SQs, PRs and Miler's Club

Roosevelt High School is starting to gain a reputation as a "Magic Track." The facility is not only beautiful but apparently also very fast. We ran a bunch of big PRs there last year at Teddy's Last Chance and pressed the accelerator harder yesterday at the Randall Hess Roughrider.

8 Summit distance runners made the trip to Johnstown to race once more before Spring Break. That small contingent produced 9 new Personal Records, 2 State Championship qualifying marks, a new Summit Miler's Club entry and a victory.

Not bad for a small group.

Those 9 new PRs bring the distance teams' total up to 74 for the season.

The boys went 5 for 5 on new PRs while Lily and Cece PR'd in both the 1600 and 800. Lily's 5" PR in the 1600 earned her 2025 Summit Miler's Club status. That makes it 10 Summit runners in this year's Miler's Club already. One more and we will tie last year's record number. Will Cece be the 11th? Her PR puts her within 6 seconds.

Josh in the 800 and Ella in the 3200 ran provisional State Championship qualifying times. (Only in state times count. Provisional in that the top 18 times at the end of the season gain entry.) Based on past years' times (which keep getting faster) Josh and Ella's marks should hold within the top 18 at the end of the regular season. Josh nearly won the 800 and Ella was victorious in the 3200.

Your hard work is starting to show in your strong and aggressive racing. Everyone raced well. You are now not only racing for time, but competing well for places. There were a lot of negative splits and strong closes. I particularly noted strong closes by Lily and Cooper in the 1600, Josh and Jay in the 800 and Ella in the 3200. John raced aggressively in the 1600, going to the front of his heat. Cece looked the swiftest I've ever seen her and closed hard in both the 16 and 8. Carter ran a negative split in the 800 despite dealing with a bad cold.

Distance Results in order of events

1600

• Lily Benbow - 5:34.86

5" PR, is now 10th All Classes and 4th fastest SHS Sophomore ever

• Cece Miner - 5:51.83

4" PR, 15th All Classes and moves up from 10th to 8th fastest Senior

• Cooper Levi - 4:50.30

Huge 9" jumps Cooper 6 spots to 9th All Time and 4th Freshman

• John McDonald - 4:52.29

3.5" PR despite a cold, rises to 10th All Classes and 8th Sophomore

800

• Lily Benbow - 2:31.71

A massive 10" PR! Jumps six ranks to 10th All Time at SHS and 6th Soph

• Cece Miner - 2:37.38

2" PR, rising to 14th All Time and 9th Senior

• Josh Shriver - 1:56.50

1.3" PR, 2nd place, State Qualifying time, ranks 3rd ever at SHS

• Jay McDonald - 2:00.27

4.5" PR, huge for the 800. 5th All Classes and 2nd fastest Soph ever

• Carter Niemkiewicz - 2:06.27

1" PR despite being quite sick. 7th All Classes and 5th fastest Junior ever

3200

• Ella Hagen - 10:49.33

Wins by 39 seconds and qualifies for the State Championship

State Championship Outlook

Before Randal Hess, I was concerned frankly about qualifying either of the boys or girls 4x800s for the State Championship. We just hadn't run the times, individually, we would need to get there. While improving, we had a ways to go.

Now I am much more optimistic. Last year the qualifying time for the boys was 8:21. Just over an average of 2:05 per athlete. For the girls it was 10:06. Just over 2:31 per runner.

The big PRs at Randall Hess give me a lot of hope that both 4x800s will qualify and we can send 8 distance runners (and alternates) to the state championship.

Individually, Josh's 1:56.50 PR in the 800 should lock up his entry to State in the two lapper. While just half a second under last year's Q time, that is a lot in the 800. Josh is currently ranked 6th in 4A.

Ella's 5:03 at Niwot in the 1600 is the second fastest in-state time behind Addison Ritzenhein. Ella's 10:49 in the 3200 last night is the 4th fastest in-state 4A time. Both marks are certain to hold for State Championship entry.

The Western Slope League championship on 2-3 May in Grand Junction will be a huge opportunity to run more State Q times. The lower elevation, good competition and improvements in fitness we can make in the next two weeks are the ingredients that will lead to great performances, personal records and more entries to state.

Randal Hess full results and Summit results

Rapid Results

Updated Girls and Boys Top Times Lists

Updated School Records and State Qualification

Intra-Team Competition

Summit Miler's Club

Lily's 5" PR at Randall Hess makes it 10 runners in this year's Miler's Club already, just one short of the record of 11 set last year. Can we break that record? I think we can!

Spring Break

Enjoy Spring Break! Come back ready to close out this track season with a big crescendo.