JOE SHIELDS/WEST GRAND

WHEN:  Friday 13 May

WHERE:  West Grand High School, Kremmling

DISTANCE RESULTS: We "split-squaded" it a bit today. Dom went to St. Vrain in search of a State Qual time. To keep him company and pursue their own PRs we sent Lucas Sudduth and Josh Shriver as well. Hurdlers Emily Koetteritz, Malachi Ryan and Cam Fox also went to this very competitive meet, where Emily triple jumped as well.

From all reports (I went to St. Vrain as well) it was VERY windy in Kremmling. Despite this, we had several great performances.

Adaline and Avery both PR'd in the 1600, Adaline by 2 seconds and Avery by 5 in shoulder to shoulder 6:14.22 and 6:14.45 respectively for second and third. The "learning to compete" that became evident at Leagues continued. Roan placed 7th in 5:40.95 while James and Jacob followed in 11th and 12th in 6:32.16 and 6:42.19.

The 1600 efforts and winds prevented any further PRs, but Avery and Adaline 2nd and 5th in the 800 while Roan placed 10th.

St. Vrain invite

WHEN:  Friday 13 May

WHERE:  Longmont High School, Longmont

DISTANCE RESULTS: St. Vrain is a very big and very competitive meet, with very stringent entry standards per event. For years it has been the premiere "last chance" meet for those hoping to place in the top 18 in their event and earn a trip to the State Championship. In fact, I had to request special approval just to get Lucas and Josh into the meet as they technically didn't meet the entry standard of 4:45 in the 1600. 

That special request was redeemed as Lucas, Josh and Dom raced great. Lucas was the only one to run the 800. If he improved his PR of 2:11.47 by just half a second, he would move up two spots on the SHS all-time 800 list to 8th. It wasn't as windy in Longmont as it was in Kremmling, but it was still pretty windy during the 800. Lucas was boxed a bit on the third turn, made a hard effort to pass three runners on the backstretch, but then had to fight the wind on his own on the last turn. The efforts took their toll, and Lucas fatigued on the final stretch missing a new PR by just 6 hundredths of a second.

Lucas has PR'd in every meet this season. He was disappointed to break the streak, then we remembered that he still had the 1600. Lucas was in the same heat as Josh. By this time, the winds had dissipated and it was ideal conditions. Lucas seized the moment to go out with a bang and wrapped up his high school career with a 9 second PR, dropping down to 5:12.99. We just wish Lucas had started running earlier as his improvement this season was incredible.

Josh was seeded last in this heat and hadn't yet run a 1600 this season. It was only his 3rd weekend of racing and training after recovering from a soft tissue injury. Josh decided his seed time was soft and he could win the heat. And just that he did. He started smartly by sliding into fourth or fifth place and sighted up the competition. After 400 meters he decided the pace wouldn't do and set off on his own gradually opening up a 30-meter gap on the field. The announcer remarked several times on the Summit runner enjoying the thick front range air and the Summit Freshman with an incredible performance and a bright future. Josh finished with a 18 second PR in 4:22.68.

A couple heats later it was Dom's turn. 4A distance running, boys and girls, is incredible this year. Much stronger than larger 5A. To place in the top 18 would require a 4:22, with Dom's PR for the season being 4:31. Dom ran an exceptionally controlled, tactical and efficient race. He relaxed in fourth or fight place for two laps, then made a move and wasted no time in not just going to the front, but dropping the field. His last lap was a blistering 62 seconds. The early pace didn't let him threaten a State Quali time, but he ran a season's best by over four seconds.

His 62 second closing lap (only 5 runners in the following fastest heat finished faster) along with a 52.5 split in the 4x400 at Leagues gave Dom confidence that he could run a quali time in the 800 the next day in Denver. Back to Summit he went to sleep and recover.

Jeffco last chance

WHEN:  Saturday 14 May

WHERE:  Jeffco Stadium, Lakewood

DISTANCE RESULTS: This turned out to be the best meet conditions we had all year. It was calm with a comfortable temp in the 70s. Dom was seeded 5th in the heat. The first three runners didn't answer roll call and it looked like Dom may have to work alone to get the State Qualification time, expected to be in the low 1:58s. Dom had broken 2:00 (a big accomplishment) for the first time ever two weeks earlier at Steamboat in 1:59.82. Dropping over 1.5 seconds to get down to the low 1:58s was a big ask, but Dom's racing and training performance was screaming hints that he could.

The goal was to go through the 200 in 28 seconds and 400 in 57 seconds. The hope was that he needn't lead to achieve that. As evidenced by the night before, Dom's race awareness had made a big improvement. Instead of hammering the pace at the front, Dom was realizing the value of patience and situational awareness. Two boys went out hard and Dom astutely slotted in behind them and relaxed. 200 meters - 28 seconds. 400 meters - 57 seconds.

The race plan was to slightly pick it up on the third curve and then shift a gear each of the last 3 100-meter sections. Dom came off the curve on the shoulders of the two leaders. He accelerated and moved to the front on the back stretch. He accelerated again on the last curve and opened a small gap. One runner made a move coming off the curve but Dom accelerated a third time down the closing stretch and finished in.…

1:56.96!

Not just a 3 second PR! Not just a top 18 time and a State Championship entry! The 8th fastest 4A time all season and the 16th best time in the State. Dom didn't just qualify for the State Championship, he will now be on the radar as a podium contender. That's the way to capitalize on year's of hard work.

WEEKEND WRAP UP: 

We finished up the "regular season" with a bang. Not only did Dom earn a trip to the State Championship, but another 5 PRs were run.

"First year Senior" Lucas ran the 8th fastest 800, 5th 1600 and 8th 3200 times by SHS Seniors ever. Dom now has the fastest SHS Junior times ever in the 800, 1600 and 3200. Josh added claim to the freshman 1600 time and now has the fastest ever Freshman times in the 800, 1600 and 3200. And Ella has the fastest ever freshman 800, 1600 and 3200.

The State Championship, and next year, are going to be exciting!

I'm very proud of the efforts made this season (and pre-season) and very happy to see those who worked hard rewarded with tremendous improvement. You should be very proud of your efforts and achievements.

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Summit Daily article: Track-filled weekend leads to fast times and top-10 finishes for Summit before state meet

Updated SHS distance rankings are here.