors, NXR is a fantastic way of capping off their high school cross country careers, before embarking on collegiate running - which ALL of our seniors have the talent and work ethic to do. (Nudge, nudge.)

With the changing weather and shorter afternoon sunlight, it will be a challenge to maintain motivation for the next 3 to 4 weeks of hard training that will be required to have the races at NXR and Footlocker that you are capable of and will be proud of/happy with. That's simple reality after a long season.

We will take the next couple of days easy with fun activities. Then it will be time to buckle down and keep putting in the work. We know you are capable of it and look forward to going on the ride with you.

Top 50 Individuals

Photos are here.

Dillon Benbow did the following excellent analysis:

2025 Forecast

Scoring returning runners from the State meet, the Summit boys are ranked 1st and the girls 5th. 18 out of the 20 girls teams at State have 5 or more returning runners - just two girls teams had three or more seniors! 10 boys teams had three or more seniors, as would be expected as boys teams tend to be more senior heavy. So just 10 boys teams are in the "returning rankings". Of course, many teams, including us, may have strong 8th, 9th, etc. runners that will fill their ranks next year, plus new freshman.

2025 Forecast counting best 2024 times of all Freshman - Juniors. These ranking "forecasts" are more accurate, as they include potentially returning runners who weren't on their State teams. Here the Summit boys are 3rd and the girls 6th. Looking at depth, the Summit boys have the second best 5th runner and the best 6th runner! The girls have the fourth highest 6th runner.

2024 State Championship

WHEN:  Saturday, 2 November 2024

WHERE:  Norris Penrose Events Center, Colorado Springs

The course is hilly, 100% gravel (mostly bike paths) and has one stream crossing shortly before the finish followed by two short and steep hills. 

TRANSPORTATION: We will travel the day before the race to be rested and fresh. We will depart SHS at 1:00 on Friday. (Subject to slight change.) I will drive a mini-bus. It is a 2.5 hour drive to Norris Penrose Event Center. We should arrive about 3:30. We will do a pre-race run/course recon at 3:30. After the course inspection, we will depart for the hotel (Holiday Inn Express on I-25 South).

We will pick up food in the area and eat together at the Holiday Inn. Options include Qdoba, Mod Pizza, Panda Express and Subway.

Bring pajamas, toothbrushes and the other things you normally would for an overnight in a hotel. Bring cash for dinner Friday and lunch after the meet on Saturday.

There is lodging for 9 boys and 9 girls - the 7 designated racers at State plus the 2 alternates. This is a "business trip." All athletes are expected to be in bed by 9:00 p.m. 

OUR RACE TIMES:

4A Boys - 9:00 a.m.

4A Girls 10:20 a.m.

Shake Out Runs:

Boys - 6:30

Girls - 7:30

Breakfast:

Boys - 6:45

Girls - 7:45

Depart for venue: 

Boys - 7:15

Girls - 8:15

We will set up our team camp in the barn immediately upon arrival. Wear your race uniforms to the venue, as we will go to uniform check after setting up our team camp.

Check In/Uniform Inspection:

Boys - 7:30

Girls - 8:40

Warm Ups:

Boys start at 8:00

Girls start at 9:20

The warm ups will be jogs to "the Boulevard" and mobility drills in "the Woods." We will return to the Barn and then do strides in the flat area outside of the barn. We will complete the strides 15 minutes before start time (8:45 and 10:05) and walk to the start. Bring water bottles to the start. There are bathrooms very close to the start for last minute needs.

2023 State Program.

Race Strategy

This saying sounds like a joke, but when you think about it, is really concise and solid race strategy: "In the first half of the race, don't be an idiot. In the second half, don't be a wimp." We will discuss what that means and how to apply it to the State Championship.

2023 State Results

Fantastic racing at State! It was the best Summit finish at State for combined boys and girls teams ever! Everybody stepped it up and gave tremendous efforts and treated the race with the professionalism needed for superb finishes. We are all so proud of you! 5th and 7th place teams! Plus two runners on the podium.

Boys Highlights

The boys placed 7th, tying the highest boys placing at State, which was run by the 2019 team. The boys were only 6 points from sixth, and 12 points from 5th place Eagle Valley, the closest we have raced to Eagle all season. We edged out Battle Mountain again, like we did at Regionals. 

Josh ran to Summit's highest finish at State since Liam Mierow's victory in 2013! He improved by 1:25 from last year, to leap from a 60th place finish to a 10th place podium finish this year! Jay ran to the fifth highest Summit finish ever at State. Jay was also the second fastest Freshman at State. 

