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Niwot High School girls golf is back for its ninth season, kicking off March 16. Head coach Ed Weaver returns after another successful season with boys golf. Chad Richert is returning as an assistant coach, while Niwot High School’s IB Physics teacher Byron Rudisill will not be returning after he and his wife had their second child in early February. The team is coming off of a strong season, with a large returning group from varsity last year. Senior Mina O’Dell will be returning after back-to-back state qualifications, with Junior Alena Kasan...
As expected, Colorado's girls dominated the 2023 Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) Saturday, Dec. 2, in Portland, Oregon, but no one was more dominant than Niwot's Addison Ritzenhein who now adds the title of National Champion to her growing list of credentials. Ritzenhein, just a sophomore, came into the 18th Nike national race expected to be one of the top five or six finishers in the race, but splashed through the mud and deep standing water on Portland's Glendoveer Golf Course to outpace in-state...
The top two high school cross country teams from each of the nine Nike regional qualifying meets in November secured automatic berths into this weekend's Nike Cross Nationals (NXN). That left just four at-large invitations available for high school boys teams from across the United States to compete in the national championships on Saturday, Dec. 2, in Portland, Oregon. When the Niwot boys cross country team finished fourth in its Southwest Regional meet on Nov. 18 in Arizona, it looked like a...
NIWOT GIRLS WIN REGIONALS, GOING TO NATIONALS When the top teams in the country gather in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, Dec. 2, for the Nike Cross Country National Championships, all eyes will be on the two girls teams representing the Southwest Region – Niwot High School and Air Academy High School. Colorado's 4A State Champion Cougars and 5A champion Kadets squared off Saturday, Nov. 18, for the first time this season at the four-state Nike regional qualifying meet at the Coyote Run Golf C...
Niwot resident Art Stapp supported many causes during his lifetime, and at the top of his list was the St. Vrain Valley School District, and specifically, Niwot High School. Stapp died suddenly July 19, 2023 at the age of 74 of a heart ailment. Stapp was best known for Stapp Interstate Toyota, a business he and his father started in 1974 as Longmont Toyota. Stapp never sought recognition for his many charitable efforts in Niwot and beyond, but it is hard to find someone who has not been touched...
Go ahead and take some time off. You’ve earned it. But don’t expect the rest of your team to stop running while you do -- they won’t. With several of their top runners, including Addison Ritzenhein and Rocco Culpepper, taking well-deserved breaks after impressive individual and team efforts the previous week at the Desert Twilight Festival in Arizona, the Niwot boys and girls cross country teams traveled to the Western Slope on Thursday, Oct. 5, and continued their dominance with team victories at the Warrior Lincoln Park Classic in Grand...
After one day of the 2023 4A Boys State Golf Tournament, Niwot's Emmett Shell was flying high on the leaderboard. The senior overcame some challenging weather and the difficulty of The Bridges Golf & Country Club in Montrose to notch a 1-over par 72, just two shots off the lead. If not for a missed, three-foot par putt on his 13th hole of the day and an out of bounds drive on his closing hole, Shell may have found himself in truly rarified air. "Emmett may have had the best day of his high...
The Niwot High School cross country team showed Friday evening, Sept. 29, that Colorado isn’t the only state where the Cougars’ dominance will be felt in 2023. Coach Kelly Christiansen led his team into the Arizona desert, and the Cougars ran away with both the boys’ and girls’ coveted Sweepstakes titles in the Desert Twilight Cross Country Festival in Mesa, AZ. The event, one of the premier invitationals in the country, included 248 teams and nearly 6,000 athletes from five states. Thirty-one different races were held during the evening...
Fall came to Niwot a day early on Friday, Sept. 22, with Niwot's annual homecoming parade. The parade followed the usual route, winding past Niwot Elementary School, where students greeted the parade, then down Niwot Road past Cottonwood Square and onto Second Avenue. Parents and other community members eagerly waited for the event. Brady Toothaker, the parent of a junior at the high school, was excited to cheer the teams on. "We come because we just love how they get all the sports teams out...
One rough day is all it takes to destroy a golfer's state championship hopes. Emmett Shell learned that lesson last year when he missed the state cut at regionals despite qualifying the prior season. Now another year wiser, the Niwot High School golfer wasn't about to squander another opportunity to compete at the state tournament. Playing cautiously, Shell shot a 2-over-par 74 at the 4A Region 3 meet on Sept. 21 to finish sixth individually, well within the state cut. "This was meaningful in...
