It’s been exactly a decade since the Aurora area has been home to a state champion in girls cross country.
That drought — which stretches back to a Class 5A state title won by former Grandview star Brie Oakley in 2016 — may very well continue, but the end might just be here.
Cherokee Trail sophomore phenom Madison Lange has established herself as a legitimate title contender with wins in all three of her races to start the season, including the prestigious Liberty Bell Invitational Sept. 5.
“It feels nice to start well and get some confidence in the first couple of weeks, especially with some big meets coming up,” Lange said after winning the Lohman Invitational by nearly 20 seconds.
Lange certainly shouldn’t be short on confidence at this point, as she’s won the Cheyenne Mountain Stampeded Pre-State meet — run on the state course at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs — the Lohman Invitational and the Liberty Bell in succession.
She was 21st at the 5A state cross country meet a year ago while still getting accustomed to competing at the varsity level, then progressed to winning a state championship in the spring on the track in the 5A girls 1,6000 meters, one of three top-three finishes.
Back on the state course to open this season, Lange finished easily atop a field of 207 runners in the Championship Division with a time of 17 minutes, 43.10 seconds, a massive drop from the 18:37.7 she ran at the state meet. That was followed by her win in the Lohman Invitational in 17:51.90, which put her in front of another Aurora area standout and her former club teammate, Regis Jesuit sophomore McKenna Groen.
Lange hoped to finish in the top three at the Liberty Bell — which includes a good amount of racing on pavement, which allows for very fast times — and she most definitely did that.
Fourth a year ago in the Sweepstakes Division, Lange dominated with a 16:30.29 that put her 10 seconds in front of Eaton senior Delaney Reuter, a two-time 3A state champion who also won a national title at the Nike Outdoor nationals in June.
“My mindset is I want to improve throughout the whole year, not just at the beginning,” said Lange, whose Liberty Bell time was 28 seconds faster than the previous season.
Lange certainly isn’t alone this season, as coach Tristam Winship’s Cougars have a good mix of experience with an infusion of youth.
Seniors Jade McDaniel and Clara Kapfer — who have been the next across the finish line behind Lange in the first three races, including a 53rd-place for Kapfer and 64th for McDaniel at Liberty Bell — compete for a fourth straight season, while freshmen Kaylee Tate and Kinsley Wakefield have been quality additions.
Groen set the pace for the Aurora area last season at the state meet, as she surged at the end of a ninth-place finish and the All-State status that went with it.
With many of the eight runners that finished in front of her — including three-time state champion Addison Ritzenhein of Niwot — graduated, Groen sees the opportunity for a better finish as a sophomore.
Groen often measures herself off Lange and did so at the Lohman Invitational, where she came in second place.
“The game plan was to stay with Maddie as long as I could and I did that for about a mile and a half,” Groen said. “Not bad, but hopefully the next few races will be closer.”
Groen finished in seventh place at Liberty Bell with a time of 17:28.45.
Eaglecrest senior Jenna Winn also looks in strong early form as she builds off momentum generated by her performance in the track season in the spring. Winn finished as the state runner-up in the 800 meters.
“I ran a similar time to the first one, but its been a good start,” Winn said after the Lohman Invitational. “I feel like I’ve set good groundwork in my first two races and now I can go faster.”
Indeed she did, as Winn clocked a 17:58.62 at the Liberty Bell, which was a significant jump from the 19:04.10 she can last year. She also ran in a harder division, as she joined the Sweepstakes race after she ran in the Division 1 race the previous season.
Winn is building confidence for the end of the season, when she will try to qualify for state for a third time and take a shot at improving on her 40th-place finish from 2025.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
