(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — Talk about a high school debut.
Arria Minor, a freshman at Denver East, opened her prep track and field career for the Angels in absolute style this weekend — three meet records, two in individual events (100- and 200-meter dashes), and some of the nation’s best times at the prestigious Mullen Invitational on Saturday.
Minor’s performance at Mullen highlighted an astonishing weekend, which included a pair of wins in the 100 (11.78) and 400 (55.20) at the Thomas Jefferson Twilight meet on Friday, as well.
“Arria had a really incredible weekend,” Denver East coach Steve Kiper said. “It was her first weekend to get out and run with the team. We wanted to get out and get some baseline times. We did a lot of hard training over the last couple of weeks.”
At the Mullen Invite, traditionally one of Colorado’s most elite track and field events, Minor pulled away from competitive fields in both the 100 (11.64) and the 200 (23.65), and she sits at No. 1 in Colorado for all classifications in both. On top of that, after just one weekend of racing, she boasts top three freshman times nationally in the 100, 200 and 400.
Denver East freshman Arria Minor. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
“Arria is a super competitor,” Kiper added. “She’ll compete with boys. She’ll compete with anybody who will line up with her. That’s the kind of person and athlete she is, but it’s in a fun way. She has a really good spirit toward her friends and teammates and she’s very motivated.”
Minor also ran a leg on Denver East’s record-setting 400-meter relay that cruised to a 47.76.
“I am really happy. I didn’t think I could do it, but I just listened to my coaches,” Minor said of the times she ran Saturday.
Nonetheless, the freshman is keeping things in perspective as well.
“I know all the time I have to stay humble,” she said. “I want to make sure I always keep my team first.”
While there were a lot of other top-flight performances at Mullen, Andrea Willis has a way of standing out. The senior pole vaulter from The Classical Academy broke the all-classification record for the third time this spring while clearing 13-8. She even attempted 14-0, fell just short, but ended up settling nicely into second in the nation in the event. Her sister Erika (11-6), a sophomore, was the runner-up at Mullen.
Chantae Steele, a teammate of Willis’, won the 800 in 2:14.72 and ranks as the No. 1 freshman in America. A first-year tandem of Anna Shults (11:16) and Quinn McConnell (11:18) from Peak to Peak swept the top two places of the 3,200. Zoe Gilbertson, a junior for Mountain Range, won the 100 hurdles (13.84) and 300 hurdles (43.26), while also placing third in the 100-meter dash (12.27).
Boys winners on the day included Noah Mcghee of Littleton in the 100 (10.68), Marcus Quere of Loveland in the 800 (1:56.61), Gift Chinda of Thompson Valley in the triple jump (44-05.5), Jonathan Penrose of Broomfield in the 300 hurdles (38.74) and Adam Dawson of Lutheran in the discus throw (171-03.5).