Hundreds of runners and their fans were out in force Saturday, Sept. 2, for the 2023 Wyoming Cross Country Invitational at the Little America Resort Golf Course in Cheyenne. Collegiate men’s and women’s teams as well as high school varsity and junior varsity boys’ and girls’ teams from across Wyoming and Colorado were represented at the spectacle. The collegiate host, the University of Wyoming Cowboys, edged out rival Colorado State to win the men’s event. The CSU women, ranked 26th in the nation, returned the favor by winning their race over...
The beauty of golf is that it rewards a balance among strength, finesse, and mental acumen. When all aspects are clicking, the game can seem easy. But when the scales are out of balance, golf can be one of the most frustrating sports. Niwot High School golf coach Ed Weaver has spent this season coaxing his players to find that equilibrium. And he knows he hasn't finished delivering the message. "Length is our strength and length is our nemesis," Weaver explained while discussing the host...
Although challenging, Sawyer Bennett learned a lot about his golf game while navigating the monstrous RainDance National Resort & Golf in Windsor on Aug. 15. The Niwot High School sophomore admitted that he was plagued by "careless mistakes" but he nonetheless held his head high after shooting a seven-over-par-72 on the longest course in North America. His 79 strokes placed him in a five-way tie for 10th individually at the Second Annual Resurrection Christian Invitational. "It's a test of your...
Walking away from last Tuesday’s Second Annual Resurrection Christian Invitational at RainDance National Resort & Golf Course in Windsor, the Niwot High School boys golf team had every right to feel good about its third-place finish -- highest among the Class 4A schools participating. But the Cougars also couldn’t be blamed for lamenting the one that got away. The Cougars’ three-player total of 238, which was 20 strokes ahead of the nearest 4A competitor, Mead High School, was just four strokes behind the first-place total of 234 posted by th...
Early in the boys golf season, Niwot High School Coach Ed Weaver wants to see as many players as possible tee it up and feel why high school tournament play is different from the individual events most of his players experience during the rest of the golfing year. “No matter how you carve it, playing high school golf tournaments is different. It just is,” Weaver said. “The kids put more pressure on themselves, I think. Anyway, they know they’re playing for a team score, which is different from tournaments over the summer when it’s just thei...
Niwot High School Golf Coach Ed Weaver was hoping that the first tournament of the 2023 season would give him a glimpse into how his team stacked up against its Longs Peak Conference competition, especially perennial powerhouse Riverdale Ridge High School. Based on the results, Weaver has reason to be optimistic about what lies ahead for this team. At last Thursday's Pace o' Play Palooza tournament at Mariana Butte Golf Course in Loveland, the Cougars battled the Riverdale Ravens, the 2021 4A st...
The 2022 Niwot High School boys golf season did not end the way Coach Ed Weaver, or his Cougars expected, but chalk it up to lessons learned and experience gained. Now it’s time to tee it up for a new season. The golf season started this week at a furious pace with team tryouts and qualifying rounds Monday and Tuesday, and the first league play Thursday in Loveland with a varsity event at Mariana Butte and junior varsity play at Cattail Creek. For Emmett Shell, his senior season will be an opportunity to showcase the talent that makes him o...
Veteran Niwot High School golf coach Ed Weaver is optimistic about his squad, with three returning state qualifiers. The only loss from last season's state qualifying team was graduating senior Sydney Rothstein. "Sydney came over to practice last week while she was on her spring break," Weaver said. Weaver, a realtor with Slifer, Smith & Frampton - Front Range (formerly Colorado Landmark) when he is not coaching golf, appreciates the connections he forms with his players, which last long after...
NHS cross country head coach Kelly Christensen opted to roll with mostly freshmen and sophomore runners during Niwot’s first two meets of the season, giving them some valuable experience before the veterans take control. Not only have the Cougars’ underclassmen gotten their feet wet, but they also littered the leaderboard during their first meet of the year on Aug. 27, at the Vista Nation XC 2-Mile Invitational in Highlands Ranch. On both the girls and boys sides of the freshmen/sophomores-only race, the Cougars took first place overall and...
