The 5-foot-4 junior won the CHSAA Class 5A state title at altitude this past season with a time of 16:54.7, pacing the Cougars to fifth place as a team. Ritzenhein earned First Team All-America honors by crossing the line fifth at the Nike Cross Nationals in 17:15.3. The state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year, she won six of her eight races this year, including the Desert Twilight meet in Arizona, where she clocked a 16:41.3.
Ritzenhein has maintained a weighted 4.31 GPA in the classroom. She will begin her senior year of high school 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.