Josh and Jay ran the fastest Summit times ever at State, just ahead of Dom's time from last year and faster than Liam's winning time from 2013! Will ran the 6th fastest SHS State time, Carter the 11th, Cain the 17th, Lukas the 21st and John the 32nd.

The boys moved up throughout the race, with 234 points at the mile, 216 at 2 miles and finishing with 202 points. Carter and Cain especially moved up through the race. Carter from 96th at the mile to 82nd at 2 miles to 72nd at the finish. Cain moved up from 113th to 102nd to 93rd.

Of the four boys who competed last year, every single one improved, by an average of over 1 minute! The average time of our top 5 was 43 seconds faster than last year! Only 6 boys finished last year. This year, three freshmen stepped in to contribute to an average of our top 7 that was faster than the average of our top 5 last year! Will showed incredible grit, spouting a gushing nose-bleed minutes before the start and running the entire race while swallowing blood. He threw up a stomach full of blood after the race. 

The boys ran very close to their personal record times on the tough State course. Josh ran within 36 seconds of his Liberty Bell time, Jay 35 seconds, Will 36 seconds and Cain just 16 seconds! Carter was just 15 seconds of his PR set at Regionals, Lukas 38 seconds and John 43 seconds.

Girls Highlights

The girls placed 5th, the second best Summit finish ever after a 4th place finish in 2007. (When competition wasn't nearly as strong.) With 183 points, the girls were 33 points from second place. The girls finished ahead of Battle Mountain, reversing the order from Regions. We were 28 points behind Conifer, roughly equal to the spread at Regions.

Ella followed up last year's State Championship with a second place finish to nationally top-ranked Addy Ritzenhein while improving by 10 seconds and breaking the previous course record run by Katie Rainsberger. Avery and Lilly ran near each other the entire race, leading to 26th and 31st place finishes. 

Ella ran the fastest SHS time ever at State. Avery and Lily ran the 7th and 8th fastest SHS times, Ashley the 15th and Cece, Milla and Adaline the 32nd, 35th and 38th. All of those times are in the top half of SHS times ever run at State.

The girls also moved up in the race, not just by points, but in placement. They were in 7th place at 1 mile with 206 points, 6th at 2 miles with 192 points and closed hard for their 5th place finish with 183 points. They passed Battle Mountain and Lewis-Palmer mid-race. Avery advanced from 35th to 30th to 26th. Lily was 36th at the mile and 2 miles, passing 5 runners in the last mile. Ashley advanced from 71st to 63rd to 60th.

3 of our returning girls ran faster than last year, with Avery a huge 1:15 faster. The top 5 averaged 36 seconds faster than last year, without our number 2 runner from last year and without Lindsey, our number 2 runner this year. (Yes, had CHSAA approved Lindsey's transfer, we would have placed second.) Our three freshmen of Lily, Ashley and Mila contributed to a top 7 average time 30 seconds faster than last year. 

Like the boys, several girls nearly set PRs, despite the State course being much tougher than Liberty Bell, Pat Amato or Lincoln Park. Avery was only 6 seconds slower than her regionals time, Lily 8 seconds, Ashley 26 seconds and Mila 33 seconds. Adaline was just 8 seconds and Cece just 20 seconds off their season best times set at Pat Amato.

Press

Summit Daily Article: Summit’s Ella Hagen strides her way to 2nd at state cross-country meet. Tigers improve upon finishes from last year’s state meet.

Vail Daily Article: Devils finish fifth in boys team race at state cross-country meet

Vail Daily Article: Battle Mountain runner wins program’s first boys individual state cross-country title

Vail Daily Article: Battle Mountain state champion will continue prolific career at Harvard 

Vail Daily Article: Fall prep preview: Brunner and Middaugh lead potent Battle Mountain boys cross-country team

Vail Daily Article: Whitton leads Huskies to sixth place finish at state cross-country meet

DyeStat: Colorado State Meet XC Recap 

CHSAA: 4A Girls Cross Country: Niwot's Addison Ritzenhein Sets State Meet Record As Cougars Win Sixth-Straight Title

CHSAA: 4A Boys Cross Country: Battle Mountain's Will Brunner Stands Atop The Podium

CHSAA: Cross Country: Eight Teams, Eight Individuals Crowned State Champions

CHSAA: Cross Country: All-State Teams Released - Ella, Avery, Josh and Jay are All-State!

