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Summit’s Ella Hagen earns second cross-country state title with dominating performance

Tigers improve two spots from last year

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Cody Jones
  

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Summit's Ella Hagen leads the Class 4A state cross-country meet on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

With Norris Penrose Event Center beginning to fill with excited cross-country families and fans, Summit High School senior Ella Hagen made her way up the final hill before entering the all-dirt outdoor rodeo stadium.

Sporting a double braid, sparkling gold glitter on her face and her signature — a pair of slick shades — Hagen made the right-hand turn into the stadium and was met with a cacophony of sound as she sprinted to the finish line of her final state cross-country meet.

After leading nearly the entirety of Class 4A girls 5-kilometer race on Saturday, Nov. 2, in Colorado Springs, Hagen allowed herself to soak in the moment and everything she had accomplished over the last few years, letting a small smile come to her lips as she did so.

Hagen was truly on another level this fall. After a junior year full of ups and downs where she finished second at the 2023 state cross-country meet behind Addy Ritzenhein of Niwot High School, Hagen recentered herself and trained hard throughout the summer. 

The hard training and perseverance gave way to many individual wins throughout the season including the Liberty Invitational on Sept. 14 and most recently, her third-consecutive 4A Region 1 individual title last Friday, Oct. 26.

Hagen took the confidence she had gained through her training to the start line of the 4A state meet. Wanting to reclaim her state cross-country title crown from 2022 and score as few points for the team as possible, Hagen charged from the start line and effortlessly put herself at the front of the pack.

With Silver Creek High School senior Cloe Ruth following in her footsteps, Hagen split 5 minutes, 21.1 seconds through the mile mark. After establishing a good pace over the first mile, Hagen began to lean into the pace, lengthening her lead on the trailing Ruth.

The third mile of the race belonged solely to Hagen as she ran down the main drag of the course and into the woods lining the final mile. Hagen then emerged from the forest, went through the creek crossing and into the stadium where she actualized her dreams for her senior season.

Surging over the final timing mat, Hagen crossed the finish line as a state cross-country champion for the second time in her illustrious career. 

“It was a lot of emotions and a lot of memories,” Hagen said of finishing her final state cross-country race. “I have come into this stadium seven times now for different races and this course has seen me through every stage of my cross-country career. I was just remembering that I am racing for both my teams now — current and future. Trying to put it together and just have fun.”

Hagen finished in a time of 17:30.7 and was followed by Ruth in second (18:18.2) and Timnath High School sophomore Izzy Schimmmelpfennig (18:18.4).

“It is definitely special,” Hagen said. “This is kind of where it all comes together. Where all of the work that has gone into after four years goes together. … I have had so many experiences out here. Being able to race Addy out here last year and they year before is an incredible and made me a better person.”

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Summit senior Avery Eytel gives it her all as she nears the finish line of the state cross-country meet on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

Wanting to better the team’s fifth-place finish at last year’s state meet , Hagen’s teammates fought for positioning in the final stages of the race.

Freshman phenom Sophie Dinse was the second Summit runner to cross the finish line.Charging into the top 30, Dinse took 22nd overall in a time of 19:45.8. Dinse was followed by senior Avery Eytel who had a strong final state race and took 34th overall in a time of 19:55.2.

Sophomore Lily Benbow and freshman Paige Ratliff capped Summit’s top five scoring runners Benbow placed 39th (20:03.0) and Ratliff took 44th (20:09.1). Sophomore Ashley Adkins shaved off four places from last year, taking 56th (20:29.7) and sophomore Milla Phaf jumped up 10 places to take 90th (21:07.5).

Summit advanced by two places in the team rankings from last year, placing third overall with a total of 124 points. Timnath won the team race with 98 points and Battle Mountain High School snuck in to take second (116).

“It is amazing,” Hagen said. “A lot of us have been together more than four years even and we see each other in our best moments and in our worst. They are with me on the line every time. … I couldn’t be more proud of these girls and how hard they have been working.”

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Summit’s Josh Shriver nears the finish line at the state cross-country meet in Colorado Springs on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

4A boys race  

Unlike the girls, the 4A boys race had no clear cut favorite for the individual champion. Instead, there was a group of four or five boys who could be the first to cross the finish line. 

Among the top pack was Summit senior Josh Shriver. Fresh off winning the regional boys race last week, Shriver put himself in the race early and pinned himself to the hot pace up front.

With Cheyenne Mountain High School junior Aiden Le Roux going through the mile in a blazing hot time of 4:31.1, Shriver made a wise decision to hang a little back from the front, but still split a time of 4:42.2 through the first third of the race. 

“I just wanted to not hold back,” Shriver said. “Looking back, I should have held back a little bit more. I didn’t think they would drop a 12-second course record today, so I just thought I was following a standard pace. When I saw 4:40 on the clock I kind of decided that I was committed to this.”

Shriver continued to maintain fourth place in the second mile of the race before fatigue started to settle into his legs. With runners beginning to pass him, Shriver hung tough and ignored the heaviness setting into his limbs. Shriver sprinted to the finish line, recording a time of 15:59.0 to place 10th overall for the second-straight season.

“I tried to grind it out the best I could,” Shriver said. “I was definitely hurting at that 2-mile mark. The last mile I tried to flip the switch, find something else. I managed to sneak on the podium again. I was ecstatic getting 10th last year, but I am not going home satisfied this year around.”

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Summit sophomore Lukas Remeikis runs in the Class 4A state cross-country meet on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

Le Roux ran away with the individual title, setting a new course record with a time of 15:02.1. Cheyenne Mountain High School’s Brogan Collins finished in second (15:18.1) and Coronado High School’s Oliver Horton took third (15:31.3).

Following Shriver was sophomore Jay McDonald who put together a strong performance of his own to place within the top 30. McDonald took 27th overall in a time of 16:38.4. Capping off his senior cross-country season, Will Bentley ran 16:47.2 to take 37th overall and be Summit’s third runner on the day.

Shaving off 32 spots from last year’s state meet, junior Carter Niemkiewicz perhaps had the smartest race of the day. Niemkiewicz placed 40th overall in a time of 16:48.2.

Summit’s top five scoring runners were rounded out by junior Cain Steinweg who took 56th (17:10.6), a 37-place improvement from last season.

Sophomore Lukas Remeikis took 63rd (17:14.8) to better his placing by 46 places while sophomore Owen Fallon placed 69th in his state-meet debut (17:20.4).

With so much overall improvement from last season, Summit jumped two places in the team rankings to take fifth overall with a total of 160 points. Thompson Valley High School won the team title with 64 points, Coronado High School took second (69) and Cheyenne Mountain High School finished in third (83).

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