Niwot girls storm to sixth straight 4A state track title: “Our heavy hitters really hit hard”

It s not hard to spot the Niwot girls at a Colorado state championship track meet There s the crowd of teammates down by the track cheering them on There s the easily identifiable green-and-white uniforms For the past couple of days there s also been the glitter The parade of state champions has done it with flair both in their performance and their coiffure Jiselle Sales was in charge of the glitter Addison Ritzenhein explained after cruising to wins in the and meters Our group way of life is so strong I think it s pretty unique I think it s special Niwot s Addy Ritzenhein runs through a turn in the front of the pack in the A girls -meter run during the Track and Field State Championships at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood Colorado on Saturday May Matthew Jonas Boulder Daily Camera I think we really feed off each other s vitality Niwot had a sixth consecutive girls A club title wrapped up long before Ritzenhein ran away from the rest of the field Saturday afternoon in the A junior committed to Northern Arizona Ritzenhein now has five individual titles three in the and two in the There s a certain level of expectation at Niwot The Cougars have now won nine of the past company state titles They posted a total of points this weekend more than any other girls or boys group For Ritzenhein there s an added wrinkle Her father Dathan Ritzenhein once held the American record in the meters and was a three-time U S Olympian Even when I was a freshman I was constantly referred to as Dathan Ritzenhein s daughter Addison mentioned I feel like there s a little bit of a target on my back It was different for me at first but I have worked through it It s pretty cool when you stop and think about it so I m grateful for that kind of pressure Ritzenhein wasn t the only star of the weekend for the Cougars Senior Jade West also became a five-time individual champion sweeping the shot put and discus Senior Reese Kasper became a back-to-back champ in the -meter hurdles while also adding her first hurdles crown Kasper s time in the hurdles was the seventh-best in the nation this year The Kansas State commit was also part of the and relay teams Niwot s Reese Kasper heads home to win the A -meter hurdles final at the Track and Field State Championships at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood Colorado on Saturday May Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post The Cougars didn t have anyone place in the or individual events but both relay teams set a new state-meet record There is definitely a standard Kasper announced But I think the gang is so close and so loving I think that s pretty rare especially on a track band because there are so a multitude of different events This is Maurice Henriques th year in charge of the campaign A former defensive back at Colorado he s helped build the premier track venture in the state The Niwot boys also romped to a A organization title their third championship since Junior Rocco Culpepper was the star for the Cougars over the weekend after defending his individual titles in the and We have a great group of seniors and our heavy hitters really hit hard Henriques explained You invariably have a target on your chest and you have to deliver Our kids delivered all weekend Since day one years ago it has been You can control your attitude and your effort If you can control those two things you can get good results We show up We bring our lunch pails Our kids buy in Henriques has coached dozens of stars but there was a special personal moment for him His daughter Eliana Henriques captured her first individual state title in the long jump Niwot s Eliana Henriques collects her thoughts before competing in the A Triple Jump competition at the Track and Field State Championships at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood Colorado on Saturday May Photo by Andy Cross The Denver Post I got to just be a dad for like three minutes he revealed Related Articles Keeler Meet Colorado state track champion who refused championship medal Golden View Classical s Bobby Kiesewetter overcomes breathing disorder to set state meet record Resurrection Christian s Jackson Fagerlin brother Lincoln continue family legacy at Colorado state track finals Colorado state track notes Heritage s Zona Welling lays claim to title fastest girl in Colorado Colorado state track notes Overland s Jarrius Ward dons Lilo Stitch onesie dominates A discus Eliana also finished second in the triple jump and was on the two relay championship teams with Kasper They re part of a senior class that came to Jeffco Stadium four times and left with the A girls championship trophy four times That s not just the goal at Niwot It s the expectation There was time for a group celebration on the field Saturday The quest for a seventh straight band championship begins soon We ll take a week off Maurice Henriques revealed And then we are back to work Want more sports news Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver s teams