LAKEWOOD | Cherokee Trail is on pace in its chase for the Class 5A boys state track title.
The Cougars picked up 18.5 points Thursday in the opening day of the three-day state meet at Jefferson County Stadium and sit just half a point behind 5A leader Highlands Ranch going into Friday’s competition.
The pole vault duo of junior Harley Korte and senior Mitchell Waltz picked up 10.5 points in one event with their combined second and seventh-place finishes for Cherokee Trail, while senior Devin Arnold’s third in the long jump
Junior Brandon Singleton and senior Jaylyn Mars put themselves in position to score big points in the sprints for the Cougars. Mars qualified for the finals in the 100, 200 and 400 meter runs and Singleton made it back in the 200 and 400. Cherokee Trail also qualified its 4×200 meter relay for Friday’s 1:45 p.m. finals.
Gateway and Regis Jesuit sit tied for ninth place with 10 points apiece, both courtesy of state championships on the first day.
Senior Zack Golditch won his second straight state title in the 5A boys discus for the Olys, while junior Jordan Hatfield cleared 15 feet to win the 5A boys pole vault for the Raiders.
Junior pole vaulter Tesfai Holt accounts for all five of Smoky Hill’s points thus far with his fifth-place result.
In the 5A girls standings, Cherokee Trail has 14 points — 13 off the pace set by leader Cherry Creek — thanks to two placers in both the long jump and discus.
Junior Hannah Sparks placed fourth in a long jump competition where few of the top seeds had their best days, while sophomore Shayna Yon — the top seed coming in — ended up seventh in first state final.
Charley Hatcher and Maddie Leatherbury placed 7th and 8th, respectively, in the discus. Both had the same distance on their longest throws, but Hatcher got the nod for seventh because of a longer second throw.
Smoky Hill sits two points behind the Cougars, as seniors Zainab Sanni and Rachael Chacko earned a combined 12 points. Chacko placed a career-best 2nd in the 5A girls 3,200 meter run, while Sanni placed fifth in her first state competition as a long jumper.
Grandview senior Anna Loken placed second in the girls pole vault and junior Erin Norton crossed the finish line in 7th in the girls 3,200 meter run — a one place improvement from last season — as the Wolves piled up 11 points.
Rangeview has just one state qualifier in senior thrower Christina Fasci, who picked up four points with a sixth-place showing in the discus.
The Regis Jesuit girls haven’t scored a point yet, but plenty should be coming in the next two days.
Sprint star Ana Holland posted the top qualifying time in the girls 100 and 400 meter dashes — setting a new 5A state meet record of 53.70 seconds in the 400 — and was second in the 200 meter prelims behind Pine Creek’s Alleandra Watt. Senior Kelsey Cunningham is the top seed going into the girls triple jump at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The Raiders also qualified for Friday’s championship finals in the 4×200 meter relay.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
2013 CLASS 5A/4A STATE TRACK MEET
Thursday at Jefferson County Stadium
5A boys team scores (through six finals): 1. Highlands Ranch 19 points; 2. CHEROKEE TRAIL 18.5; 3. Fort Collins 18; 4. Poudre 16; 5. Liberty 15; 6. Cherry Creek 14; 7. GRANDVIEW 11; 8. Arapahoe 10.5; T9. GATEWAY 10; T9. REGIS JESUIT 10; T9. Palmer 10; T9. Rampart 10; T9. Columbine 10; 15. Doherty 8.5; T16. Greeley West 8; T16. Ralston Valley 8; 18. Fairview 7.5; 19. Chatfield 7; T20. ThunderRidge 6; T20. Castle View 6; T20. Pine Creek 6; T20. Pomona 6; T24. SMOKY HILL 5; T24. Loveland 5; T26. Heritage 4; T26. Fountain-Fort Carson 4; T26. Fossil Ridge 4; 30. Mountain Vista 3; 31. Rock Canyon 2
5A girls team scores (through five finals): 1. Cherry Creek 27 points; 2. Loveland 20; 3. Arapahoe 18; T4. Lakewood 17; T4. Fort Collins 17; 6. CHEROKEE TRAIL 14; 7. SMOKY HILL 12; T8. GRANDVIEW 11; T8. Legacy 11; 10. Rocky Mountain 10; T11. Monarch 8; T11. Fountain-Fort Carson 8; T11. Poudre 8; 14. Arvada West 7; T15. Fairview 6; T15. Fossil Ridge 6; T17. Pine Creek 5; T17. Littleton 5; T19. RANGEVIEW 4; T19. Dakota Ridge 4; T19. ThunderRidge 4; T22. Boulder 2; T22. Highlands Ranch 2; T24. Standley Lake 1; T24. Mountain Vista 1; T24. Greeley West 1; T24. Chatfield 1
