On Friday, February 9 a select few of Coronado’s distance track runners are traveling to Seattle, WA, with the Kokopelli Racing Team, to compete in University of Washington (UW) High School Invitational held at Dempsey Indoor Center. This will be the second year that our cougars get the opportunity to race at this high-level meet. Hundreds of elite club and high school teams will be making their way from Alaska, California, Oregon, and even Canada.
Dempsey Indoor Center is home to a 307-meter indoor track that is only 39 feet above sea level. On January 26-27, UW hosted its Mile City meet; this event saw 15 collegiate and professional runners go under the 4-minute mark in the mile, which is 7 more people than last year’s meet. It is a privilege that the cougars get to race on such a fast track with high-level competition.
In order to prepare for UW, the cougars raced at the Air Force High School Open on Saturday February 3. Parker Davidson, Class of 2025, shared his feelings about this meet: “I’m excited… it’s the first race of the indoor season.” For most of the competitors on the Kokopelli Racing team going to UW, this will be their first indoor race this season, and it’s a good way for them to get a feel for racing on an indoor track. “I think it’s going to set me up really well because I’m running the 800-meter and that’s a faster race than the mile, which is what I’m running in Washington, and it’s just going to get my legs going faster than what I need in Washington. So, it’s going to allow me to run a faster time in Washington than here [in Colorado],” Parker added.
Xzavier Campos, Class of 2026, Coronado’s 1600m and 800m record holder, will be one of the athletes traveling to Seattle. “Right now, a school record would be really cool to get, but I don’t know if that’s what I’m striving for right now, with the season just starting,” Xzavier explained before adding a not about his expectations for UW: “I think I’m just going to race and get close to my school record.” Racing isn’t the only reason for the cougars to be excited: “What I’m most excited for is the traveling part of it, traveling with my team, getting to see these cool places in Washington,” Added Xzavier. Best of luck to our cougars and the rest of the Kokopelli Racing team!
Xzavier Campos and Parker Davidson finishing the 800m in 1:56 and 1:58 respectively