Full results including details of how teams and individuals placed at the mile splits are here and here.

The Colorado State Meet Power Merge is here. The Summit Girls were 17th, just behind Cheyenne Mountain and three spots behind Conifer. The boys were 20th, three spots behind Eagle Valley, while our other main competitors for next season - Cheyenne Mountain, Thompson Valley and Coronado went 7-8-9.

Where the races were won

Dillon Benbow did a wonderful analysis of how we placed ahead of teams that beat us at Regionals. Thanks so much Dillon!

Dillon compared regional and state team races for girls and boys to 2 of the teams they raced against in regionals. Girls vs Battle Mountain and Conifer, and Boys vs Battle Mountain and EVHS. He compared our first to their first, our second to their second, etc. to see if the 1's beat the 1's, 2's beat the 2's, etc. Analyzed this way, both girls and boys had some really good races at State and made up some ground vs regionals.  

The girls overtook BM at State with runners 3 and 4. Ashley sprinted hard at the finish to get ahead of BM runner #4, someone who beat her by 8 seconds at regionals. Avery and Lily both beat BM runner #3, someone that beat them both at regionals. The #3 runner for Conifer had a great race at State (beat her regional time by 29s, only person on Summit or Conifer top 5 to beat regional times), so we didn't make up ground there.

For the boys, runners 5 and 6, Cain and Lukas, beat BMHS at State and we made up some ground on EVHS with runner 3, Will. He had a great sprint at the end to pick up a few spots, too.     

Coaches Assessment

I think the tougher course and cool temperatures, compared to Grand Junction, helped, too. I try to compensate with training strategies, but at 9100 feet it is more difficult to build speed for flat courses compared to teams that train at lower altitude. A tougher course plays into our strengths, as much as we try to develop low-altitude race pace with speed and flux training.

Team Scores

The teams in red, with DNQ (did not qualify), were individual runners, not complete teams.

2024 Outlook

Below are the team scores with the 2023 seniors removed. Surprisingly, 13 girls teams and 13 boys teams (out of 20) had 2 or less seniors, so have five runners returning from their state teams - enough to "score" a team in this projection. 

A lot of the top teams from 2023 are moving to 5A for the 2024-2026 cycle (2024 and 2025 cross country seasons): Niwot, Northfield, Durango, Golden, Pueblo West, Riverdale Ridge. Of those, Niwot and Durango are for cross country only. 

Niwot and Durango will stay in 4A for track. 

Several 3A teams move to 4A next year including Holy Family, Timnath and Berthoud. The Timnath and Holy Family girls cross country teams are good and will give us some competition next season.

Air Academy, Dakota Ridge and Thornton will drop from 5A to 4A for track (not XC) in the 2024-2026 cycle (2025 and 2026 track seasons).

Girls 2024 Outlook

1. You can see in the red DNQ section that of the girls teams, Niwot had 4 seniors, Mtn View 3, Lewis-Palmer 3, Montrose 3, Battle Mtn 4, Palmer 4, and George Washington 3. Niwot of course is deep and will "reload" strongly. I'm not sure about sixth place finisher Battle Mountain (graduating their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th finishers) and seventh Lewis-Palmer (graduating their 1st, 2nd and 6th finishers).

2. The returnees score has us placing second to Northfield, but Northfield, like Niwot and Durango, is moving to 5A next season.

3. That means the Summit girls are the "top ranked" team looking forward to 2024. Cheyenne Mtn finished second this year but graduates 2, their 1st and 6th finishers. Conifer graduates just one, their second finisher. Based on Cheyenne Mtn's history, and the progress Conifer made this year, both will be strong contenders next season. And of course, this doesn't include runners outside of the seven that raced at State, next year's new Freshmen, transfers, injuries, and improvements next summer and fall.

4. Timnath and Holy Family, moving up from 3A, are ranked very close to us. (See 2024 Forecast tables a bit lower.)

Boys 2024 Outlook

1. 8 teams had 3 or more seniors - Severance, Cheyenne Mtn, Palmer Ridge, Littleton, Eagle Valley, Battle Mountain and Grand Junction. Of those, Eagle Valley (graduates their 1st, 3rd and 6th finishers) and Cheyenne Mtn (graduating their 3rd, 4th and 7th) can be expected to come back strong. (Well, talking with the C.M. coach, they don't have a strong JV team to rebuild from.) Battle Mountain graduates 5 including their top 3 so is expected to be less competitive in 2024.

