The annual Cheyenne Mountain Stampede, known as the Pre-State meet, got the Colorado high school cross country season underway Saturday, drawing a large field to a Colorado Springs venue that will matter again come October. The meet opened the cross country season for nearly 100 teams and 2,000 runners from around the state, racing on a course at Norris-Penrose Event Center that will also host the state meet Oct. 31.
This year's championship races looked vastly different from last season, with new individual and team champions crowned, as warm race conditions Saturday morning gave many runners chances at the podium.
On the boys' side, Northfield's Abdinaser Hassan edged out Castle View's Evan Dann to win the boys' championship with a time of 15:11.3. Cherokee Trail High's Madison Lange ran away from the field to win the girls' title in a time of 17:43.1, finishing 26 seconds ahead of The Classical Academy's Vivian Jack in second, who crossed in 18:09.7. In the team standings, Castle View took the boys' team title with a dominant 53 points after a fourth-place finish last season, while Boulder won the girls' team title with 71 points.
Local runners gave Colorado Springs-area fans plenty to follow. Mesa Ridge's Kiptoo Barmasai was the top finisher from the Pikes Peak region, placing eighth with a time of 15:52.8, less than a second ahead of the next runner. "I tried to stay in the front pack and was getting pushed around, so I stayed patient until the last mile," Barmasai said. "I didn't want to look back. Just had to push through the pain."
On the girls' side, Mesa Ridge's Annabelle Jackson placed eighth overall. Jackson did not compete at Pre-State last season but finished 42nd at the state championship, and the junior ran nearly two minutes faster Saturday than she had at state. "My goal was top 10 and giving it my all," Jackson said. "My time came from consistency in training and taking care of my mental health."
The Classical Academy, a program with a strong recent history, placed fourth in the girls' team standings. While it wasn't the race the team had hoped for, the three-time 3A champions are excited for the season, which will be the last for several varsity runners who are seniors. The Titans, which returned all of last year's varsity runners, will face a different challenge this season after moving up to 4A, joining local teams Cheyenne Mountain and Palmer Ridge, while Air Academy will move down to 3A from 4A.
Cheyenne Mountain's Raegan McRae, the 2025 4A girls' state champion, was one of many runners to struggle with the warm weather Saturday but still managed a ninth-place finish. "Mentally, I was in the right spot, but weather was a big factor," McRae said, noting her goal was to crack the top 10 and gauge her form on the state course again.
The state championship meet is scheduled for Oct. 31 at Norris-Penrose Event Center, and how local programs develop over the coming weeks of the season will determine which Pikes Peak-area runners and teams contend for titles on their home course.