Reaching the 4A state championships for the first time since 2017 wasn't a fluke for last year's Niwot boys golf team - it was simply a product of a consistently competitive program. The Cougars brought one golfer from each grade level to the state tournament and finished seventh in class 4A. Although they'll now be without 2022 graduate Christopher Gunlikson, who placed sixth individually at state, the foundation remains sturdy for a successful fall season. "We've got a pretty good program," sa...
The BSA Troop 161 Boys Troop has been operating out of Niwot for over 50 years. In April of 2021, the Left Hand Grange approved the BSA 161G troop, which started with 6 female scouts from the surrounding areas. Two to three times a year, troops hold a Court of Honor where they award their scouts with merit badges earned, rank advancements and other awards which have been worked on throughout the year. On June 6th, the BSA 161G troop held their second court of honor, recognizing eight female...
Niwot High took four golfers to the state Class 4A state championship at Tiara Rado Golf Course in Grand Junction May 31-June 1, and the results did not disappoint. "We had a great state tournament," Head Coach Ed Weaver said. "We finished fifth place overall, which I'm very happy with. After the first day, we were fifth, but sixth, seventh and eighth place teams were very close." The Cougars separated from the pack on day two, finishing 26 strokes ahead of sixth-place Cheyenne Mountain. Erie...
We are proud to introduce The Green and Black, Niwot High School's own student produced newspaper. This newspaper began as an IB CAS project in 2020, and has grown into so much more. Now with over 50 student staff members, The Green and Black is a reflection of what students at Niwot are passionate about - our voices reflect our ideas about our school, our communities, and the world that we live in. You can view all of our content, including full monthly issues, on our website thegreenandblack.c...
The third time was a charm for senior Niwot golfer Christopher Gunlikson at the 2021 class 4A golf championships, held Oct. 4-5 at City Park golf course in Denver. Behind a sharp short game and smart shot-selection, the senior carded a two-round score of 143 to capture sixth place overall, his first top-10 finish after two disappointing state appearances as a sophomore and junior. "I'm happy I had a big comeback, because last round was not the finish I wanted at all," Gunlikson said after...
The Niwot boys golf team is heading back to the Class 4A championships, after a rock steady round at the Region 3 qualifying tournament on Sept. 21. Behind clutch putting from Christopher Gunlikson and some well-timed consistency from his teammates, the Cougars finished second overall out of a 16-team field, and secured an elusive team bid to the state tournament for the first time since 2017. For seventh-year head coach Ed Weaver, the Cougars' proficient performance was gratifying on several...
Another championship sweep for Niwot at the 2021 Class 4A cross country meet isn't a foregone conclusion, but it's hard to dismiss the strong evidence in favor of it. Returning to the varsity are two of Colorado's fastest high school distance runners in Zane Bergen and Mia Prok, plus a battle-hardened pack of veterans that is still in shape from the Cougars' recent title run at the state track and field championships. Add to that a coach looking to list another two state titles on his resume,...
Mere weeks after coaching the Niwot girls golf team to a top-10 finish at the Class 4A state championships, seventh-year head coach Ed Weaver was back on the course with the Cougar boys, energized and looking forward to another successful season. "We're a young team, but we have potential going forward," he said during Niwot's season opener in Greeley on Aug. 9. "I think some of the younger guys are coachable. They're doing the right things to stay competitive, or get more competitive next...
The Niwot boys golf team learned some painful lessons about their short games at the final Longs Peak League event of the 2020 season, held at Thornton's Todd Creek Golf Course on Sept. 17. Bedeviled by lightning-fast greens and what were described as "challenging pin placements," the Cougars often gave up strokes where they normally don't, and that was reflected in their higher than average final scores. Luckily, it didn't seem to be a handicap for Niwot alone, and the Cougars ended up...
The Niwot boys golf team battled blistering heat and unpredictable course conditions as they made the turn to the second half of the 2020 season at the Frederick Classic on Aug. 27. After a performance that was equal parts great and terrible, Cougar head coach Ed Weaver is looking for more consistency from his young team with the Class 4A Region 3 state qualifier just three weeks away. "We could've played a lot better," he said after his team's eighth-place finish in the 16-team field at Coyote...
There's almost nothing normal about the way Jesse Horn's senior year at Niwot High started, so he's grateful for the one thing in his daily routine that hasn't changed much in 2020-the boys golf season. With classes conducted remotely and marching band performances on hold, Horn said having practice with his friends to look forward to every afternoon has kept him centered. "I definitely did not expect golf to be the most normal thing so far," the third-year veteran said. Golf is one of only four...
