Although the weather cannot decide if it is truly spring or still winter, the track and field season is undeniably heating up. 

As every meet begins to hold increasing significance in the buildup to the state track and field meet in May, athletes must bring their best in hopes of nabbing a state-qualifying mark. The Summit High School track and field team showcased the persistent work it has put in over the last few weeks during the Niwot Invitational in Boulder County on Saturday, March 29.

Recently becoming one of the most premier meets in the state of Colorado, the Tigers were able to put athletes within the top 40 of several events. The Summit girls perhaps shined the brightest in the girls 100-meter hurdles, where five athletes were able to place within the top 30. 

Junior Faith Fox led the results for the Tigers, placing fifth overall in a deep, talented 100-meter hurdle field. Fox ran a time of 16.17 seconds while Niwot High School senior Reese Kasper took first in a time of 14.63 seconds. Fox was soon followed by four Summit teammates — all of whom are underclassmen. Freshman Ruby Snyder took 15th (17.53), freshman Avery Russer took 18th (17.85), sophomore Deirdre Dalzell took 25th (18.76) and sophomore Norah Kuffner took 28th (19.00).

Fox doubled back in the 100-meter dash where she once again led the performances for Summit. With a time of 12.97 seconds, Fox took 13th out of 155 athletes. Valor Christian junior Ellie Londo won the event in a time of 11.98 seconds. 

Summit senior Ella Hagen was the next Summit athlete to notch a finish within the top 10. Hagen once again proved that she is one of the best distance runners in the class of 2025, coming a few seconds from dipping under the 5-minute barrier in the girls 1600-meter run.

Hagen ran 5:03.68 to place seventh overall, with Mountain Vista High School senior Keeghan Edward’s finishing in first with a time of 4:51.67. Hagen also competed in the 400-meter dash where she worked on her leg speed. Although not one of her main events, Hagen still managed to finish in the top 20, running 1:02.87 for 19th overall. 

The Summit girls were also able to nab a new school record in the 4×100-meter relay. Junior Teagan Barth and senior Saige Heflin manned the first two legs before Snyder and Russer brought the relay home. The team ran 51.15 seconds to place fifth and break the previous school record by 0.09 seconds.

In the other girls distance events, sophomore Lily Benbow finished 30th (12:16.51) in the 3200-meter run while freshman Sophie Dinse took 37th (12:46.02). Both times marked new personal bests for Benbow and Dinse.

After taking 25th in the 100-meter hurdles, Dalzell excelled in the long jump and triple jump. Dalzell took 22nd in the long jump (14 feet, 1 inch) and 29th in the triple jump (28 feet, 5 inches).

“There were a number of highlights from the meet, but I think first and foremost, the girls 4×100 breaking the school record,” head coach Jay Peltier said. “That was really exciting. Faith running a fantastic 100. We had a number distance athletes do really well. The throwers have been PRing mostly every meet.”

Unfortunately, the meet was canceled after the running of the 400-meter dash due to weather. Through 14 scored events, the Summit girls took 16th out of 29 scoring teams with a total of 12 points. 

“I think we have done a really good with the culture and the expectations in our program,” Peltier said. “… If you come in to the weight room on a Monday or Wednesday there will be 50 track and field athletes in there. To me, that is a huge part of our program and a huge reason why we are becoming a really tough team in the state of Colorado.”

The Summit boys also managed to put several athletes within the top 40 of the results in Niwot. 

Senior Josh Shriver was the leading force for the team in the distance events, competing in both the 1600 and 3200-meter runs.

In perhaps the most stacked 3200-meter field in the state so far this season, Shriver put himself in the main pack and attempted to place highly in the event. With Mountain Vista High School senior Benjamin Anderson working alongside sophomore teammate Benjamin Adams to ratchet down the pace, Shriver hung tough. Shriver kicked his way across the finish line, taking 22nd overall in a time of 9:56.97. Winning the race in 9:01.28, Anderson is now ranked within the top 10 in the nation in the 3200-meter run. In total, 24 boys went under the 10-minute barrier in the race. 

A few hours after running the 3200-meter run, Shriver returned to the track for the boys 1600-meter run. Shriver paced himself well over the first three laps of the four-lap race, setting himself for a great last lap. Shriver crossed the finish line in 4:30.83 to take 15th overall. 

Senior Quinn Breigenzer seemed to find his stride in the 400-meter dash, finishing in 26th overall in a new personal best time of 53.21 seconds. Junior Carter Niemkiewicz finished closely behind Breigenzer in 35th with a new personal best time of 54.44 seconds. 

The Summit boys track and field team notched its highest finish of the meet in the 110-meter hurdles. Senior Simeon Ryan surged over the lane of hurdles to take 12th overall in 16.91 seconds. In the field events, Summit senior Joey Smith took 17th overall in the boys triple jump with a mark of 37 feet, 10 inches. 

The Summit boys did not score any points through 13 events at the meet and hence did not make the final team rankings. 

The Tigers will travel to Broomfield for the Holy Family Steve Blair Invitational on Saturday, April 5.