Angels Open 2026 at Max Marr
Gonzalez-Robinson, L. Kennedy, P. Ochoa excited to make their Hurdle debuts. 3/7/26
In a strike of good luck from the Track Gods, the East Track & Field team was able to compete on a day when most meets around the state were cancelled due to the snow that rolled in on Friday. Unfortunately, the DPS Opener at All City was one of the casualties, costing most of the Angels the chance to compete in the opening weekend of 2026.
The 37 Angels who were entered in the Max Marr Invitational left an ice-covered East High on Saturday morning wondering how they were going to compete in what appeared to be un-runnable conditions. As they made their way up I-25 however, it became apparent that the storm did not make its’ way North, and they arrived to a sunny and dry track at Berthoud High School. There was a mix of excitement and nervousness within the group, as this was not only the first varsity meet of the year, but the first ever high school track meet for almost half of the Angels competing.
The nervousness dissipated the moment the gun went off to begin the 2026 chapter of East Track & Field. This happened in the second heat of the Girls 4x200m Relay, where 9th graders Maren Huss, Cate Carhart, and Elliott Bixby did not let their lack of experience show in getting the stick around the track to their veteran anchor. Junior Sophia Soto brought the Angels home in 1:55.80, securing a 4th place finish for this exciting young team.
C. Carhart, Huss, Soto, & Elliott ran the first race of 2026 for East Track & Field. 3/7/26
A couple of heats later, it was time for the Angel guys to kick off 2026 in similar style. Freshman phenom Joaquim Smith-Cavero led off for the Angels and it was apparent when he handed to Sophomore Miguel Chavez that the boys’ exchange practice had led to the level of trust that had been on display during the girls’ race. Senior Kingston Viswanath (the only upper-classmen on the squad) took over on the 3rd leg, eliciting a huge response from his teammates and fans as he devoured the existing stagger on the rest of the field, giving to Sophomore anchor Tyler Villanueva who brought it home safely for a 4th place finish in the strong field.
Boys 4×200 team of Villanueva, Viswanath, Chavez, Smith-Cavero. 3/7/26
The Angel Boys and Girls combined for a staggering 28 points in the 1600m, where the trio of Senior Julieta Ochoa (2nd), Freshman Tessa Fe Morris (3rd), and Sophomore Fiona Jeong (5th) captured three of the top five spots. On the boys side, Senior Henry Bennett showed massive early season form in capturing 2nd place in 4:35.27, while Sophomore Finley Knight went 5:09.31 in his Track & Field debut.
Julieta Ochoa battling for the lead in the 1600m. 3/7/26
In the 4x100m Relays, the Angels were able to showcase some of their more experienced sprinters. Maren Huss once again led off for the ladies, but she was the only underclassmen on this relay. Junior Journee Brewington-Fuller stretched it out on the backstretch before letting Senior Malayla Massey-Miller go to work with her powerful stride on the turn. Massey-Miller and Junior Zoe Thomas then showcased their relay chemistry in the final exchange, allowing the Angels to come through the line in 52.75 seconds and take a top-3 finish in the meet.
Huss, Massey-Miller, Thomas, Brewington-Fuller. 3/7/26
On the boys side, the time unfortunately does not tell the story of the 4x100. After receiving the baton with an impressive lead on the anchor leg, Senior Jaaziah Hurt (who is a cornerstone of the boys’ program) made the smart choice to pull up upon feeling a twinge in his hip, shut it down, and coasted across the finish line for a 6th place finish. Although this was a disappointing result for Hurt and the Angels, it was a glimpse of what is to come for this impressive group of sprinters. Smith-Cavero and Seniors Jackson Llewellyn and Moe Kafuuma worked together to build the massive lead through the first three legs. The eventual winner, Niwot HS, ran a 43.70. The coaches estimate that this Angel team would have gone at least a full second faster than that, so the optimism is very high for this group!
Toughness was the theme for the next handful of events. Three top-10 finishes were captured by the ladies in the 400m Dash, where Senior Sawyer Voas (10th place) hit the track for the first time in 2026, Cate Carhart (9th place) continued her incredible high school debut, and Sophia Soto overcame her fear of the 400m to lead the way for the Angels and take 8th in her first time running the event. Junior Brady Cooper and Sophomore Alex Klug both PR’d on the Boys’ side.
