March 2025 a Month to Remember for Eaglecrest
- Chris Carhart
- 2 hours ago
- 9 min read
March proved to be the debut month that the 2025 Eaglecrest Track & Field team had dreamed it would be as they trained all throughout the Fall and Winter. The Raptors showed that their meteoric rise over the past three seasons would continue in 2025, as they look to improve on their Top-4 team finishes at the 2024 5A State Championships. The team enters the season as defending State Champions in 4 of the 6 sprint relays, as well as the Girls Long Jump (won last year by 9th grader Zenobia Witt), and has their sights set even higher this year. The boys team is Senior-heavy and battle tested, returning most of last year’s Centennial League Champions, State qualifiers, and a handful of State Champions. Yannis Lokakao, with the help of his fellow Seniors, has shaped the boys team into a squad that is hungry and fearless, and must be accounted for by any team with their sights set on success at the 5A level. The girls team is an incredible combination of elite talent, led by Seniors Jaylynn Wilson (4x State Champion) and Kaitlyn Hendrian (#1 returning Shot Putter in 5A). The underclassmen for the ladies are a group that will be a major storyline throughout the season, as they are the envy of other programs and will make an immediate impact on the landscape of 5A Girls Track & Field.
Aurora City Championships
The season opener took place at Aurora Public Schools Stadium on Saturday, March 8th as Vista Peak hosted the Aurora City Championships. The meet is a longtime Aurora tradition, where all the teams located within the city come together early in the season to show the rest of the state that TrackTown, Colorado will once again be Aurora for that season.
The frigid weather early in the morning forced the Eaglecrest coaches to scratch the short hurdlers and many of the 100m runners, but quickly thereafter gave way to sunshine and beautiful conditions for the rest of the day. Although going light on lineups due to upcoming national-level meets, the Raptors scored points in nearly every event and set eight all-time EHS marks. 30 Personal Records (PR’s) set by the Raptor Girls and Boys.
City Championships Highlights:
Jaylynn Wilson- 2nd place, 100m Dash, Long Jump (18’2”) #2 in School History
Jenna Winn- 4th place, 1600m Run (5:38.63) #6 in School History
Rhyan Gadlin- 2nd place, 300m Hurdles (48.27) #6 in School History
Zenobia Witt- 1st place, Triple Jump (37’5.5”)
Boys 4x200- 1st Place (Burke Withycombe, Dionjae Ross, Cy White, Bode Adeleke)
Cameron Bell- 2nd Place, 300m Hurdles (41.28) #9 in School History
Noah Brown- 1st Place, 200m Dash (22.12) #5 in School History
Naizel Miller- 3rd Place, Discus (132’1”) #9 in School History
Bryson States- 1st Place, Triple Jump (43’9.75”) #5 in School History
Cooper Escarcega, Elijah Ames- Pole Vault (8’6”) #8 in School History
Girls Athlete of the Week- Jenna Hallman
Boys Athlete of the Week- Cooper Escarcega
21st Annual California Relays
35 Raptors traveled to Long Beach, CA to compete in the California Relays at Long Beach Wilson High School on March 14th and 15th. Eaglecrest was the only school from Colorado to travel in for the meet, but proved that the kids from snow and altitude could compete toe-to-toe with the athletes from the sunny West Coast. The boys placed in 12 events, with five top-3 finishes, and win in the vaunted boys 100m Dash. The girls placed in 7 different events including two Top-3 finishes.
Travel day was Friday, with the Raptors arriving at DIA at 4am for a two-leg journey to Long Beach with a quick stop in Oakland. When they arrived in Long Beach, they were met with rainy and cold conditions for the meet that would begin that afternoon. After a bit of downtime in the hotel, they headed out to Wilson HS to complete our first set of relays as well as the 300m hurdles. Coach Nelson from Wilson was kind enough to provide a tent to the team so they could stay somewhat dry throughout the evening.