2. We are ranked 4th of the teams with 5 or more returning runners, close to Coronado and just ahead of Northfield. Niwot is moving to 5A as is Northfield. So we are effectively ranked 3rd, with the threat from Northfield removed. 

3. Coronado had a sub-par day at State and can be expected to be strong, as can Thompson Valley, which like us, graduates no one. Eagle Valley can be expected to come back strong, despite graduating 3. The same qualifications apply as the girls forecast - this "forecast" doesn't include new freshmen, injuries, progress over the summer, etc.

Photos

Many more here!

2023 State Championship

WHEN:  Saturday, 28 October 2023

WHERE:  Norris Penrose Events Center, Colorado Springs

The course is hilly, 100% gravel (mostly bike paths) and has one stream crossing shortly before the finish followed by two short and steep hills. 

TRANSPORTATION: We will travel the day before the race to be rested and fresh. We will depart SHS at 1:00 on Friday. I will drive a mini-bus. It is a 2.5 hour drive to Norris Penrose Event Center. We should arrive about 3:30. We will do a pre-race run/course recon at 3:30. After the course inspection, we will depart for the hotel (Holiday Inn Express on I-25 South).

After checking in we will eat dinner in the area. Options include Qdoba, Mod Pizza, Panda Express and Subway.

Bring pajamas, toothbrushes and the other things you normally would for an overnight in a hotel. Bring cash for dinner Friday and lunch after the meet on Saturday.

OUR RACE TIMES:

4A Boys - 9:40 a.m.

4A Girls 11:00 a.m.

Shake Out Runs:

Boys at 7:00

Girls at 7:15

Breakfast:

Boys at 7:15

Girls at 7:30

Depart for venue: 7:45. We will set up our team camp in the barn immediately upon arrival. Wear your race uniforms to the venue, as we will go to uniform check after setting up our team camp.

Check In/Uniform Inspection: 8:15

Warm Ups:

Boys start at 8:40

Girls start at 10:00

The warm ups will be jogs to "the Boulevard" and mobility drills in "the Woods." We will return to the Barn and then do strides in the flat area outside of the barn. We will complete the strides 15 minutes before start time (9:25 and 10:45) and walk to the start. Bring water bottles to the start. There are bathrooms very close to the start for last minute needs.

State Program.

2022 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Race Review

The girls raced extremely well. For a young team that hasn’t been to State you handled the pressure and excitement with resolve. Many of you moved up during the race and all of you finished strong. 

The boys were equally dedicated but were racing banged up. Six of seven had illness or injuries. I know you are disappointed but you should be equally proud of your work and effort. The three teams you tied or beat at regions placed third, fourth and fifth. Zach gave it a great try but couldn’t finish. Even with Zach unable to finish and most of you not at 100%, you finished 10th at State which you should be very proud of. 

You gave it a great effort and more importantly trained consistently and seriously since the summer. You showed great commitment and dedication all summer and fall. Your hard work showed in the strength in which you ran. 

XC is very much a Team Sport and our team has gotten so much stronger this year because of the effort of all of you. This group of runners have built a great program. It’s not easy to toil out of the limelight, but you have worked hard top to bottom and are starting to see the fruits of your labor. Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. You are creating wonderful people of character.

Press

Summit Daily: Ella Hagen first female Summit High School student in 18 years to win state cross-country race

On the boys' side, Summit High senior Dom Remeikis places 18th, teams place 6th and 10th

CHSAA 4A boys cross country: Cheyenne Mountain goes back-to-back, Mead's Hoffman takes individual crown

CHSAA 4A girls cross country: Niwot continues dominant run, Summit's Hagen wins individually

MileSplit: The 4A Colorado State Recap: Ella Hagen Outlasts Niwot

Colorado High School Sports: The 2022 4A State Story

MileSplit: The State Power Merge

Vail Daily: Battle Mountain girls take second as a team at state cross-country meet for fifth-straight season

Vail Daily: Devils and Huskies shine in epic 4A boys state cross-country meet

Photos

See the carousel below and a bunch more here

2022 Results

Team Scores

SHS Results

Top Individual Results

Top Freshmen

Top Sophomores

Top Juniors

Top Seniors

2022 State Championship Schedule

WHEN:  Saturday, 29 October 2022

WHERE:  Norris Penrose Events Center, Colorado Springs

The course is hilly, 100% gravel (mostly bike paths) and has one stream crossing shortly before the finish followed by two short and steep hills. 

