Ella Hagen, already a three-sport individual state champion, adds another trophy by dominating Class 4A state cross country meet

COLORADO SPRINGS — Whether it be on the snow, track or trail, Ella Hagen cannot be stopped.

The Summit senior won her second Class 4A cross country crown on Saturday at the Norris Penrose Event Center, adding to her impressive three-sport trophy case that already features championships in Nordic skate skiing as well as an array of track medals, including the 1,600-meter title.

The CU commit blew away the 4A field with a time of 17 minutes, 30.7 seconds, winning by 47.5 seconds over runner-up Cloe Ruth of Silver Creek. She was ahead by less than a second at the one-mile mark before quickly distancing herself from the field.

“This course is where I’ve kind of become the runner I am, and it’s taught me a lot,” Hagen said. “Today was special, and amazing.

“(Four state titles across three sports) is more than I ever imagined I’d be able to do. All three sports really fuel me. Being able to compete and win in all of them is incredible. They all feed off each other, and it shows what’s possible. I want people to realize you can do everything you love; you don’t necessarily have to pick one or the other. You can have all of it.”

Especially when you are as talented as Hagen, who, if not for Niwot star Addison Ritzenhein (whose Cougars moved up to Class 5A for cross country this fall, but will remain in 4A in track in the spring), would have a third title in cross country and a 3,200-meter title in track.

Hagen lost to Ritzenhein in both those races and also beat the nationally renowned distance runner two seasons ago at 4A state cross country to deal Ritzenhein a rare loss within Colorado.

Hagen credited her rivalry with Ritzenhein, as well as other runners in a state known for its elite female distance talent, for fueling her success. Ritzenhein continued her running supremacy by cruising to the 5A title on Saturday with a time of 16:54.7 — 27 seconds faster than the runner-up.

“Racing Addie makes me a better human being in general,” Hagen said. “She’s incredible, and she drives me to be the absolute best version I can be because it’s never going to be easy racing her or any of the girls in Colorado. Being a Colorado runner has helped me get to where I am, because there’s always some amazing girls out there to push me, and many of them are my closest friends in many ways.”

Hagen’s athletic genes and family support system also get some credit for her three-sport success.

Her dad, Michael Hagen, is Summit cross country’s head coach and is also the distance coach for the Tigers’ track team. Her mom, Eva Hagen, is a cross country assistant and the school’s Nordic skiing coach. Michael was a triathlete who competed in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program and is a product of the Olympic Training Center, while Eva is a former competitive trail runner and ski mountaineer.

Add in Hagen’s older brother Luc Hagen, who was an All-American runner at Colorado School of Mines, and the result is an athlete who is a carefully crafted product of her athletic upbringing. Ella says her brother, who is nine years older, “inspired me to be who I am.”

“As a little girl, Ella would run with the Mines team while Luc was there, on their cool-down runs,” recalled Eva Hagen. “So yeah, the natural talent has always been there, but so has the desire to work really hard.”

Hagen’s domination on Saturday served as redemption for the last time she was on Colorado’s big stage when she was severely sick as a junior at last spring’s state track meet at Jeffco Stadium. As a result, she took sixth in the 1,600 and third in the 3,200.

“She was super disappointed at state track and it took motivation and perspective to get here to this point today,” Eva Hagen said. “She got to appreciate that it really is a gift to be healthy and show up at the starting line of a state championship. So today, she was determined to run with joy.”

Hagen did just that, and while she was all smiles after the race, she’s not content with her high school career quite yet.

She has eyes on another skiing title this winter — a sport she didn’t fully do competitively until high school — and then hopes to give Ritzenhein a run for her money in the distance races at next spring’s state track meet.