The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
18 Titans headed to state championships
Just as coach Dustin Simoens said, it was going to take all hands on deck to bring home a league title.
Several Titans were called on to compete in a variety of events throughout the league championships, scoring key points for the team and pacing the Titans to the boys Southern Peaks league title while the girls team finished second.
“Overall we competed pretty well,” says head coach Dustin Simoens.
And while strength in numbers provides an advantage, the Titans are also fast as they racked up league titles in five events, placed second in 10 other events and scored points in a total of 31 events.
The girls came close to racking up their fourth league title in a row, falling just five points shy of the top spot.
“It was a heartbreaker—it was a close meet for sure,” says Simoens.
Monika Olesen and Rosie Ewert led the Titan sprinters, taking third and fourth, respectively, in the 100 meters, with Olesen stepping up to take second place in the 200 meters.
“Those girls have been really consistent all year,” says Simoens.
Shannon Costello placed second in the 800 meters and the girls relay teams all placed top-three across the board, with the 4×100 meter relay team taking the league title.
“The relays competed really well, which is the name of the game at league,” says Simoens.
Elizabeth Kilpatrick kept pace in the distance events, taking fifth in the 1,600 meters, and then ran to a fourth-place finish in the 3,200 meters.
The boys side of things opened with Kaleb Schultz and Shawnee Landry finishing second and third in the 100 meters. Dakota Wiggins stepped on top of the podium with a first-place finish in the 200 meters and Kyle Boyle followed suit, winning the league title in the 400 meters.
Aiden Truettner and Forrest Smith continued their success in both the mile and two-mile events. Truettner ran to a third-place finish in the 1,600 meters and then punched his ticket to states with his second-place effort in the 3,200 meters. Smith finished the day in fifth in the 1,600 meters and third in the 3,200 meters.
Meanwhile, the boys relay teams lit it up in Alamosa. The 4×100 and 4×800 relays won the league title, with the 4×800 earning a spot at states on their final chance.
“It was the second time they ran the 4×800 all year and they were able to qualify for state and are pretty close to the school record,” says Simoens.
The 4×200 meter relay team rallied to a second-place finish after Landry pulled his hamstring during the second leg of the race, dropping the team to the back of the pack.
“It was a 75-meter painful limp and we fell back to last place,” says Simoens. “It was cool to see the other guys battle back to take second.”
Prior to the league championships Simoens expected to have perhaps 13 Titans make the cut for state meet. But with one last final effort from several Titans at the league championships, Simoens will now be taking 18 Titans to the big show at Jeffco Stadium, Thursday through Saturday, May 22-24.
“I’m looking forward to state. It’s an awesome cap to the season,” says Simoens. “The kids are really excited and the energy is through the roof. Hopefully they’re peaking right on time.”
