Dakota Ridge track season hit the middle mark of the season this month, which means it’s time to get ready for the league championship meet and the state meet. For many athletes, this means getting into the zone and getting ready to compete, which is a recurring theme on the track team with the frequent meets.
Often, coaches tell athletes not to worry about the times they get and focus more on being overall competitive and having fun racing. This is not to say that the Dakota Ridge track team isn’t a successful one. The team has multiple athletes who made it to the state championship last year and took third place in the state for the 4×200-meter relay two years ago.
“I am excited to see all the hard work that everyone has been putting in, pay off,” Andrew Gysin, head track coach at DRHS, said. “The biggest thing as a coach is that I just love seeing when the success happens.”
This track season, multiple school records have been broken in both running and field events in the first half of the season. One of the school’s only pole vaulters, Amber Sutton, broke the school record, vaulting 8’8”, which was previously set at 8’1” back in 2016. One of the few hurdlers that Dakota Ridge has, Liam Jindra, broke the school record in the 300-meter hurdles, running at 40.13, which was set in 2021.
(Andrew Gysin)
In one of the more special events that don’t often compete in both boys and girls, new school records were set for javelin. Alex Sanchez threw 111.2 feet, breaking his own previous record set in 2024, and Grace Park threw 55.9 feet, breaking the record set last year as well. For many of these athletes, breaking a school record is a huge accomplishment.
“ Yeah, it feels great, it feels really good. I was a little bit nervous, but I hope that it lasts for a long time,” DRHS senior and track thrower Alex Sanchez said, about getting the school record.
One of the more classic track meets of the season, Littleton Champs, took place on April 7, 2025, where Dakota Ridge competed against all Littleton public schools. They took competitiveness to a whole new level: the girls’ teams took first overall in the meet, and the boys’ teams took second overall. Within these team wins, multiple individual and relay champions took 1st place in their events in both running and field events. Dakota Ridge took first place in both boys and girls 4×400 meter: Liam Jindra in the 300 meter hurdles, also tying with Caiden Dixon in high jump for first; Zach Wolfing in shot put; Grace Park in the 100 meter dash and high jump; Rachel Henderson in the 400 meter dash; Kate Stanford in the 100 meter hurdles; and Josephine Tran in triple jump. This does not include all the other athletes who competed at that high level, contributing to the overall team success.
“It felt really good to see that all the effort I put in is actually making results,” DRHS senior triple jumper Josphine Tran said. “Technically, I already have been able to jump 35 feet, but it didn’t legally count because of wind violation, but 35 feet is my goal for the season.”
Stay updated with the Dakota Ridge track team through MileSplit or the Dakota Ridge Track and Cross Country Instagram page. Their next meet is the League Championship at Jeffco Stadium on Wednesday, April 30, and Saturday, May 3, 2025.
