COLORADO SPRINGS — A highly emotional season for Peak to Peak High School’s cross country program ended Saturday with another emotional twist at the state cross country meet.
In September, a co-captain of the boys team, Brandon Ries, collapsed at the Broomfield Invitational and died. His loss brought the team together, but they are still in mourning.
Then on Saturday, Quinn McConnell had a 40-meter lead coming into the finish stadium in the girls 3A race at the state championships before collapsing twice in the home stretch. She got up both times and finished second, a wobbly 11 seconds behind Kayla Young of Denver North.
Anna Shults, like McConnell a Peak to Peak sophomore, finished third and helped their team win the team title, but she was shattered for McConnell.
“She’s worked super hard all throughout the year,” Shults said, sobbing. “I thought, ‘Why is she going down? She deserves (to win) for sure.’ Really sweet, really motivated, always there for all of us.”
McConnell received treatment in the medical tent. Peak to Peak coach Kim McConnell, Quinn’s mother, said the combination of a brutally hot day, frustration over letting the individual title get away and the emotions associated with mourning the death of a teammate contributed to her collapse.
“Itap been hard,” McConnell said. “We’ve bonded together incredibly tightly, more than ever before. We always talk about team, but you don’t even have to say it now. Itap been hard. His sister is on our team.”
Ries’ sister is the No. 6 runner on the team but isn’t allowed to compete pending results from the coroner on her brother’s death.
“So that was another blow to the team,” McConnell said.
A moment of silence for Ries was observed Saturday in the finish stadium. He was 18.
“He was a really sweet kid,” Shults said. “Itap certainly been a difficult season but we just want to stay strong as a team. We’re still showing up at races, we’re running in memory of him.”