That night, our girls 4x200 (Harris, Bighorn, Pickett, Gratrix) started things off by taking a 4th place finish in a stacked field. The boys then added a 6th in the event (Brown, Withycombe, States, Waldron). The girls 800m SMR then grabbed 9th (Wilson, Williams, Santos, Lloyd). The girls 1600m SMR then earned the Raptors first medals of the meet in an incredible performance. Senior stalwart Amari Pickett and Senior jumper Sophie Raimer blazed their 200m legs, followed by Zoey (ZZ) Harris’ strong 400m, who then handed to Sophomore Jenna Winn to go to work on the crucial final 800m. Winn brought the team home in what was the 2nd fastest time in EHS School History in the event. The boys 1600m SMR team of Logan Johnson, Bode Adeleke, Evan Keppy, and Ethan Jones grabbed a 4th place finish in what was also the 2nd fastest time in EHS History. The evening concluded with gritty performances in the cold by our 300m hurdle crew, who at that point had been awake for more than 20 hours. Despite this, we saw 6 PR’s in the event, with the story being the breakout performance by Junior Cameron (Cam) Bell, who took 4th place in an EHS #7 All-Time 40.63.
Day 2 of the California Relays brought the Southern California weather that the Raptors were seeking to find, and they took full advantage of it as the snow fell back home. The girls 4x100 of Harris, Bighorn, Pickett, and Gratrix kicked it off by taking 8th in the 4x100m, and the boys team of Brown, Waldron, States, and Asare took 4th with a season’s best of 42.61. The girls 1600m was next and didn’t disappoint. Mia Silva and Jenna Winn both enjoyed the oxygen at sea level to run lifetime bests, with Winn placing 4th in 5:30.52. Lokakao and Bell both PR’d in the 110m hurdles. Cam Bell captured an amazing 2nd place finish, running 15.20.
The 100m Dash was a spectacle, as the boys and girls ran simultaneously on both sides of the track. Senior Noah Brown stole the show as he beat some of California’s fastest boys to win the event. After the race, Brown said “I HAD to win!”
Winn followed up her incredible performance in the 1600m with another PR in the 800m, running 2:26.40 for a 7th place finish, capping off a meet to remember for the Sophomore standout.
All that was left on the track after that was the Raptors’ favorite event, the 4x400m Relay. Eliana Santos, Daniella Lloyd, Olivia Sarmiento, and ZZ Harris combined for 7th place finish. They boys team of Xavier Waldron, Evan Keppy, Bryson States, and Thierry Asare put together a season’s best of 3:31.18 to also take 7th place.
The biggest story of the day two in Long Beach, however, was out in the field events. The Raptors took 8 top 7 finishes in the jumps with numerous lifetime bests. The boys high jump was up first, where Kendell Moreland and Aanu Gowda jumped PR’s to finish 5th and 7th, respectively.
In the boys long jump, Kendell Moreland went 22’1.5” to take 2nd place (although the Raptor coaches believe he actually had the longest jump and should have taken 1st), Cam Bell continued to rack up points for his team, taking 3rd with a leap of 21’8.25”, and Thierry Asare 5th with 21’3”. Those jumps put Moreland and Bell 5th and 6th on the EHS All-Time list, respectively.
Moreland continued his huge day by taking 3rd in the triple jump, going 43’2.5”, which was good for 8th on the All-Time list. Bryson States was right behind him with a 42’4” jump, placing 4th. Over in the girls triple, Sophie Raimer went 32’5” for the 6th place finish. Abby Sullivan cracked the top 10 in the high jump on the other end of the field. Senior Kaitlyn Hendrian finished 3rd in a stacked field of shot putters.
After a long two days of travel and competition, the Raptors took the day Sunday to enjoy the beach, as they headed just south of Long Beach to Orange County and spent the day together on the sand and in the shops of Seal Beach.
Denver South Invitational
Although it was Spring Break, it was time to get back to competition on Thursday, March 20th at All-City Stadium for the Denver South Invitational. Although the Raptors didn’t bring a full squad or enter every event, they still posted 17 PR’s and placed 7 events.
