Three championship races won, five school records, eleven podium finishes, and a Boys 6th place finish in the competition for the 5A team title, added up to a stellar weekend for the Angels at the Colorado State Track and Field Championships.
Prior to this season, senior Nigel James had never raced in any hurdle event. None-the-less, James had asserted himself as one of the top hurdlers in Colorado early in the season. A mid-season foot injury interrupted his season, and he went nearly a month without racing. No matter. On Saturday James posted huge personal bests of 14.36 in the 110mH and 37.61 in the 300mH on his way to a pair of Colorado 5A State Championship Titles – the latter of which is a Denver East school record (the 110mH mark is held by Olympian David Oliver).
The start of Rosie Mucharsky’s track season was delayed by a month as she recovered from mononucleosis infection. She had steadily shown improved fitness over the four weeks leading to the State Meet, including personal bests in the 800m and 1600m. However very few, if anyone, would have predicted that the sophomore would surge past 3200m champion (and eventual 1600m champion and record setter) Emma Stutzman with 300m left to run in the 800m to win convincingly in a school record 2:09.57. Mucharsky capped off her meet with a school record 4:57.49 for 7th place in the 1600m.
Senior Corbin Hobert also peaked in multiple events at the State Meet, running personal bests of 1:53.49 for 2nd place in the 800m and 4:17.69 for 9th in the 1600m. Hobert and James joined up with juniors Jameson Leigh (9th in the 400m at State, 49.49 in the prelim) and Sean Donelson for 4th place in the Boys 4x400m relay and a school record 3:18.59. Hobert also teamed up with sophomore Jonas Scudamore (17th in the 3200m) and seniors Quinn Higgins and Ian Logan for a 7th place finish and school record in the 4x800m in 8:02.68.
Senior Josh Kao flew to 4th place finish in the 100m in 10.84. Kao teamed up with the trio of James, Donelson, and Leigh in the 4x100m relay, who were #15 coming out of the prelim.
Denver East junior Camille Cummings, who holds the school record in the pole vault, cleared 11-04 to place 9th in the Girls Pole Vault on Saturday to become the fifth Angel to make the podium as an individual at the 2023 State Meet.
All in all it was a memorable way to conclude the high school season for the Angels as they exceeded expectations at the State Championship!
Go Angels!!