Colorado Regional Championships: Ritzenhein and Horton Command the Course
In Colorado's 5A Region 3 Championships, Addison Ritzenhein, the senior from Niwot High School, reminded everyone why she's one of the state's fastest runners. Despite a limited race schedule this fall, Ritzenhein looked sharp and composed, taking a commanding win in 16:54.00 over 5,000 meters.
Her performance wasn't just dominant-it was historic. Ritzenhein was the only athlete in the field to dip under 18 minutes, winning by more than 90 seconds in a race featuring over 100 competitors. With Ritzenhein leading the charge, Niwot claimed the team title with 31 points, comfortably ahead of Boulder High School (49 points).
The dominance didn't stop there. On the boys' side, Niwot delivered a near-perfect score, winning the team title with 16 points, placing runners in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th.
Meanwhile, in the Colorado 4A Region 5 Championships, Oliver Horton, a junior from Coronado High School, turned heads with a quick 14:37.84 performance to capture the boys' title. Horton was in a class of his own, finishing more than a minute ahead of the next closest competitor and standing as the only runner under 15 minutes.
Coronado backed his performance with a dominant team effort, winning the 4A Region 5 title with 19 points, ahead of Cheyenne Mountain High School, who scored 63.
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