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Vail Valley runners make all-state in track

From left, Battle Mountain's Naomi Harding, Elliot Pribramsky, Grace Johnson, and Lizzy Harding celebrate state title No. 3 in the 3,200-meter relay. There will be no chance to defend the title after CHSAA called off the spring-sports season on Tuesday due to COVID-19.
Daily file photo

Making the all-state team in track and field is hard, especially if you’re Battle Mountain’s Grace Johnson.

While we will get to that salient detail shortly, CHSAA’s all-state honors mean that an athlete, or athletes, won at the state meet two weekends ago. Ergo, Eagle County has a bunch of all-staters from Battle Mountain and Vail Christian.

The race of the year was the 4A 1,600 meters, in which Lizzy Harding edged sister, Naomi, for the state title and for the Harding crown. (We wonder which is more prestigious?)



On a serious note, none of the three local track teams have had athletes go 1-2 in an individual state event in the last 20 years at least. Lizzy also became the first Battle Mountain female to go under 5 minutes in the mile at any altitude.

The interesting thing about track is that by finishing fewer than 2 seconds behind her sister, Naomi does not get all-state and must go stand in the corner and feel shame.

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Except that, of course, Battle Mountain’s girls 3,200-meter relay team three-peated at state. Come out of the corner, Naomi. Brava to Eliot Pribramsky, Lizzy Harding, Emma Reeder and Naomi Harding.

Now, this is where it becomes really hard to make all-state because while no disrespect is intended to Miss Reeder, but we’re pretty sure that she did not run the 4-by-8 at state. We watched the event on http://www.nfhs.com — Johnson ran the third leg. We interviewed Johnson about running the third leg. Coach Rob Parish, while like the author is also getting older, also confirmed Johnson ran the third leg. There’s a photo of Johnson with the Hardings and Pribramsky, all holding up three fingers to indicate the three-peat.

Yet, for some reason, Johnson still can’t crack the all-state team on http://www.chsaanow.com. (And yes, the Vail Daily contacted CHSAA to tell the organization that Johnson was the third leg of the team.) Johnson is all-state in the Vail Daily’s book.

Multiple honors for Saints’ Kinsella

Vail Christian’s Kellen Kinsella had a great state meet as did the Saints boys.

Vail Christian’s 800-meter relay team said, “Good, morning, good afternoon and good night” to Class 2A in winning the relay on Day 2 of the meet. Thus, E.J. Koller, Kinsella, Luke Bowers, and Quinn Mitchell are all-state.

Kinsella wasn’t done. He won a photo finish in the open 200 meters. Combine that with fifth place in the 100 and third in the 400 and Kinsella is the Co-Athlete of the Year in Colorado Class 2A track and field along with Lyons’ Colton Jonjak-Plahn.


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