Coach Padilla’s crop of new hurdlers then took the track in the 300m hurdles, and all six of them ran PR’s. Junior Lenore Kennedy took 4th place in what was both her Hurdles AND Track & Field debut. Sophomores Paola Ochoa and Ximalma Gonzalez-Robinson also fearlessly ran the race for the first time, impressing their teammates and coaches. On the boys side, all three new hurdlers finished in under 50 seconds, and Sophomore Kai Robinson delighted the crowd when he tripped over one of the final hurdles, completed a graceful somersault in his lane, landing back on his feet and strongly finishing the race. Freshman Rylan Norquist ran incredibly well in his first hurdle race, as did Villanueva, who paced the Angels with a 46.35.
Lenore Kennedy showing her form over the hurdles. 3/7/26
Lila Brown (Soph), Norah Dysart (Fr), and Ainslie Mohr (Soph) showed their fitness and hunger to compete in the open 800, which appears as if it may be the centerpiece event in this talented girls group. All three PR’d, with Brown taking a 6th place finish and Dysart 9th. Junior Emery Wagner had an unbelievable kick to secure a 10th place finish on the boys’ side.
Four PR’s were secured by the sprinters in the 200m dash. Massey-Miller took 4th and Brewington-Fuller 6th for the girls, with Elliott showing strong form in her second 200 of the day. Smith-Cavero was the iron man for the Angels, picking up a PR in his 3rd race of the meet. Sophomore Kameron Jackson made the long wait to run worth it with his PR as well.
Senior Mary Clare Nussbaum was the Angel that Coach Scudamore chose as the only one ready to run the 3200m at this early stage in the season, and she proved him right. Nussbaum fought the late afternoon wind on each of her eight trips around the track to bring home a 4th place finish for her team, and an incredible 10 second PR, finishing the race in 11:49.75. This time placed her in the #8 spot in East History in the 3200m. Keep your eye on this kid, as she will continue to stamp her name in the East record books until she graduates in May.
The field events were limited for the Angels, as the coaches decided to scratch most of them with the cold temperatures forecasted. This did not stop the two new boys high jumpers from shining in their first crack at the event. Sophomore Kai Robinson fought through a morning migraine to clear 5-4 and take 9th, while Senior basketball standout and new jumper Anaz Bryan turned heads with his clearance of 6-0 and 3rd place finish in his Track & Field debut. This clearance places Bryan tied for #5 on the East All-Time list in the event. Watch out for Bryan as he hones his craft in the long jump and sprints as well!
Kai Robinson roams the sky above Berthoud, CO. 3/7/26
Three of the four ladies in the final event of the day, the vaunted 4x400m Relay, had to wait all day to run, as it was their sole event. They did not disappoint, providing fireworks and excitement for everyone in the stadium. Lenore Kennedy was the only Angel that had run so far on the day, and she led off with a blazing leg, giving the stick to Junior Lola Carhart near the lead. Carhart went to work on the back stretch, taking the lead from a strong Mountain View team around the 200m mark and extending it before handing off to fellow Junior Corinne Kennedy. Kennedy had the tall task of going head-to-head with Mountain View’s Madeline Clark, who earlier in the day ran a Colorado-leading time of 2:08.99 in the 800m. Kennedy was unphased, splitting 62 seconds on her leg and handing to Junior Avery Johnson who had a bit of ground to make up after Clark’s 56 second third leg. Johnson showed her raw speed in the first 150m, erasing MV’s lead on the back stretch and taking the lead. The crowd were on their feet as the two competitors battled it out on the homestretch, and the gritty team from MVHS edged out the Angels by .7 seconds. The 4:14.65 that these ladies (made up of 3 distance runners and a hurdler) combined for was the fastest 4x400 run by East since 2024.
All-Junior 4×400- L. Kennedy, C. Kennedy, L. Carhart, A. Johnson. 3/7/26
The boys 4x400 squad of Klug, Cooper, Villanueva, and Viswanath also did not disappoint, as all four boys put their fatigue aside and ignored the increasing wind to bring home a 6th place finish. Cooper and Klug each split times that were faster than they had run earlier in the day in the open event, Villanueva showed his unmatched toughness in his third event of the day, and Viswanath tied them together as the steadying Senior presence and fastest leg on the relay.
The Athletes of the Meet were Lenore Kennedy and Joaquim Smith-Cavero.
The Angels are back in action on Wednesday, March 11th (JV) at All City Stadium, and Saturday, March 14th (Varsity) at the ThunderRidge Invite at Echo Park Stadium.
