Preps: Track, girls golf prepare for big finishes as soccer, lacrosse seasons end
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Track and field athletes had one final opportunity to qualify for the state championships this past weekend, with Basalt having competed at the Tiger Invitational in Grand Junction and Aspen at the Berthoud Last Chance meet.
Of note, BHS senior Ava Lane won the girls 800-meter run (2:19.01) and took second in the 400-meter dash (59.62), falling short of the 58.34 seconds posted by Coal Ridge senior standout Mikayla Cheney.
BHS sophomore Jared Tennenbaum had a strong showing over the weekend, finishing second in the boys 300-meter hurdles (42.17), a personal best.
BHS junior Jacey Read was strong in the sprints, finishing second in the girls 100-meter dash (12.70) and third in the 200-meter dash (26.09). Her time in the 200 was reportedly a school record, while both marks were personal bests for Read.
The Basalt girls finished sixth as a team and the BHS boys were 10th.
Courtesy photo
Highlights for Aspen in Berthoud included sophomore Julia Diaz finishing fourth in the girls 1,600-meter run (5:54.47) and senior Natalie Wesner taking fourth in the girls long jump (15-9.5). The girls 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams both finished fourth.
For the boys, AHS junior Nico Smith was third in the 200-meter dash (22.87).
Next up is the state championship meet, which runs from Thursday through Saturday at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood. A final list of qualifiers and heat sheets are expected out in the coming days. Notably, Lane and Read both rank high in numerous events and should be a podium threat, if not more, this week.
AHS girls soccer knocked out
The season came to a quick end for the Aspen girls soccer team on Saturday, falling 10-0 to No. 5 seed Colorado Academy in the second round of the Class 3A state tournament. The Mustangs will play No. 4 Prospect Ridge Academy in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The Skiers, seeded No. 12, finish the season 8-6-1 overall. AHS beat No. 21 STRIVE Prep in the first round on Thursday, 2-1 in overtime.
As the No. 19 seed, the Basalt girls (7-7-2 overall) had their season end in the first round with a 3-0 loss at No. 14 Salida. Salida then lost to No. 3 Manitou Springs, 6-0.
The No. 17 Roaring Fork girls had their season end in the second round with an 8-1 loss at No. 1 Jefferson Academy. The Rams (8-7-2 overall) did beat No. 16 St. Mary’s Academy in the first round, 5-0.
As the tournament’s No. 2 seed, Vail Mountain remains alive and will host No. 7 Kent Denver in the quarterfinals this week. No. 6 Delta is also still in the mix and will play Manitou Springs in the quarterfinals.
Run ends for Rams girls lacrosse
After knocking off No. 7 seed Aspen in the second round, No. 10 Roaring Fork’s postseason run came to an end on Saturday with an 18-4 loss at No. 2 Mead. The Rams finish 12-6 overall.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
The Skiers went 10-6 overall in their first season under coach Rylee Skachenko, earning a first-round bye before a tough 8-7 overtime loss to the Rams last week.
The Class 4A state semifinal matchups are No. 1 Castle View vs. No. 5 Green Mountain, and No. 2 Mead against No. 3 Evergreen.
Boys lacrosse season ends
In the boys 4A lacrosse tournament, No. 14 Aspen’s season ended Friday with a 14-6 loss at No. 3 Dakota Ridge. The Skiers trailed 6-2 at halftime before the Eagles pulled away.
Dakota Ridge will play No. 6 Northfield in the state quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Aspen finishes the season 10-6 overall. AHS did roll to a 12-2 first-round playoff win over Littleton last week.
No. 4 Steamboat Springs (vs. No. 5 Evergreen in the quarterfinals) and No. 10 Telluride (vs. No. 2 Erie) remain alive this postseason.
Aspen’s Zack at state tennis
Aspen senior Hannah Zack went 0-2 at the Class 3A girls state tennis tournament over the weekend in Colorado Springs. She was the lone representative to qualify out of the Roaring Fork Valley this spring.
Competing at No. 3 singles, Zack lost 6-0, 6-1 to D’Evelyn senior Maisy Schoeman in the first round, which was delayed from Thursday due to rain on the Front Range. Schoeman would march all the way to the finals at 3 singles, beating Vail Christian sophomore Jessie Allen in three sets for the state title.
Zack did make it into the playbacks, falling 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to Holy Family sophomore Raelynn Pickup to end her postseason campaign.
Baseball postseason fast approaches
The Aspen baseball season likely came to a close over the weekend, although it ended on a high note with a 23-10 win at Olathe in the finale. At 7-13 overall, the Skiers’ RPI ranking (No. 46 in 3A) should leave them well out of postseason contention.
Basalt (10-12 overall, No. 22 RPI as of Sunday night) and Roaring Fork (14-8, No. 18 RPI) both remain in a good spot to continue into regionals this week. The Longhorns (vs. Meeker) and the Rams (vs. Delta) still have a final regular-season game to play on Monday.
Girls golf feeling at home
The girls golf season is about to hit its peak, and a lot of it will be centered around Aspen. The AHS girls golf team, which arguably boasts its most formidable roster in program history this spring, remains scheduled to host its home tournament on Tuesday at Aspen Golf Club.
This is, of course, just a warm up for the Class 3A state tournament, which Aspen Golf Club is hosting May 30 and 31, regardless of local players qualifying.
The Skiers will have the chance to qualify at the regional tournament on May 22, which takes AHS to the Yampa Valley Golf Course in Craig (home of host Moffat County).
Glenwood boys swimming at state
After finishing with a third consecutive conference title last week at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs swimming sent nine boys to compete this weekend at state. The event was held Friday and Saturday at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton.
As a team, Glenwood took 16th overall with 69 points. Cheyenne Mountain topped the charts with 349 points, Silver Creek took second place with 316 and Discovery Canyon nabbed third with 308.5.
Demons coach Steve Vanderhoof said despite his team being young this year, they produced a great finish to the season.
“After two years of finishing in the top 10, this was definitely a rebuilding year,” he said. “Looking to next season, we graduate only three seniors, which includes only one state participant. Glenwood will be back in the top 10 in the next few years.”
Individual highlights include sophomore William Jones finishing top 10 in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events. Nabbing ninth- (200 free) and 13th-place (500 free) finishes as a freshman last season, Jones came back this year with an eighth-place finish in the 200 free at 1:47.39 and seventh-place finish in the 500 free at 4:52.97.
Meanwhile, Demons freshman Brian Molloy nabbed a respectable 17th-place finish in the 200 individual medley at 2:06.81.
For relays, Glenwood made returns to the consolation finals in the 200 medley, as well as the 200- and 400-free events. The 400 free team — Jones, Luke Thornton, Jackson Trzcinski and Molloy — took 13th with 3:25.96.
The 200 free team — Jones, Connor Cooley, Sam Hallenbaugh and Molloy — took 15th in 1:34.25. The 200 medley team — Thornton, Cooley, Jackson, Trzcinski and Hallenbaugh — took 18th in 1:47.41.
— the Glenwood Springs Post Independent contributed to this report
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