Highlights of the Denver South Invite
PR’s- Kelly McQuaid, Amberly Campbell (1600m), Kaydence Waymire (400m), Kennadi Dreiling (300m Hurdles), Areona Murray (Shot Put, Discus), Elijah Ames (110m Hurdles), Mohammed Sylla, Jackson Lott, Zykiel Redwood (100m), Marco Lopez (1600m), Ryan Perez (400m), Javon Jones (Shot Put), Naizel Miller (Discus), Ja’lyn Brothers-Pogue (Long Jump), Mohammed Sylla (Triple Jump), Austin Lupher (High Jump)
Girls Athlete of the Week- Kelly McQuaid
Boys Athlete of the Week- Kendell Moreland
Broomfield Shootout
In one of the largest and most competitive meets of the year, the Raptors showed out on a windy day in Broomfield March 22nd. 21 Personal Records were had by the Raptors in less than ideal conditions that day.
The Raptors decided to load both the girls and boys 4x100m Relays for the first time since sweeping the event in the 2024 State Meet, and did not disappoint, as they destroyed the rest of the field on both sides. The girls team of Evangeline Ansah, Malanya Gaines, Jaylynn Wilson, and Zenobia Witt got the baton around the track in a State leading and #8 EHS All-Time 48.24 seconds. The boys team of Noah Brown, Bryson States, Burke Withycombe, and Eric Hill Jr immediately followed that up by running an EHS #2 All-Time 41.74 seconds.
Eaglecrest’s All-Time great, Senior Jaylynn Wilson, made her Triple Jump debut and as usual did not disappoint. Wilson went 35’9.75” off a shortened approach and took 4th in the stacked event. The mark was good for #3 in school history. Over in the boys jumps, PR’s were had by all three boys in the long jump. Cam Bell went 22’1”, putting him 6th in the meet and on the All-Time list. Bryson States leapt 22’ for 7th place in the meet and in school history. Isaiah Jones went 20’9.5 for a huge new PR. Cooper Escarcega moved up the All-Time list in the Pole Vault, taking #6 with a 10’ clearance.
Niwot Invitational
The lightning and hail-shortened Niwot Invitational was another meet for the Eaglecrest record books. The boys entered as the defending meet champions, and the girls as the hungry defending runners-up from last year. The Raptors brought 80 athletes to the meet that has historically shown the rest of the Colorado the strength of their team when it comes fully loaded and looking for points. Although the 300m Hurdles, 800m, 200m, 4x400, and final flights of the boys shot were not contested, the Raptors still posted a staggering 53 personal bests, 13 All-time top 10’s, and broke a school record. In addition, the Raptor ladies got their revenge on perennial 4A powerhouse Niwot, taking home that team title that eluded them last year. The boys were only 5 points behind rival Mountain Vista when the meet was called, but did not get the chance to rack up the points that they were going after in the remaining events to win the meet once again. Eaglecrest ran away with the combined (girls & boys) team title, showing the top to bottom strength of the team.
Niwot Invitational Highlights
Boys 4x100m Relay- SCHOOL RECORD (41.37). 5th fastest time in Colorado History. Burke Withycombe, Bryson States, Noah Brown, Eric Hill Jr.
Girls 4x200m Relay- EHS #3 All-Time (1:40.27). Evangeline Ansah, Tatum Gratrix, Jaylynn Wilson, Zenobia Witt.
Em O’Brien- EHS #3 All-Time, Pole Vault (9’6”
Evangeline Ansah- EHS #4 All-Time, 100m (12.12)
Jenna Winn- EHS #4 All-Time, 1600m (5:26.25)
Cameron Bell- EHS #5 All-Time, 110m Hurdles (14.63)
Eric Hill Jr- EHS #5 All-Time, 100m (10.77)
Naizel Miller- EHS #5 All-Time, Discus (138’9”)
Girls 4x800m Relay- EHS #5 All-Time (10:15.58). Addie Shaw, Abby Sullivan, Jenna Hallman, Jenna Winn
Rhyan Gadlin- EHS #5 All-Time, 100m Hurdles (15.26)
Kendell Moreland- EHS #5 All-Time, Triple Jump (44’.5”)
Rhyan Gadlin- EHS #8 All-Time, 400m (59.12)
Elijah Ames- EHS #9 All-Time, Pole Vault (9’0)
Girls Athlete of the Week- Jaylynn Wilson
Boys Athlete of the Week- Eric Hill, Jr.