Five Kadets finish in top 10 to produce record 26-point performance at Heritage High, led by Walter and Michalak, with Liberty Common senior Allori winning in 16:51.7 and Mountain Vista junior Anderson securing victory in 14:48.9, as The Classical Academy captures boys sweepstakes title

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

LITTLETON, Colo. – Air Academy reached the most rarefied air ever experienced in the girls sweepstakes race.

The Classical Academy demonstrated it was capable of competing at the highest level in the boys sweepstakes competition.

And a star from Liberty Common added her name to the legacy of elite champions Saturday at the Liberty Bell Invitational.

INTERVIEWS | RESULTS

In her only career appearance at the 5-kilometer course at Heritage High, Liberty Common senior Isabel Allori triumphed in the girls sweepstakes competition in 16 minutes, 51.7 seconds, with Summit High junior Ella Hagen placing runner-up for the second year in a row by clocking 16:55.1.

Allori, the reigning Colorado 3A state cross country champion, led a trio of athletes to sub-17 performances, one year after the girls sweepstakes race showcased a record four competitors eclipsing the 17-minute barrier, including Hagen.

Allori and third-place finisher Tessa Walter of Air Academy (16:55.8) became the eighth and ninth female athletes to achieve sub-17 efforts in the meet’s 46-year history. Hagen, the defending Colorado 4A state champion, joined Sydney Thorvaldson, a graduate of Rawlins High in Wyoming now competing for Arkansas, as the only competitors to achieve the feat twice.

Walter, a junior, also contributed to team history for Air Academy, which became the first girls program to have five athletes place in the top 10 of the sweepstakes race, producing a record 26-point performance.

Mountain Vista, which held the previous record with four top-10 finishers and a 34-point showcase in 2018, was runner-up Saturday with 95 points. Cherry Creek took third with 143 points, just ahead of Fossil Ridge at 146 points, with Chaparral finishing fifth at 223 points.

Bethany Michalak, a senior, finished fourth for Air Academy in 17:26.9, with sophomore Jordan Banta securing sixth in 17:40.2, freshman Chamorra Cooper earning eighth in 17:45.5 and junior Emily Beers taking 10th in 17:51.1.

The Kadets, the reigning Colorado 5A state champions, also had freshman Mariah Hook placing 38th in 18:34.0 and sophomore Lauren Myers grabbing 54th in 19:02.8.

Elena Torres, a senior at Loveland High, finished fifth in 17:30.4, with Boulder senior Kiki Vaughn capturing seventh in 17:44.9 and Cherry Creek sophomore Emily Cohen finishing ninth in 17:47.1.

Mountain Vista junior Benjamin Anderson emerged victorious in the boys sweepstakes race in 14:48.9, leading a trio of athletes to sub-15 performances, which followed a record four competitors eclipsing the 15-minute barrier last year.

Anderson improved from a fifth-place finish last season in 15:00.3, contributing to Mountain Vista securing sixth as a team with 223 points.

Matthew Edwards, a senior at The Classical Academy, took second in 14:54.8 and ThunderRidge senior Owen Casselman took third in 14:58.3, increasing the total to 11 sub-15 performers in meet history.

Edwards also led five athletes from The Classical Academy placing in the top 60 to hold off ThunderRidge by a 157-165 margin to capture the team title.

The Classical Academy, the reigning Colorado 3A state champions, prevailed against 5A programs ThunderRidge, along with third-place Rock Canyon (182), fourth-place Valor Christian (185), fifth-place Grandview (203) and Mountain Vista. Coronado, seventh with 229 points, competes in 4A.

Rock Canyon junior Owen Whitney finished fourth in 15:01.5, Valor Christian junior Kaeden Dendorfer was fifth in 15:02.7, with Chaparral senior teammates Brennan Draper (15:08.3) and Tanner Brown (15:08.6) securing sixth and seventh.

Cherry Creek senior Daniel Hruska, who won the Division 1 race last season, earned eighth in 15:08.9, Coronado freshman Oliver Horton was ninth in 15:10.0 and Horizon senior Ethan Adams achieved 10th in 15:14.6.

Air Academy captured multiple titles Saturday, with the boys winning the Division 1 race with 88 points, led by senior Nate Lumaye finishing fifth in 15:41.9 to lead five Kadets placing in the top 45 overall.

Colin Olson, a junior at Loveland, won the Division 1 race in 15:22.3.

Jonas Scudamore, a junior at Denver East, placed second in 15:31.9.

Broomfield teammates Vilate Carwin and Olivia Olson achieved the top two spots in the Division 1 girls race, leading to a fifth-place team finish with 175 points.

Carwin, a junior, prevailed in 18:55.4, with sophomore teammate Olson clocking 18:57.8.

ThunderRidge secured the Division 1 team title with 106 points, led by senior Caitlin Boyle grabbing seventh in 19:16.3, as the Grizzlies had five athletes place in the top 45 overall.

Conifer also had teammates take the top two spots in the Division 2 girls race, leading to a team victory.

Audrey Vanwestrienen, a senior, clocked 18:52.9 and junior Kate Horneck ran 19:09.5 to help the Lobos place four competitors in the top 20 and five among the first 60 finishers to hold off Palmer Ridge by an 83-94 margin.

Conifer was runner-up in the Division 2 boys race with 132 points, as Lewis-Palmer had six competitors in the top 25 to triumph with 57 points.

Noah Thompson, a sophomore, led the way for the Rangers by placing fifth in 16:31.1.

Pomona senior Aden Reinoehl was victorious in 16:04.4, with Palmer Ridge senior Fox Everton placing second in 16:17.6.

Lamar senior Cole Krug won the Division 3 boys race in 16:15.2, with junior Bobby Kiesewetter of Golden View Classical Academy taking second in 16:23.4.

Banning Lewis Preparatory Academy won the Division 3 team competition with 59 points, with junior Jaxon Taylor finishing fifth in 16:34.9 to lead five Stallions placing in the top 25. Golden View Classical Academy was runner-up with 73 points.

Avery Marr of Prospect Ridge Academy, a senior, prevailed in the Division 3 girls race in 18:34.2.

Heritage Christian Academy won the Division 3 team title with 76 points, followed by Banning Lewis Preparatory Academy with 85 points and Prospect Ridge Academy at 90 points.

Mikaela Kendall, a sophomore at Heritage Christian Academy, was 10th in 19:36.4, with five Eagles finishing in the top 25.