LYONS — Whenever Niwot girls cross country graces a local course, victories generally follow. Saturday’s St. Vrain Invite at Lyons High School was no different.
This time around, a win followed a jaw-dropping broken record from — who else — sophomore phenom Addison Ritzenhein.
In the 4A/5A division of the race, Ritzenhein obliterated the old record of 17 minutes, 55 seconds as she paced herself to a 17:36.90 time. Niwot senior Olivia Alessandrini trailed just behind in second, clocking in at 18:06.80.
“I really like how it’s a gradual uphill,” Ritzenhein said. “I know that sounds like crazy, but I kind of like the uphills. I like how it finishes and it goes downhill towards the finish, so it gets your kick started.”
Apparently a glutton for punishment, Ritzenhein approaches each race recovery with all business. She hopes that she and her Cougars, who won the team competition with 23 points, will continue to peak as the season draws nearer to a close.
Back-to-back
Every time Jefferson Academy senior Sean Beasley nears the Lyons High School cross country finish line, he flexes his muscles to illuminate just how strong of a runner he truly is.
That, at least, has become the pattern whenever the Jaguar speeds to the front. On Saturday morning, he marked his second consecutive victory at the 2A/3A St. Vrain Invite in blowout fashion, clocking in at 16:25, to beat out second-place Sage Wynja, of Lyons, by 19 seconds.
His nerves almost got the better of him.
“My coaches definitely wanted me to win this again,” Beasley said. “I didn’t know what to expect, so I was kind of prepared for the worst. When it came to it, I was a little scared, but after the second mile, I got something in me and I kept going. I just went out there and had some fun.”
Beasley ended his race 26 seconds faster than his performance at St. Vrain last year. He hopes that impressive drop, and more drops to come, will help propel him to a top-five finish at the state meet come October.
Pack mules
Early into the season, Fairview boys cross country asserted itself as a strong contender for the Class 5A team crown. On Saturday, in a second-place effort behind Niwot, they illuminated just why.
Senior Holden Krizek led the Knights with a seventh-place mark in the 4A/5A competition after crossing the finish line in 16:12.30, only to be closely followed by seniors Vincent Mangat (11th, 16:17.10), Jack Brown (13th, 16:23.70) and Calvin Brain (14th, 16:25.10).
Krizek believes that strong senior class, as well as great team chemistry, will help his boys succeed when it matters most.
“From the start, we were able to pack up somewhat well and we’re just trying to keep that pack as long as possible,” Krizek said. “It’s been kind of difficult for a lot of races when the starts are just so chaotic, but this race, I think we were finally able to find that pack.”
Putting her best foot forward
A year after missing most of her junior season due to a foot injury, Prospect Ridge Academy’s Avery Marr doesn’t seem to have missed a beat. If anything, she’s just elated to be out on the course again.
She’s been nothing short of excellent in her final season with the Miners.
On Saturday morning, she sped to third place in the 2A/3A race, recording a time of 19:38.20 as she continues her drive toward what she hopes will be a podium spot at the state meet. She spent much of the summer focusing on her race strategy and recovery to prepare for one last run.
“(My strategy) was to stick to a six-minute pace like I did at Liberty Bell to see if I could hold it on a much more difficult course,” Marr said. “It went all right, to say the least, but I’m pretty happy with it. I’m still running on pretty low mileage, so the endurance isn’t quite where I want it to be at for hilly courses.”
