Before this weekend’s Colorado Classic, the fastest mile ever run on Colorado soil was clocked at 4:00.08. Knowing that several runners attending the meet had the potential of cracking the four-minute mark, CU Director of Track and Field, Sean Carlson, decided to put on a show filled with pyrotechnics.
All the commotion paid off, as the crowd was engaged and three different runners ran a sub-four-minute mile, breaking the previous record of the fastest mile ever run in Colorado. One of the three racers was Colorado’s own Isaiah Givens, who posted a time of 3:59.97. However, the new Colorado record belongs to CSU-Pueblo’s Reece Sharman-Newell, who ran a 3:59.37.
The record being broken in a CU facility is important, as Carlson has strived to show that Boulder can be a premier destination for track meets. The electric atmosphere in the Indoor Practice Facility and the fact that CU is hosting three indoor meets in a single season for the first time are proof that the first-year director is taking his goal seriously.
Running Events
Outside of history being made, the Colorado Classic was loaded with action and strong performances from different Buffs. The day started strong with Nick Bianco and John Swabik both qualifying for the men’s 60-meter hurdles final. Bianco finished 4th and Swabik 5th. In the women’s 60-meter hurdles, Jada Green dominated the field as she flew down the track and cleared every hurdle as she finished first overall with a time of 8.66.
In the 60-meter dash, the top men’s finisher for the Buffs was Johnny Hemsy, who earned the 5th spot in the meet with a time of 6.94. Freshman Cydnee Taylor impressed by taking second in the meet with a time of 7.58 in the women’s race.
Lukas Haug ran a personal best in the men’s mile with a time of 4:04.88 and Emma Hadley took second in the women’s mile with a time of 5:01.04. The 600-meter races took place right after the mile event, and Abby Miller showed out with a time of 1:34.07, good for a second-place finish.
Freshman Aubrey Leneweaver was on a mission in the 400-meter as she claimed first place with a time of 56.75. On the men's side, Nick Gehring’s 49.20 was strong enough for 6th, while Bianco followed behind in the eighth spot with a 49.53.
Will Houser’s first race of the season proved to be a strong one as he ran his way into seventh place in the 800-meter race with a time of 1:55.09. On the other side, the women’s team had a lot of success as Hele Carlson seized the second-best time in the meet with a 2:10.88 in her collegiate debut. Carlson was only three-tenths of a second away from the first-place spot, which was held by Air Force’s Liliane Aittama. Riley Burkey set a personal best with a time of 2:14.80, which was also good for the 6th best time.
Shortly after the 800-meter race, two CU runners dominated the 200-meter race. Myla Wilkes and Emma Pollack placed first and second in the most packed sprint of the meet, posting times of 24.35 and 24.54, respectively.
CU topped off the meet with two top-five finishes in the women’s 3000-meter race. Louise Lounes’ indoor debut was a second-place finish with a time of 9:58.75, and Caroline Mehlhorne was two spots behind in fourth place with a time of 9:59.65 in her collegiate debut.
Field Events
One Buff placed first in the field events, Allie Routledge. She not only placed first but also jumped a season-high 1.76 meters in the women’s high jump. Ava Goetz and Riley Ward tied for second, jumping 1.66 meters. This marked a personal best for Ward.
Nick Bianco would not be denied a spot on the men’s high jump podium, as his 5.00-meter jump was good enough for third place.
Aiden Christiansen placed second in the long jump for the second meet in a row. Distance-wise, his 7.03-meter jump is his second-best this season.
In the men’s shot put, Drake Miller launched a personal best throw at 12.47 meters, good enough for a fourth-place finish.
While outside temperatures were well below freezing, CU’s athletes were seemingly warm enough to continue improving upon their strong winter season. The team will travel to Colorado Springs on Jan. 25 to compete at the UCCS Invite.
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