In an enormous margin of victory, Coronado women’s track and field dominated 5A competition at the 5A Colorado Springs Metro League Finals, seizing the program’s first ever 5A league victory, first league victory since 2014, and a decimating 37 point lead over nearest competitor Fountain-Fort Carson.

Sophomore Jaelyn Hershberger, 10, state-qualifying triple jumper and second place triple jump finisher at Metros, as well as sixth place Metro long jump finisher, said, “Winning Metros as a team was a great experience, it demonstrated our potential,” and that “state is arriving very soon and the accomplishment gives us strength and confidence going into the championship.”

Executing a victory based largely on widespread strong finishes, much of Coronado’s athletes fell within the top three of their respective events; highest ranking among the sprinters and hurdlers was senior Emily Ambuul with a second place finish in the 100 meter dash, a third place finish in the 200 meter dash, and a second place finish in the 300 meter hurdles along with running the 200 meter leg of the second place sprint medley.  Jumpers Jaelyn Hershberger, 10, and Celia Smith, 11, were huge contributors to Cougars, Hershberger taking sixth in long jump and second in triple jump, and Smith taking first in long and high jump as well as third in triple jump. Sophomore Alena Wroe took third in 5A CSML pole vaulting with a height of seven feet. Coronado long distance was championed by freshman Madeline Morland, taking second in the mile with a 5:24, as well as by senior Madison Brown, who not only anchored both the Coronado championship 4×400 and 4×800 relays and second place sprint medley, but placed third in the 800 meter run.

Atop the Cougar relays were the first place 4×400 and 4×800, and the 800 sprint medley, taking second place behind Doherty by a single second; Coach Stoughton attributed much of the team’s successful performances in the 4×400 and 4×800 relays to sophomore Taylor Dutton’s incredible performance in the races and good efforts from everyone. The 4×400 relay team was close to the school record of 3:59.6 set in 1986. The girls missed out by .77 seconds and will get at least one more chance at the State Meet, armed this time with Ambuul who has the team’s fastest 400 this season.

Coach Stoughton said, “We nickeled and dimed our way to that win. We didn’t have a lot of first place winners, but a ton of second, third, and on down. Emily Ambuul had three second places and a third, Isabella Janney had a pair of individual fourth places and was on that winning 4×4 and the 2nd place sprint med. Celia and Jaelyn were great in the jumps, getting a ton of points in all three.   It was good to win but now we wait and see what marks will hold up against the rest of the state and who will end up representing Coronado at the State Championships”

The Cougars will compete the Colorado State 5A Track and Field Championships on the 19th, 20th, and 21st of May at Jefferson County Stadium.