For first time since 2013, one state sweeps individual and team sweepstakes titles, with Colorado achieving feat behind Fort Collins’ Groendyk and Valor Christian’s Wilson; Niwot girls place eight in top 20 to capture third crown in four years, with Eike and Costelow leading Eagles to boys championship

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

MESA, Ariz. – For all the memorable nights experienced by cross country teams from Colorado and for all the historic performances delivered by elite athletes from its member high schools at the Desert Twilight Festival, it was never as good for the Centennial State as it was Friday at the 16th edition of the event.

Despite the meet being held for the first time at Coyote Run Golf Course at Leisure World, competitors from Air Academy, Cherokee Trail, Fort Collins, Niwot and Valor Christian performed on the 5-kilometer layout like they had run the course several times before, resulting in a spectacular sweep of both boys and girls individual and team sweepstakes titles by one state for the first time since Arizona achieved the feat in 2013.

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Niwot captured its second straight girls team crown and third in the past four years, placing eight athletes in the top 20 overall to secure a 42-92 victory over Air Academy, with Valor Christian taking third at 127 points.

Valor Christian still had plenty to celebrate, with the boys team relying on junior Dane Eike and senior Drew Costelow both placing in the top five, leading five scorers in the top 55 to capture its first team sweepstakes win in meet history by an 87-94 margin over Cherokee Trail, with Niwot taking third at 99 points.

Cherokee Trail had achieved an 88-110 victory Sept. 10 against Valor Christian at the Liberty Bell Invitational at Heritage High in Littleton, Colo.

Brooke Wilson, a Wake Forest-bound senior, earned the first girls individual sweepstakes victory in Valor Christian program history, clocking 16 minutes, 57.8 seconds.

Wilson joined Air Academy graduate and two-time sweepstakes winner Katie Rainsberger (2014-15) as the only Colorado female competitors to triumph in the marquee race.

Christian Groendyk, a senior at Fort Collins, became the second straight Colorado male athlete to secure the sweepstakes crown and third from the state in the past five years, running 15:05.4 to lift the Lambkins to a fourth-place finish with 193 points.

Groendyk followed Zane Bergen of Niwot winning last year at The Links Golf Course in San Tan Valley, along with Cole Sprout of Valor Christian in 2018 at Grande World Sports Complex in Casa Grande as individual sweepstakes champions from the state. Bergen and Sprout are now teammates at Stanford.

Seven of the top 10 individual finishers in both sweepstakes races represented Colorado.

Wilson led seven straight competitors from the state crossing the finish line, including sophomore teammate Keeghan Edwards overcoming discomfort in her right foot and ankle to take third in 17:32.6.

Bethany Michalak, a junior at Air Academy, was runner-up for the second year in a row, clocking 17:06.4, with sophomore teammate Tessa Walter finishing fifth in 17:37.4.

Air Academy competed Sept. 10 without Michalak and Walter at Liberty Bell and secured sixth with 274 points, as Valor Christian ran at full strength and placed second behind Cherry Creek with 147 points.

Madison Shults, a Stanford-bound senior, led Niwot by placing fourth in 17:36.7 and junior teammate Mia Prok secured sixth in 17:39.9.

Ella Johns, a senior at Fort Collins, grabbed seventh in 17:41.3.

Lauren Ping, the sweepstakes winner last year for Desert Vista High from Arizona, earned eighth for Valley Christian High in 17:47.9, with Leah Futey of Cleveland High in New Mexico taking ninth in 17:55.7 and Mia Hall of Flagstaff High in Arizona placing 10th in 17:58.0.

Niwot provided plenty of support behind Shults and Mia Prok, with sophomore Bella Nelson (18:00.5) finishing 11th, freshmen Anna Prok (18:04.4) and Addison Ritzenhein (18:10.5) placing 14th and 15th, junior Olivia Alessandrini (18:10.6) capturing 16th, followed by senior Lex Bullen (18:21.1) grabbing 18th and junior Cayden Justice (18:25.3) taking 19th.

Niwot joined Arizona programs Desert Vista and Xavier College Prep in winning at least three girls sweepstakes team titles in meet history.

Groendyk pulled away late from fellow seniors Brandon Martz of Catalina Foothills in Arizona, who clocked 15:10.1, and David Mora of Lubbock Monterey in Texas (15:15.4).

Eike was fourth in 15:21.2 and Costelow finished fifth in 15:23.3 for Valor Christian, leading a stretch of six straight Colorado competitors.

Erie senior Evan Kraus clocked 15:30.0 to secure sixth, freshman Rocco Culpepper was seventh in 15:30.1 for Niwot, Chaparral junior Tanner Brown earned eighth in 15:32.2 and senior Jake Drever of Eagle Valley took ninth in 15:32.8.

Ethan Fritzinger, a senior at Canyon del Oro in Arizona, rounded out the top 10 in 15:33.0.

Kaeden Dendorfer was 14th in 15:43.4 for Valor Christian, which received additional support from fellow sophomores Judah Crooks in 49th in 16:14.4 and Porter Warren placing 55th in 16:22.1.

Matthew Hamilton secured back-to-back individual victories in the boys championship race in 15:59.6 for Red Mountain of Arizona, which also captured the team title for the second year in a row by a 146-165 margin over Page.

Sheppard Collier of Lewis-Palmer in Colorado clocked 16:09.5 to place second and Glenn Thomas of Northwest Christian in Arizona took third in 16:12.7.

Elijah Davis triumphed last year for Red Mountain at The Links Golf Course, with Hamilton elevating from 12th place to capture the individual crown.

Landen LeBlond of Millennium High in Arizona prevailed in the girls championship race in 18:16.6, with Evelynne Carr of American Leadership Academy of Queen Creek, also from Arizona, placing second in 18:25.0.

Janelle Avilez took third in 18:33.7 to lead Etiwanda High of California to the girls team title, edging Rio Rancho of New Mexico by a 135-139 margin.

Avilez helped Etiwanda assure a victory for California following the absence of Ventura sophomore Sadie Engelhardt, who did not attend.

IMG Academy of Florida, the 2020 sweepstakes champion, was unable to pursue a girls championship victory as a result of travel issues caused by Hurricane Ian.