Stutzman equals No. 2 competitor in meet history by clocking 16:44 in girls sweepstakes, Groendyk elevates to No. 3 male performer by running 14:48 on Heritage 5-kilometer layout to take boys sweepstakes; Price leads Cherry Creek girls to team title and Strand sparks Cherokee Trail boys championship run

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

LITTLETON – Emma Stutzman of Pomona High and Fort Collins’ Christian Groendyk took advantage of ideal conditions Saturday to produce two of the top all-time performances at the Liberty Bell Invitational, leading the deepest sweepstakes races in meet history at Heritage High.

Stutzman, a senior, clocked 16 minutes, 44 seconds on the 5-kilometer layout, leading four female athletes to sub-17 performances in the girls sweepstakes, benefiting from race-time temperatures in the low 50s after light rain fell the morning of the event.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

Prior to Saturday, only Sydney Thorvaldson of Rawlins High in Wyoming, along with Colorado prep standouts Brie Oakley of Grandview and Lauren Gregory of Fort Collins had eclipsed the 17-minute barrier at Liberty Bell.

Stutzman matched Oakley’s 2016 effort to equal the No. 2 all-time competitor. Thorvaldson boasts the top performance in meet history at 16:40.60 in 2019, in addition to running 16:19 on the same course in 2020 at the Heritage Distance Classic.

Ella Hagen, a sophomore at Summit High, elevated to No. 4 in meet history by clocking 16:45.1, senior Addison Price of Cherry Creek ascended to No. 6 all-time with her 16:53.3 effort, edging senior Brooke Wilson of Valor Christian and her No. 7 performance at 16:53.6.

Groendyk, a senior, ran 14:48.0 to also lead four competitors to sub-15 marks in the boys sweepstakes, the most in a single race in meet history.

Only Valor Christian graduate Cole Sprout, who clocked 14:38.40 in 2019, and former Cherry Creek star Parker Wolfe – runner-up the same year in 14:47.30 – have run faster in meet history than Groendyk.

Wolfe produced the top mark on the 5-kilometer layout by running 14:30.10 at the Heritage Distance Classic in 2020.

Hunter Strand, a senior from Cherokee Trail, improved to No. 4 in meet history at 14:50.3, followed by Valor Christian junior Dane Eike elevating to No. 5 all-time at 14:54.1 and Erie senior Evan Kraus equaling the No. 7 performer by clocking 14:58.0.

Sophomore Benjamin Anderson of Mountain Vista just missed becoming the 10th competitor to eclipse the 15-minute mark at Heritage High, finishing fifth in the sweepstakes in 15:00.3.

Strand led five Cherokee Trail athletes placing in the top 35 to secure the boys sweepstakes team title by an 88-110 margin over Eike and Valor Christian. Groendyk led Fort Collins to a third-place finish with 182 points.

Price helped Cherry Creek produce five scorers in the top 50, including freshman Emily Cohen taking 10th in 17:26.4, to capture the sweepstakes team crown by a 98-147 margin over Wilson and Valor Christian, which also had sophomore Keeghan Edwards secure ninth in 17:24.6.

Arapahoe, which had Emily Lamontagne (17:15.4) and Ava Mitchell (17:18.6) place sixth and seventh, took third overall with 155 points, despite competing without senior Ava Escorcia.

Daniel Hruska, a junior at Cherry Creek, won the Division 1 boys individual title in 15:05.5 and helped the Bruins finish second overall behind Broomfield by a 124-194 margin.

Amy O’Connell, a senior at Mullen, prevailed in the Division 1 girls race in 18:16.7 and helped the Mustangs secure sixth overall with 182 points.

Cheyenne Mountain triumphed with 115 points, with George Washington placing second with 149 points.

Colby Jenks, a senior at Jackson Hole in Wyoming, emerged victorious in the Division 2 boys race in 16:10.6, with Discovery Canyon edging the Broncs by a 97-101 margin. Sam Hoghaug took third in 16:44.0 for Discovery Canyon.

Sophia Connerton-Nevin, a senior at Glenwood Springs, earned the victory in the Division 2 girls competition in 19:14.8.

Cheyenne East held off Discovery Canyon by a 118-124 margin to capture the Division 2 girls team title.

Logan Goodman of Prospect Ridge Academy won in 15:45.2 and fellow senior Avin Singh finished fourth in 16:30.8 to lead the Miners to a 53-102 triumph over Golden View Classical Academy.

Molly Zann, a sophomore, clocked 18:44.8 to lead four Kent Denver female athletes placing in the top seven in the Division 3 girls competition to produce a 71-83 victory over Heritage Christian Academy.