Direct impacts of COVID-19 have officially reached the fall with the Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) announcing its rearranged 2020-21 athletics and activities calendar. Instead of traditional fall, winter and spring sports seasons, CHSAA will now hold A, B, C and D seasons that will extend through June. Most notably, football, volleyball and boys soccer will move their usual fall slate to the early-March Season C. Boys tennis, golf, softball and cross country are continuing...
Ed Weaver isn't thrilled with his team's finish at their season debut at Quail Dunes Golf Course on Aug. 7, but that isn't to say he's disappointed either. In fact, the Cougars met his expectations more or less exactly in Fort Morgan, and now he can see their path to the postseason a little more clearly. "What I need to do is take my 90s guys-Luc, Emmett and Carlos-and get them to take five or six shots off each of their scores, so they're in the high 80s. Then we'll be right in the thick of thi...
On July 29, the Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) announced that boys tennis and softball would join boys golf for the fall 2020 sports season. As of Aug. 2, other fall sports including football and volleyball are still awaiting a verdict. Softball and boys tennis are permitted to begin official practices on Aug. 10 with competition starting as soon as Aug. 13. Health and safety is a top priority and CHSAA has made significant modifications to each sport’s season. Per CHSAA, the softball season will be shortened from 23 to 1...
Amid the hubbub about the return to play plans for high school sports such as football and cross country, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) quietly gave boys golf the green light to start its season as scheduled during the first week of August. In an announcement dated July 25, CHSAA stated that golf is "able to be played under the current national, state, county and CHSAA health guidelines as they pertain to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," and, as such, plans for the 2020...
Niwot golfer Christopher Gunlikson finished in 45th overall at the 2019 Class 4A State Championships, held Oct. 7-8 at the Bridges Golf Course in Montrose. The sophomore carded an 86 (+15) on opening day, but followed up with an 81 (+10) on day two for final score of 167 (+25). Though he was well out of title contention, coach Ed Weaver was pleased with Gunlikson's improvement over the two-day tournament, and believes his top golfer came away with some hard won experience that will help him...
Niwot boys golf coach Ed Weaver knew he had to act after his number one golfer, Christopher Gunlikson, lost six strokes on three holes during the Class 4A Region 3 tournament at Coyote Creek golf course on Sept. 26. The normally even-keeled sophomore went from +2 after five holes to +8 after the eighth, putting him in danger of falling out of contention for a berth to the state championships on Oct. 7. So Weaver stepped-in and gave his top player some unexpected advice. "After number eight, I...
It will be no small task for the 2019 Niwot cross country program to top the success of last season, especially with the names Layla Roebke, Ares Reading, and Maggie Smith gracing college rosters this year. But that’s the expectation of fourth-year head coach Kelly Christensen, and the results from the Cougars’ season debut at the VistaNation 2Mile Invitational lend credence to his claims. With top finishers in four of the six races at the exclusive meet, Niwot seems to have more than eno...
There weren’t many Niwot names on the top half of the leaderboard after Northern League event #1 at the Olde Course on Aug. 8, but Ed Weaver didn’t expect there to be. With three inexperienced golfers in the varsity lineup, the fifth-year coach is working on a new strategy that probably won’t produce many tournament titles in 2019. “We are a young team, with basically no seniors, so we have the opportunity to develop some new players,” he said. “I want to try to get as many kids tournament...
On Feb. 11, Niwot High principal Eric Rauschkolb announced that the school has selected Loveland High’s Kevin Clark to replace outgoing assistant principal and athletic director Chase McBride, who is leaving for a position with the St. Vrain Valley School District at the end of the school year. “After an extensive search, we are pleased to inform you that a recommendation will be made to the Board of Education that Mr. Kevin Clark be hired as the new Assistant Principal and Athletic Dir...
Niwot head golf coach Ed Weaver wouldn’t say he was disappointed in his team’s performance at the Class 4A Region 3 tournament on Sept. 19, but it wasn’t the outcome he expected either. Bedeviled by unpredictable greens and a treacherous back nine at Loveland’s Olde Course, the Cougars finished in fourth place overall, and missed qualifying as a team for the Class 4A championship tournament for the first time since 2015. “The reality is, as a player, unless you’re trying to win the tournament,...