TRANSPORTATION: 8:15 show time and 8:30 departure time. 2.5 hour drive time. Estimated return time is 7:00 p.m.

OUR RACE TIMES:

Girls 4A - 1:00 pm

Boys 4A - 2:20 pm

RESULTS: Updated live on CHSAANow.com

Live streaming of the races will be HERE.

Note: I think this will just be a stream of the finish line, with no coverage elsewhere on the course or commentary, other than what is picked up from the stadium announcers.

Box Assignments

Boys start in the middle of the starting line, with Pueblo West (not a strong team) to our left, and just two individuals from Conifer on right (it should say box 13 for them.) The top two rated teams in the State are Niwot, two to our left, and Cheyenne Mountain, two to our right. The boys should have decent room for the first 50 meters. Get out fast and you will be right up front with Niwot and Cheyenne Mountain.

The girls are starting towards the right of the starting line, like in the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede. Montrose (a fairly weak team) is to our left and 3 individuals in the box to our right. With a quick start we should be able to get in good position early. Niwot is 5 boxes to our right. You want to be mixing it up with them when you get to the right turn choke point 150 meters into the race.

State Championship Team and Individual Qualifiers/Entrants

Click here: 

Top Seedings

Virtual Meet Projections

2021 State Championship

End of 2021 Season "Preview" of 2022 State Championship 

2022 Boys State Championship

2021/11/28: MileSplit posted an article with a "Mega Merge" of all 200+ XC schools in Colorado – Top Returning Boys Cross Country Teams For 2022 (cover photo of Hunter Strand, who has trained with us) – using the times of all returning (well, at least not graduating) runners to compute rankings for next season. Of course, this is just a static snapshot based on this year's times. It doesn't/can't encompass new team members, improvements, etc. Still, it gives an idea of the strength of the (possibly) returning runners.

There are no guarantees, because we first have to train and perform, but the outlook is good! We don't graduate ANY boys. Based on our times, we are ranked 21st in the State for next season, 6th in 4A and 3rd in our region! (The strongest region in the state.)

In our region, we are behind Battle Mountain (9th in the State) and Central Grand Junction (13th). We are ranked ahead of Conifer (30th), Eagle Valley (36th), Steamboat Springs (65th) and the other 7 regional teams.

In 4A, the rankings are Niwot (2nd in State), Cheyenne Mountain (6th), Battle Mountain (9th), Central Grand Junction (13th), Mead (17th), Summit (21st), Centaurus (24th), Coronado (25th), Air Academy (26th), Erie (27th), Conifer (30th).

(P.S. Dom is ranked 13th in the State amongst returning runners!)

(Interesting aside: Mullen, who edged us out for 4th at Regionals, isn't ranked. Apparently they don't have five returnees.)

(Another aside: Battle Mountain has both Will Brunner and William Brunner in their top 5 returnees. Same guy with a name variation. Take out the second Brunner and add the scores of Battle Mountain's returning sixth runner and they drop down slightly to 11th in the state.)

2022 Girls State Championship

2021/11/30: Here is the Mega Merge for the Girls – Top Returning Girls Cross Country Teams For 2022. Same as the boys, it is only a snap shot of the non-graduating runners, not encompassing incoming 8th graders, improvements, etc. It provides insight into the strength of potential returning runners, but again, it's a look back, not a look forward. Next year's results depend on how well teams train and race next season.

Amongst this year's results, we are ranked 45th in the State, 14th in 4A and 5th in our region, quite close to the 4th and 3rd teams. 

In our region, we are behind Battle Mountain (8th in the State), Golden (29th), Mullen (33rd) and Green Mountain (36th).

In 4A, the rankings are Niwot (1st in the State), Durango (5th), Battle Mountain (8th), Air Academy (12th), Palmer (17th), Cheyenne Mountain (24th), Golden (29th), Silver Creek (31st), Mullen (33rd), Lewis-Palmer (34th), Green Mountain (36th), Thompson Valley (40th), George Washington (41st), Summit (45th), Mead (46th), Falcon (51st) of 200+ teams.

2021 State Championship Results

10/30/21 Summit Daily Article: Hagen puts freshman talent on display to place 7th at 4A state cross-country meet. Remeikis guts it out for 97th.

MileSplit Results and Story

Photos

2021 Cheyenne Mountain Stampede (Same course as State) Results and Review

2021 Photos