Hagen of Summit High is first prep female to repeat since 2019-20, with Centaurus grad Schwarting improving from 15th last year; Eagle Valley boys defend crown and Cheyenne Mountain girls also win, with Surage extending streak in Beas Knees Citizen’s race and Adams State’s Smart producing fastest time

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos courtesy of Ella Hagen and American Trail Running Association

Ella Hagen of Summit High repeated as girls champion, with the Eagle Valley boys team also securing back-to-back titles Saturday at the National High School Trail Championships at the Salida Mountain Trails in Colorado.

Hagen, 17, covered the 5.4-mile layout in 37 minutes, 42 seconds to become the first female prep competitor to secure consecutive victories in Salida since Eagle Valley’s Joslin Blair in 2019-20.

Hagen, a senior, triumphed last year in 36:31.

Emily Beers of Air Academy placed second Saturday in 38:44, with Sidney McIntosh from Tahoe-Truckee High in California taking third in 39:57.

Only three female athletes eclipsed the 40-minute mark in the high school championship race Saturday after six competitors achieved the feat last year.

Cheyenne Mountain secured the girls team crown with 31 points – led by Lauren Raley securing seventh in 42:46 – with Manitou Springs placing second at 44 points and Aledo High in Texas taking third with 55 points.

Jacob Schwarting, an 18-year-old recent graduate of Centaurus High signed with Colorado School of Mines, elevated from 15th place last year to win the boys title in 32:18.

Schwarting, a member of the U.S. Under-18 Trail Team, improved from clocking 34:45 last year.

Eagle Valley 16-year-old twins Dylan Blair (32:30) and Tyler Blair (32:40) finished second and third, respectively, followed by Benjamin Sanchez of Los Alamos High in New Mexico placing fourth in 32:50.

Only two male athletes eclipsed the 33-minute barrier in the high school championship race last year.

The Blair brothers helped Eagle Valley secure another team victory, edging Centaurus on a tiebreaker after both lineups finished with 23 points. Thompson Valley took third with 42 points.

Teams have five competitors, with the top three athletes scoring. Since Centaurus only had three individuals in the race – Jordan Schatz earned eighth in 33:34 and Ben Nelson was 14th in 35:19 – it allowed Eagle Valley to achieve the repeat championship.

Cooper Filmore finished 18th in 35:45 for Eagle Valley, which had Armando Fuentes decide the tiebreaker with a 27th-place effort in 36:35.

Aubrey Surage, 21, won her third consecutive Beas Knees Citizen’s race title by clocking 36:41.

Surage, a junior at Augustana University in South Dakota and a Lewis-Palmer High graduate, triumphed for the fourth year in a row overall in Salida, including winning the 2021 high school championship race.

Tyman Smart, a 23-year-old Adams State athlete, clocked 31:51 to earn the men’s victory in the Beas Knees Citizen’s race, followed by 20-year-old Bryce Reeburgh of Virginia Tech in 32:00.