In last year’s letdown at the state meet, Oliver Horton came out too fast, gassed out, and finished a disappointing third. So, going into this year’s meet at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs, the Coronado headliner vowed to stick to his game plan and not let others dictate his pace.
That plan lasted about 30 seconds.
“It felt like we were jogging out there at the start,” Horton said. “Like, we went around that first hairpin turn, and I was like, ‘Dude, what are we doing?’ So I just took the lead probably 300, 400 meters in, and after that, I just didn’t look back.”
Unlike last year, Horton didn’t gas out. He clocked a 14-minute, 48.40-second time, setting an all-classification state meet record to win the Class 4A individual title while also propelling Coronado to the team championship.
The performance was a drastic improvement from his 2024 state time, when Horton ran 15:31.3—29 seconds behind the winner, Aiden Le Roux. The Cheyenne Mountain star was unable to run at this year’s meet due to injury. Without the reigning state Gatorade Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year in the field, no one was able to challenge Horton as he shattered Le Roux’s course record from a year ago by 14 seconds.
“Last year, (Horton) got drawn into running someone else’s race,” Coronado head coach Lisa Rainsberger said. “And so all season long, it’s always been run your race, run how you feel, and the results will come. So he really learned from last year.”
Horton had been thinking about this Saturday ever since crossing the finish line at last year’s meet.
“I was sad, I was mad,” Horton said. “That was probably one of the worst feelings I’ve ever had in the sport. I was immediately ready to run the race again, and have been training hard for it ever since.”
Two individuals propelled Horton on his journey to Saturday’s record-setting showing. The first is Rainsberger, who is in her third season as the Coronado head coach. The mother of Colorado all-time runner Katie Rainsberger, the coach was a three-sport All-American at Michigan in cross country, swimming, and track who went on to a prolific running career. She made three U.S. Olympic teams as an alternate, won the Boston Marathon in 1985, and claimed consecutive wins in the Chicago Marathon in 1988 and ’89—a feat no American woman has accomplished since.
The other significant influence is Horton’s best friend and teammate, Xzavier Campos. The Coronado senior ran 15:36.2 to take third on Saturday, a year after an injury kept him out of the state meet. Campos’ absence in 2024 prevented the Cougars, who were runner-up to Thompson Valley, from claiming the title.
Horton and Campos have been running together since childhood, and Rainsberger has been there the whole way as their coach on the Kokopelli Racing Team since they were 8 and 9 years old, respectively.
“We’ve grown so much together,” Horton said. “We push each other every day, and we’re constantly talking about our goals and what I lack in, he’s really good in, and I think we just drag each other through the things that we struggle in and all those workouts. I’m just really grateful to have him by my side. And with Coach Lisa, I would not be where I am if I didn’t have her as a coach.”
Rainsberger recalled one of her favorite memories from when Horton and Campos were kid runners just finding their stride. At the USA Track and Field regional cross country championships, the duo was side-by-side in the race when the younger Horton punched Campos as they were running.
“‘X’ just took it all in stride and he didn’t think anything of it,” Rainsberger said with a laugh. “And I’m like, ‘Oh, for the love of God.’ So, you know, I had a little sit-down conversation with (Horton’s) mom and dad afterwards. He was only eight. He learned from the moment, and it didn’t affect the friendship. But I knew then, the kid really wanted to win.”
Senior John Stanczak (11th at 16:00.2) and junior Braxton Oliver (14th at 16:07.3) also helped Coronado win its team title, the program’s second overall and first since 2012.
**Ben Adams Claims 5A Crown**
After finishing second to his teammate last year, Mountain Vista junior Ben Adams won the 5A boys title on Saturday with a time of 15:03.3. That was a 5A course record.
But it was Niwot that stole the show in the boys race, with five of the top 10 runners to win the title, headlined by senior Hunter Robbie (runner-up at 15:06.4).
**Freshmen Dominate 4A Girls**
While Niwot senior superstar Addison Ritzenhein led the Cougars to the 5A girls title, in 4A, the top three finishers were freshmen. Cheyenne Mountain’s Raegan McRae won in 18:05.9, beating out Summit’s Kayla Broecker (18:06.4) while Palmer Ridge’s Addison Michalak (18:33.8) took third. Timnath won the team title for a second year in a row.
**TCA Dominates Again**
The Vanguard School junior Max Miller won the 3A boys title in 15:55.0, and The Classical Academy claimed the team championship—its 10th overall and fourth in five years.
In the girls race, Eaton junior Delaney Reuter won for a second straight year. The Classical Academy also won the girls title to pad its dynasty with its 17th championship overall since 2003 and third in a row.
https://www.denverpost.com/2025/11/01/oliver-horton-chsaa-state-cross-country-meet-record/
