Student Athlete of the Week Evan Kear

The Niwot High School track and field talent factory is churning out another impressive long-distance runner.

Only a few meets into his junior season, Evan Kear has compiled several strong results, including one in the 1,600-meter event at the ultra-competitive Broomfield Shootout on Saturday, March 23. He wasn't among his heat's top runners, but Kear left pleased with an 11th-place overall finish at 4 minutes, 32.21 seconds.

The four laps essentially played out as Kear expected. After an extremely physical start to the race, Kear found his groove once things began to spread out.

"I got bounced around that first 200 meters, I was getting pushed all over the place," Kear said. "But I feel like I got out of it pretty well and responded."

While he competes against top talent daily at practice, Kear gained some confidence by learning that he can hang with some of Colorado's best in the mile.

"It definitely motivates me to be better every day, push harder and know that I can run with some of these boys," he said.

Kear, who hopes to compete at state later this spring, saw his personal mile time improve considerably compared to the St. Vrain RE-IJ District Meet two weeks prior. There, he ran a 4:42.25, about seven seconds slower than his Broomfield time.

Although he didn't run the 3,200-meter (two-mile) at the Broomfield Shootout, his progression in that event has also been encouraging. Kear recorded a time of 10:14.72 at the St. Vrain Meet on March 8 before going 9:52.87 at the Murray Kula Invitational on March 18 in Windsor.

"I haven't raced that much, but I'm looking forward to racing more, running a couple of more two miles, and hopefully, going to state," Kear said.

If he can continue improving, his overarching goal of competing at the state championships is more than achievable.

"It would mean the world to me, man," Kear said. "I've worked really hard and to get the opportunity to run for my team at state, it would mean a lot to me."

Racing for one of the top Class 4A programs in the state, Kear benefits from having many accomplished teammates to lean on. Niwot's top boys' runners with state experience include Kye Toothaker, Rocco Culpepper, Ryder Keeton, and others.

"It's awesome being in an environment where you get pushed every single day to be better," Kear said. "There's so many guys challenging you. It's just an awesome community to be a part of."