The 5-foot-3 senior distance specialist pulled off the ‘triple-triple’ in winning the 1600- and 3200-meter runs as well as the 4x800 relay title at the Class 4A state meet this past season—for the third year in a row. Ritzenhein led the Cougars to their seventh straight team championship. The 2023-24 Gatorade National Cross Country Player of the Year, Ritzenhein was undefeated in Colorado in both the 1600 and the 3200 this spring. A three-time Gatorade State Cross Country Player of the Year, she set the state record in the 3200 at the Arcadia Invitational with a time of 10:00.13, which ranks No. 14 nationally among prep girls competitors this spring.
Ritzenhein has maintained a weighted 4.41 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a written letter of athletic aid to compete on scholarship at Northern Arizona University this fall.
A member of the Niwot High School Leadership Academy and a Student Aide at her school, Ritzenhein is also a member of her school’s choir. She has volunteered locally on behalf of the REAL Training youth running club and in the concessions booth for NHS boosters.
