Valor Christian’s Brooke Wilson sets 5A girls cross country record in state title-clinching run by psaundersdp copreps
COLORADO SPRINGS — At the one-mile mark Saturday morning, Valor Christian’s Brooke Wilson wasn’t quite feeling like a state cross country champion, let alone a Class 5A record-setter.
Her reward was a state title and Class 5A record time of 16 minutes, 59.17 seconds, the first under-17-minute time in 5A state championship history. She smashed the previous record of 17:07.83 set by Grandview’s Brie Oakley in 2016. “When I was a freshman I was wondering if I could ever do this,” she said. “But this was my last high school race in Colorado and I won. It was awesome.”“That last hill definitely slowed me down a little bit,” she said. “You look at it during the pre-walk before the race, but running it is completely different. I’m disappointed, for sure, but I gave it my best.”
“When we came into the woods, I saw that kick that always shows, so I tried to adjust,” Costelow said. “But there is really no way to race this course smart. If you think you can start your kick in the woods and bridge area, you still have two hills to battle. But I’m proud of what I did, being fourth last year and getting second this year.”
“I just can’t believe I got to be part of a race that was so much fun,” said Hagan, who benefitted from her high-altitude training at 9,000 feet. “Niwot is incredible but I feel strong when I’m racing them because they are so strong and fast. Knowing that I can race against them makes me even stronger.