The Eaglecrest Girls and Boys combined for 339 points at All-City Stadium on 4/12/24, taking home both team titles from the Thomas Jefferson Twilight Invitational. 11 new marks were set on the EHS Top-10 board, and 29 PR's were obtained by the Raptors.
The Fellas-
RELAY DOMINANCE. The guys swept the relays, winning the 4x800, 4x200, 4x100, and 4x400. Ethan Jones, Jonas Cummings, Gabe Gutierrez, and Thierry Asare opened the meet by cruising to a 4x800 victory in 8:26.65. The objective of lowering our time in the 4x200 proved fruitful, as Eric Hill, Cam Chapa, Jeff Poku, and Peace Warah posted a Colorado #2 time of 1:28.13. In the 4x100, the Raptors ran a so-called "B" team. Burke Withycombe, Savon Johnson, Cory Jackson, and Dionjae Ross got the stick around in 43.16 seconds, which would have been good for a top-10 in the State had the "A" team not already claimed the #1 spot. Speaking of "B" teams, the 4x400 squad of Thierry Asare, Jonas Cummings, Evan Keppy, and Pierce Martinez clocked a 3:27.50, which is the 4th fastest time run this year in Colorado (again, the #1 spot belongs to their teammates). This relay depth is going to provide the Raptors many options when the State meet rolls around next month.
On the distance side, the boys took home a ton of points. All three boys in the 1600m were well below 5 minutes. Cole Camp took 2nd in 4:44.74, Kaleb Packer 5th in 4:50.06 (PR), and Evan Keppy went 4:55.13 (PR). Aedan Sullivan had a major PR in the 800m, running a 2:10.18. Camp followed up the 1600m with a 5th place finish in the 3200m.
A surprise 3.0 m/s wind kicked up just as the final heat of the 200m was contested, nullifying the State rankings on two big PR's in the race from Peace Warah (21.95) and EJ Hill (22.35). The times were still good for 2nd and 6th in the meet.
Ames, A. Dymond, Johnson, Barchino-Cubas, O'Brien, Carlsen, & Rosen showing off their ribbons
Yannis Lokakao dropped well over a second off his best time in the 300m Hurdles, taking 3rd place in 42.98. Peter Ames took 2nd and Elijah Quinones 5th in the event. Jacob Dymond took nearly a second off his best time in the 110m Hurdles, taking 6th in 16.63. Savon Johnson took 2nd and Ames 3rd.
Johnson had a monumental day in the Triple Jump, winning it with a PR of 43-9.25. With this jump, he earned a spot in the event next week at the Oregon Relays alongside teammate Bezalel Tizazu. Jayden Diggins once again upped his PR in the High Jump, clearing a Colorado #3 height of 6-4. Diggins will be roaming the skies above Eugene, Oregon next week as well.
In winning their 4th meet in a row, the boys outpaced 4A powerhouse Lutheran by over 40 points.
The Boys Athlete of the Meet was Yannis Lokakao, who has repeatedly shown his teammates what it is to be a Raptor through his selfless dedication to his team and the craft of hurdling.
Senior Ellie Shaw enjoying her winnings at All-City Stadium
The Ladies-
Overall, the ladies had 16 top-three finishes at the meet, winning 7 events (one more than the boys' 6).
Freshman Zenobia Witt swept the horizontal jumps while making her Raptor triple jumping debut. She used her performances in the jumps to set the #2 All-Time School marks in both Long (18-0.5) and Triple (36-8). Senior Addie Schmitt won the Discus in with a PR toss of 100-3, which helped her crack the top-18 5A rankings in the event. McKenna George won the Shot Put in what has become a weekly occurence.
Versatile Junior Em O'Brien followed up her 5th place performance in the 100m Hurdles with a PR clearance of 9-0 in the Pole Vault, taking 2nd. Sophomore Eliana Santos overcame fatigue and nerves to clear a new lifetime best of 4-8 in the High Jump.
Five new PRs were obtained by the Distance ladies. Milar Little, Jenna Winn, and Ellie Shaw all ran lifetime bests in the 1600m. Shaw won the event, which she ran to prepare for her Steeplechase debut next week at Hayward Field. Winn took 2nd. Kaylee Burns (2:42.76) and Leann Ochs (2:44.51) both PR'd in the 800m Run.
Fresh off of being awarded the 2024 Coach Fulton scholar, named after her first hurdling coach, and in an eagerly awaited seasonal breakout performance, Senior Rachel Carlsen ran a .27 second PR in the 300 Hurdles, winning the event in 45.50. This places her in the top 4 in Colorado, and provides much momentum for her as she heads to Hayward Field next week to take on some the nation's best.
Senior Rachel Carlsen (3rd from left), receives the Coach Fulton Memorial Scholarship on 4/10/24
The sprinters put on a show as usual. Running a 4x200 that was at the time the fastest in the State (now 2nd) were Anaya Ewing, Zenobia Witt, Malanya Gaines, and Jaylynn Wilson (1:42.50). Ewing took 3rd in the 100m in 12.91. ShylaRay Cam PR'd in both the 100m (13.77) and 200m (28.41), and Amari Pickett also PR'd in the 100m (13.37). Cam and Pickett joined Aggers and Sarmiento to bring home 2nd in the Sprint Medley as well.
The Hurdle crew of Khadka, Quinones, and Carlsen
What do you get when you combine a sprinter, and high jumper, and two distance runners? An incredibly fast 4x400m relay to close out the day and seal the meet victory for Eaglecrest. DeAjah Aggers, Eliana Santos, Abby Sullivan, and Jenna Winn earned 8 points for their team by taking 2nd place in the event and bringing the margin of victory for the Raptors over the second place team to 94 points.
The Girls Athlete of the Meet was ShylaRay Cam.