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PHOTOS: Years of dedication pay off as Summit cross-country reaches new heights at state meet

Summit freshman Kayla Broecker takes 2nd in 4A girls race

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Cody Jones

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Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
The Summit boys cross-country team poses for a photo after taking second at the 4A state cross-country race on Saturday, Nov. 1. The finish marks the first runner-up finish for the program in school history.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

It can be hard to pinpoint when a team truly becomes capable of vying for a state title.

While to outsiders it can appear that success was achieved fairly quickly, the ability to chase after a state title is often the result of months, if not years of dedication, passion and perseverance. 

Like any team striving for the pinnacle in its sport, the Summit High School cross-country team began its quest for a state championship title before many members of the team believed it was truly possible. 

Over the past few years, Summit has steadily climbed the state ranks, earning some of the best finishes in program history last fall with the boys placing fifth and the girls taking third.

Wanting to move further up in the Class 4A ranks, Summit took its training seriously beginning in June, logging miles together, nailing early-season workouts and preparing mentally to be a formidable force come the state meet in November.

The early-morning runs, weight-lifting sessions and grueling afternoon workouts gave way to Summit lining up for the 4A state championship race on Saturday, Nov. 1, poised to fight for the top spot on the podium. 

The Summit girls were the first to take off from the start line in the early afternoon hours on Saturday afternoon. With temperatures hanging in the upper 50’s, Summit quickly took advantage of the ideal conditions.

Making her debut at the state meet, freshman Kayla Broecker put herself in the front pack from the very onset of the race. Letting some of her older competitors take the charge, Broecker split 5 minutes, 49.8 seconds through the first mile of the 3.1-mile course with a pack of about 10 other girls.

Broecker was soon followed by a strong pack of teammates, including state-meet veterans junior Milla Phaf and junior Lily Benbow. Knowing the state course relatively well, Phaf and Benbow made sure not to go out too fast and put themselves in a position to move over the final two miles.

Phaf split 6:12.7 through the mile to rank 38th, while Benbow split 6:14.9 to sit in 45th. 

On the back side of the course, Broecker made her move alongside Cheyenne Mountain junior Raegan McRae. The duo surged over the final mile of the course, pushing one another to their limits and willing their legs to go faster.

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Kayla Broecker attacks the final of the 4A state girls race on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

“She tried to make a move on the hill before the second mile, but I tried to go with her and then she really got some space between us,” Broecker said. “I was too tired and I thought I was going to give up, but then I was like, ‘Oh, I better do it now.'”

Leading the charge, McRae was the first to disappear into the forest for the final 800 meters of the course. Although McRae had the upper hand, Broecker continued to give chase, gritting her teeth and working to pull McRae back to her. 

With two final hills still left to climb, Broecker knew she could give McRae chase over the race’s final 400 meters. In a battle for the ages, Broecker and McRae kicked to the finish line inside the Norris Penrose Event Center stadium.

Broecker sprinted as hard as she could, but narrowly got beat by McRae at the finish line. McRae was crowned the 4A girls state champion with a time of 18:05.9, with Broecker taking second in 18:06.4.

Broecker was all smiles once she crossed the finish line. After entering the season with no real expectations for the state meet, taking second was beyond her wildest dreams and a sign of what is to come over the next few years.

“She was flying, but then I remembered that I train hills, so I knew I could close the space a little bit there,” Broecker said. “It shows that my work is not done here and I am going to keep pushing it, working hard in training and listening to my coaches.”

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Lily Benbow tries to chase an athlete down during the 4A girls state race on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

Phaf was the next Summit runner to cross the finish line. After taking 90th at last year’s state meet, Phaf managed to place within the top 25, finishing in 24th with a time of 19:50.1. Putting together a strong race in the second half of the race, freshman Leah Noble swiftly followed Phaf in 25th with a time of 19:50.6.

Noble was in 79th at the mile, 41st at the 2-mile mark and then jumped up another 16 places before the finish line.

Benbow was Summit’s fourth runner across the line. Showing how much work she has put in throughout the season, Benbow improved nine places from last year, finishing in 30th with a time of 19:55.0.

Junior Ashley Adkins was Summit’s final scoring runner, taking 56th with a time of 20:31.9. Freshman Lucia Templeton took 83rd in a time of 21:02.0 and sophomore Sophie Dinse finished in 91st in a time of 21:16.1 while battling the flu.

Summit scored a total of 124 points to match its third-place finish from last year. Timnath High School won the 4A girls race with 107 points and Battle Mountain finished in second with 122 points.

“It is really nice to have such a talented team,” Broecker said. “I know if someone has a bad day there is someone behind them that can push up and take each other’s spots.”

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The stellar racing continued in the 4A boys state championship race. Similar to the girls’ race, the Summit boys were wise over the first mile of the race, getting out quickly, but remaining in control.

Wanting to improve upon his 27th-place finish from last year, junior Jay McDonald led his team through the mile mark of the race in third place with a time of 4:50.3. McDonald was soon followed by junior teammate Lukas Remeikis in ninth (4:57.9).

Over the second mile, McDonald attempted to close the gap between him and Eagle Valley senior Dylan Blair in second, but could not manage to make up the gap. With a mile to go, McDonald sat in fourth overall with Coronado High School junior Oliver Horton continuing to lead the race.

Meanwhile, with McDonald still within sight, Remeikis made a late surge. Knowing he needed to help his teammate fight for places, Remeikis pulled alongside McDonald, and the two worked together through the final stretch of the race.

Kicking side-by-side to the finish line, McDonald took sixth in a time of 15:47.3 and Remeikis finished in seventh with a time of 15:47.9. Horton won the race in an all-classification, state-record time of 14:48.4, with Blair taking second in 15:23.9.

The massive performance from Remeikis marked a 56-spot improvement from last year, displaying his development and dedication over the last year.

“I mean Jay and I have been running with each other since sixth grade — from our first summer running together,” Remeikis said. “We have really been working together with the whole boys team. It really makes us work harder.”

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Lukas Remeikis competes in the 4A boys state race on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

The Tigers put an additional three runners within the top 25. Summit junior Johnny Ryan finished right off the podium in 13th place with a time of 16:06.9 with senior Carter Niemkiewicz finishing his final state race in 22nd with a time of 16:26.2.

Junior Owen Fallon was Summit’s fifth runner on the day, taking 24th with a time of 16:30.2. The finish marked a 45-place improvement from last year.

Senior Cain Steinweg improved 24 places to take 32nd (16:45.9) and junior John McDonald finished in 47th (17:10.3).

Although the Summit boys had aspirations of claiming a state title this fall, Summit still made school history by taking second in the 4A team race with a total of 71 points. The finish marks the first runner-up finish for the program in school history.

“The team has grown so much,” Remeikis said. “We only lost two seniors last year and a lot of teams lose a lot more. We came into the summer wanting to work hard and approach these championship races a lot differently than other races. We still have NXR, so we are going to train really hard over the next two weeks and really leave everything at NXR.”

Coronado won the race with 53 points and Thompson Valley High School finished in third with 85 points.

The Summit High School cross-country team will now turn its focus to the Nike Southwest Regional (NXR) race in Mesa, Arizona on Nov. 22. The four teams and the top five individuals in the championship race will automatically qualify for Nike Cross nationals in Portland, Oregon in December.

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