Battling unseasonable heat and a very hilly course, the Niwot boys and girls cross country teams both took first place at the RE-1J District cross country meet at Sunset golf course on Sept. 12. Four of the Niwot girls (Samrawit Dishon, Maggie Smith, Taylor James, and Joelle McDonald), finished among the top five, holding hands as they crossed the finish line. The boys top finishers were Caleb Bishop (3rd), Luke Robinson (5th), and Jack Kenkel (6th). Cougar freshman Zane Bergen was also among...
The Niwot boys golf team captured two first place titles in the first two tournaments of the 2018 season, but head coach Ed Weaver doesn’t want anyone getting too comfortable. “I expected them to be very competitive early,” he said following the Cougars’ six-stroke win at the Spartan Invitational in Greeley on Aug. 13. “But I also know it’s a long season, and we still have to play consistently.” That said, it’s hard not to get excited about the team’s performance in the early going, even if th...
Head coach Ed Weaver has high expectations for the 2018 Niwot boys golf team, and he makes a convincing case for them. On paper, his projected varsity squad is almost an embarrassment of riches. He is returning all three state qualifiers from last season, and expects to pick up a talented incoming freshman. Add in a handful of rapidly improving juniors and sophomores behind them, and Weaver anticipates having enough depth to vie not just for event titles, but eventually the conference and...
Singer- songwriter Kevin Dooley has been in the music business for decades, traveling across the US and Europe. Music is his passion and Colorado is his home. You can find him playing guitar and performing his original folk music on main stages, festivals, and pubs across the Front Range. But sometimes you’re fortunate enough to be part of a more intimate audience of fans right here in Niwot at First Friday Artwalk on 2nd Avenue or at the Niwot Market Friday night dinners. This summer, y...
Jeremy Lanter is looking forward to his second season as Niwot’s head football coach, and not just because he feels the Cougars will be more competitive on the field. With 20 first-time players, in addition to a healthy crop of freshman, Lanter said newcomers have breathed energy and optimism into his program, which has seen its share of struggles in recent years. “Now although the numbers have been similar, the excitement has been one of the biggest changes in the program,” he wrote in an em...
Calm winds and mild morning temperatures gave way to gusty afternoon winds at the Loveland Invite, held at the Olde Course April 11, but the Niwot girls golf team turned in another eye-opening performance that has head coach Ed Weaver reevaluating his outlook for the season. “From one to five, there was a five-stroke differential, and that’s not much” he said. “When we took a team to state my first year on the boys’ side, that was the exact same formula, interestingly enough.” The Cougars fin...
Despite an unfortunate performance on the first day of the tournament, Niwot golfer Jack Hoover was sanguine during Round 2 of this year’s Class 4A State Golf Tournament at Raccoon Creek Golf Course in Littleton. “Yesterday was a little rough,” he admitted after putting for par on the fourth hole on Tuesday. “Today, so far, I’m pretty good. Off the tee, I’ve hit pretty well. I’ve struggled on the greens today, but that’s golf.” Hampered by unseasonably damp weather, the junior carded double-bog...
Running as a pack, the Niwot boys and girls cross country teams both took first place at the RE-1J District meet in convincing fashion. Paced by sophomore Cruz Culpepper, the Niwot boys had five of the race’s ten fastest times to take first place with 21 points. Lyons was second on the day, with 58 points, followed by Mead (60) and Erie (104). Culpepper took second overall with a time of 17 minutes, 51.79 seconds, followed by seniors Ethan Steiner (17:53.15) in third, Oskar Wells (17.55.64) in f...
Led by top five individual finishes from juniors Jack Hoover and Andrew Elliott, the Niwot boys golf team took second at the Class 4A Region 1 tournament held Monday and qualified to compete as a team at the state tournament for the second year in a row. Hoover carded a 73 (+3) for the day, which was good for second place, behind defending 4A state champion Luke Trujillo (-5) of Discovery Canyon. Junior Andrew Elliott (+8) also had a big day in Pueblo, shooting a 78 (+8) to take fifth place...
The Niwot boys golf team was back in familiar territory last week, with two league tournaments at local venues. On Aug. 22, Cougars head coach Ed Weaver played host to a 9-team field for Northern League #4 at Longmont’s Twin Peaks Golf Course. Thanks to an unexpectedly uneven round from Niwot number-one Jack Hoover, the home team finished 50 strokes off the lead to come in fifth overall. Hoover shot +12 on the front nine, with a triple-bogey on the seventh, followed by consecutive d...