A state champion sprinter usually has colleges knocking down doors, doing whatever possible to get talented athletes to commit to their schools.

And it has been no different for Coronado senior LaTraia Scott, last year’s Class 5A state champion in the 100 and runner-up in the 200 meters, who accepted a scholarship to Georgia Tech. But no matter how well Scott does at the state meet this season, it most likely will be her last days of competing.

Her 4.57 grade-point-average is sending her to Georgia Tech on an academic scholarship, where she plans on studying biology and chemistry in preparation for medical school. She hopes to someday become a pediatric oncologist.

“I love track, but I know that once I get to school I will have to focus on my studies and spend my time trying to be what I am going to be,” she said. “And I am probably not going to be a professional runner, so my time will be better spent on my studies so I can do what I really want to do.”

With an academic upbringing — her mother is a math teacher at Coronado, and her father is a satellite engineer for the Air Force — education always has been a first priority in the Scott household.

However, both of her parents were successful high school sprinters and encouraged LaTraia and her siblings to try running. When she was in elementary school, track became a huge part of the Scott family, including for her brother Travvis and sister Liya.

After enduring many years of grueling track practices and grueling studies, Scott tasted some success last year when she won the highly coveted 100 at state.

“It wasn’t a huge rush of excitement, because it’s like it didn’t really hit me for a few days,” she said. “I never went into it expecting to win, but it sure was nice to see all of my hard work pay off.”

Scott gets to share her final track season with Travvis, who is a top contender for the high jump after finishing seventh last year, and Liya, a talented freshman who already has had some success in youth track competitions. Liya most likely will team with LaTraia for some relays. And just because it’s her final season doesn’t mean Scott isn’t motivated to put forth some more hard work to defend her state title.

“I’m really excited to have all of us on the team together this year, so I am really looking forward to it,” Scott said. “And I can’t slack off just because I’m a state champion. I know I have to work even harder.

“It’s not like just because I may not be doing track after this year, that I don’t care. I do care. And I am going in strong.”

Starting line

CLASS 5A TOP 10

1. Fort Collins: Only a few points short of the title last year, the Lambkins are even stronger this year with a tough distance squad.

2. Montbello: Junior sprinter Kayla Fisher-Taylor will be tough to stop in the sprints and relays.

3. Highlands Ranch: Stacked in the distance events and led by sophomore Eleanor Fulton, the Falcons have depth and talent to score.

4. Smoky Hill: With defending 300 hurdler champion Vanessa Samuel, the Buffs are hoping to get back into the top five this year.

5. George Washington: Traditionally strong in the sprints and relays, the Patriots are always in contention.

6. Thunder Ridge: With depth in the long sprints and relays, the Grizzlies should finish in the top 10 again.

7. Cherry Creek: Junior Clare Gallagher proved herself in cross country, and will help the Bruins finish high.

8. Littleton: The team is led by distance runner Camille Logan and thrower Brooke Jackson.

9. Overland: The Trailblazers can never be counted out as they shoot for another top 10 finish.

10. Chaparral: The Wolverines can do well with an impressive middle-distance squad.

TOP RETURNEES

Athlete, School, Year

Kayla Fisher-Taylor, Montbello, Jr. State finish: Third, 100 and 200

Eleanor Fulton, Highlands Ranch, So. State finish: First, 1,600; second, 3,200)

Brooke Jackson, Littleton, Sr. State finish: First, discus

Mikey Kenney, Arvada West, Sr. State finish: First, high jump

Allie McLaughlin, Air Academy, Sr. State finish: First, 3,200

Tati Ogan, Fort Collins, Sr. State finish: Second, 1,600; third, 800

Natosha Rogers, Dakota Ridge, Sr. State finish: Third, 3,200

Vanessa Samuel, Smoky Hill, Sr. State finish: First, 300 hurdles

LaTraia Scott, Coronado, Sr. State finish: First, 100; second, 200

Kelsey Willamson, ThunderRidge, Sr. State finish: Third, 400

Kirsten Young, Legacy, Sr. State finish: Third, high jump

NOTEBOOK

Air Academy senior Allie McLaughlin has had a lot of tough decisions to make, but she seems to be making all of the right ones.

With a hockey background, she didn’t know if she should try running, but she became one of the top high school distance runners in the country. And when she was in the midst of a fantastic lacrosse season last spring, she didn’t know if she should skip an All-Star lacrosse game to run in the Class 5A state track meet. She did, and she ran the second-fastest 3,200 meters in Colorado (10 minutes, 49.46 seconds.)

She also feels confident she made the right choice in signing with the University of Colorado last Tuesday.

“It was a tough decision for me, but when it came down to it, it just felt right,” said McLaughlin, who will play lacrosse for the Kadets again this spring.

McLaughlin, who won the 5A state cross country meet in the fall and earned All-American status by finishing fifth at the Footlocker National Championships, said the 3,200 state championship race last spring was a huge turning point for her.

“It gave me the confidence I needed because that’s when I realized that I’m better than I thought I was,” said McLaughlin, who is going for the state record of 10:34.09, set my Boulder’s Melody Fairchild in 1990. “I feel so much stronger this year than I did last year, so I think that I can run even faster than I did.”

Montbello junior Kayla Fisher-Taylor might be fierce on the track, but she has often been accused by her coaches of having a soft heart.

Fisher-Taylor, who finished third in both the 100 and 200 meters at state, willingly stayed in the shadows of her then-senior teammate Natasha Gay, who won the 200 and finished second in the 100.

“She has all the talent, and she was pretty much playing the little sister role last season,” said her coach, John Trahan. “But now it’s time for her to take that leadership role. We’re expecting big things out of Kayla for the track season. We expect that she should win state.”

With Gay graduated and off to Barton Community College in Kansas, Fisher-Taylor is expected to battle Coronado’s LaTraia Scott (first in the 100, second in the 200) for the sprinting crowns.

“My hard work brings on better achievement and even higher goals, and I just try to think of the positives and try to focus on getting some good times this year,” Fisher-Taylor said.

Colorado is full of some incredible track talent, so the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Rhonda Blanford-Green was one of the believers who thought it was a shame that all of the schools weren’t a part of the same state track championship.

So, when CHSAA members voted last year to go to a new format for this spring, she was all for it.

“I am so excited about this,” said Blanford-Green, who was a state champion hurdler from Aurora Central. “If you’re a person who loves track and field, you’ll love this. This is truly everybody’s state meet.”

Throughout the season, athletes will qualify for the state meet based on time. And the top 18 will take part in the state track meet, which will spread out to a three-day format to accommodate all four classifications at Jefferson County Stadium on May 14-16.

“This was based on the idea to have everyone at one stadium, and so we had to ask ourselves how we do that,” Blanford-Green said. “This is the direction that Colorado high school track is going, and I think that this is going to be complementary to every classification.”

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