Niwot’s Shults shines in a St. Vrain stacked girls 800 – Boulder Dai…

LAKEWOOD — From the moment Niwot senior Madison Shults began her 800-meter run final in a sea of Niwot gray at Jeffco Stadium on Friday, she left no doubt that she would run away with the gold in the event that she easily won a year earlier.

In spite of the damp cold left over from an earlier rainstorm, she couldn’t help but smile as the other six ladies from Boulder County — making up seven of the nine finalists — in that one race all individually hugged and congratulated her for defending her crown. She clocked in at 2 minutes, 8.9 seconds to complement teammate Olivia Alessandrini’s second-place performance in the Class 4A girls final.

A year earlier, Shults’ title wasn’t as certain. Her fellow Cougar, Stella Vieth, held the top seed ahead of the state meet before she was able to punch out the gold herself. This year, it all came down to maintaining her composure when she began to accelerate on the second lap.

“The difference, definitely, between this year and last year was I was used to not winning, which was kind of refreshing and definitely pulls someone back to Earth,” Shults said. “This year, I knew that I was ready and I was doing well because I PR-ed earlier this season. I ran a lifetime best of 2:04. So I knew I was ready for state and I knew I was ready to get going.”

She led a group of St. Vrain Valley School District kids that showed out in true fashion, as they all nabbed the top seven spots, leaving their last two competitors in the dust. Shults, of course, led the pack, followed by Alessandrini (second, 2:10.79), Silver Creek’s Grace Moroney (third, 2:11.29), Silver Creek’s Cloe Ruth (fourth, 2:14.33), Niwot’s Mia Prok (fifth, 2:14.83), Niwot’s Anna Prok (sixth, 2:15.32) and Niwot’s Julia Rudolph (seventh, 2:15.49).

Shults believes that level of competition and friendship can only bode well for what she’ll experience when she joins two of her former teammates — and Colorado state champions, to boot — at Stanford next year.

“Knowing that all my teammates are right there, that’s definitely how it’s going to be at Stanford,” she said. “I’m going to know and see all my teammates, probably, ahead of me and around me, so I’m really excited to go into somewhere where it’s very, very competitive and knowing that I have to earn my spot on the team, which is very refreshing. I’m really excited to join my previous teammates, Taylor James and Zane Bergen.”

Shults, however, was far from the only local girl to show out in a race that was teeming with talent. While she was ultimately able to beat out Moroney in the end, Moroney took pride in the grit and determination she utilized to achieve her bronze-worthy day.

The Silver Creek senior not only improved upon last year’s state finals time by over five seconds, but she moved up six places in the pecking order.

“It’s kind of daunting being with all the Niwot girls because they’re just such a powerful force, but I think we did a lot of work — Cloe and I — this winter with them,” Moroney said. “We know them all really well as friends, and just as other runners that we compete against all the time. It’s kind of nice to know that they’re going to push you to run a really fast time just all around you.”

To prepare for her final season with the Raptors, Moroney trained six days a week and added three days of weightlifting to her usual regimen. That extra muscle led to improved power in the final 200-meter stretch.

Friday’s performance, however, came down to mental confidence more than anything. It certainly didn’t hurt that she was competing with her friends.

“It’s just a testament to how much work goes in, especially just in our county,” Moroney said. “It’s ridiculous compared to any other state in the nation. It was just exciting. It’s cool to say, ‘Oh, I’m a runner from Boulder County.’ It’s kind of a big deal because everyone’s really good.”