Recent Dayspring Christian graduate Eboselulu Omofoma is a rare breed.
That much is evident by her dozen state track titles and her eye-popping statistics on the basketball court.
Yet, Omofoma is the first to admit: she wouldn’t be where she is as an athlete if not for the incredible competition that surrounded her in the northern Colorado area and throughout the state.
Many of Omofoma’s athletic companions received strong consideration for being named the Greeley Tribune’s Girls Athlete of the Year — a distinction that, ultimately, just could not be denied to Omofoma, as she earns the honor for the second consecutive year.
The area’s other top athletes are clearly deserving of being at the pinnacle of their respective sports.
Here are the Tribune’s picks for the area’s top girls athletes in each sport during the 2023-24 high school sports athletic year.
Stay tuned next weekend for the Tribune’s picks for the Boys Athlete of the Year and the other top boys athletes.
FALL
Cross country
Delaney Reuter, Eaton, freshman
Reuter was a freshman sensation for the Reds, recording top finishes throughout the course of the season.
She capped her stellar campaign with a sixth-place finish in the Class 3A state meet Oct. 28 at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs. Her time (19:16.5) was the fastest among any local athletes in any classification.
It also was the second-fastest time in 3A among freshmen.
In the months leading up to state, Reuter placed in the top 5 in all nine of the meets she competed in. She placed first four times.
With the excellent start to her high school career, one should expect Reuter to continue to contend for state titles for years to come.
Gymnastics
Taegan Olson, Roosevelt, junior
Olson left her mark in a variety of areas during the 4A state meet Nov. 2-4.
She tied for seventh (36.375 points) in the all-around standings.
In competition for the all-around title, she tied for sixth overall (9.3) in vault and tied for 24th (8.5) in bars.
She rounded out her contention in the all-around standings by tying for ninth (8.975) in beam and placing second (9.6) in floor behind Palmer Ridge’s Braelyn Marr (9.625).
In individual events, she was fourth (9.475) in vault, 11th (8.750) in beam and 13th (9.075) in floor.
She helped lead Roosevelt’s upstart program to a sixth-place finish in the team standings.
Softball
Sadie Ross, Eaton, sr.
Eaton won its second consecutive 3A state title this past fall, and Ross was a major reason why.
She led the Reds with her bat and her pitching arm.
Offensively, she batted .535 with team-bests of 52 RBI and 13 home runs to go with 14 doubles.
In the pitcher’s circle, she went 11-1 with a 0.55 earned-run average, 119 strikeouts and 19 walks in 64 innings.
She led Eaton to a 28-1 record and was the Gatorade Colorado Softball Player of the Year.
Spirit
Haylee Sanchez, Roosevelt cheer, sr.
Sanchez was an instrumental leader on a Roosevelt squad that won the 4A co-ed state title this past fall.
A four-year contributor to the varsity program, she contributed on the floor and mentored the team’s younger athletes, all while maintaining a high grade-point average.
She’ll continue her cheer career at the University of Northern Colorado this fall.
“She leads by example and is the definition of a cheerleader,” Roosevelt head cheerleading coach Michelle Mauch said.
Volleyball
Mackenzie Flikkema, Resurrection Christian, senior
Flikkema, a 6-foot middle blocker, led the Cougars in a variety of areas, as Resurrection Christian won its third state title in program history — its first at the 3A level — as somewhat of an underdog.
Flikkema had team-highs of 236 kills and was second on the team in assists (346), third in aces (35), fourth in blocks (32) and fourth in digs (229).
Resurrection Christian went 22-9, including a 3-1 win in the state finals against Patriot League rival University on Nov. 11 at the Denver Coliseum.
WINTER
Basketball
Jenna Krise, Briggsdale, sr.
Krise, a versatile 5-foot-10 guard, put up true video game-like numbers, as she led the Falcons to a 24-2 record and their second consecutive 1A state title.
She led the team in just about every notable statistical category, averaging 27 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
She was second on the team in steals per game (3.8) and blocks per game (0.8). She shot 55% from the field and 35% from downtown.
She was the state’s leading scorer in 1A and was third in the state among all classifications.
Swimming and diving
Sienna Hawbaker, Windsor, jr.
Hawbaker closed her junior season in style, recording a pair of top 4 finishes during the 4A girls swimming and diving state finals Feb. 8 at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton.
She placed third in the 100-yard freestyle (52.04 seconds) and was fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:08.09).
Her various contributions helped lead Windsor to an 11th-place finish in the state meet’s team standings.
Wrestling
Rylee Balcazar, Fort Lupton, sr.
This past winter, Balcazar continued to make school history, becoming the first two-time girls state champion in the Bluedevils’ deep wrestling annals.
She capped a spectacular 45-0 season by pinning Pueblo Central freshman Acelyn Duran in 4 minutes in the 105-pound title match during the state wrestling championships Feb. 17 at Denver’s Ball Arena.
Balcazar pinned each of her four opponents during the state tournament.
She won her initial state title as a sophom*ore in 2022, becoming the school’s first girls state wrestling champion.
SPRING
Golf
Macy Kleve, Windsor, jr.
Thanks to a late charge, Kleve made an impressive run into one of the 4A state tournament’s top couple spots May 20-21 at the Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs.
She shot a two-round total of 158 to tie for second, individually, behind Erie senior Logan Hale (67-75-142). After shooting an 86 during Day 1, she was simply electric during Day 2, shooting a 72, which was the lowest score of the day.
Kleve led Windsor to a solid fourth-place finish in the team standings.
Soccer
Emily Gesick, Frontier Academy, soph.
Building off a stellar freshman season, Gesick was again a point-producing machine for the Wolverines this past spring.
She had a team-high 53 points — 22 goals and nine assists — in 16 matches.
She tied for the ninth most points in 3A.
Her leadership translated into plenty of team success, as Frontier Academy went 9-6-2 and advanced to the second round of the state tournament.
Tennis
Zaylee Rose, Windsor, soph.
After falling short of qualifying for state a year ago, Rose raised some eyebrows during her sophom*ore campaign.
She capped an excellent season by placing second in the No. 2 singles bracket during the 4A state tournament May 11 at Pueblo City Park.
Rose dropped a pair of competitive sets — 7-5, 7-5 — against Cheyenne Mountain sophom*ore Sophie Zhou in the finals.
Rose won each of her first three matches of the state tournament in straight sets.
Zhou was a 4A semifinalist at No. 1 singles a year ago.
Track and field
Andie Rasmussen, Eaton, sr.
Rasmussen made her presence felt all over the place at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood during the 3A state championships May 16-18.
She won a state title in dominant fashion in the girls 400-meter run, finishing with a time of 55.44 seconds.
She added another state title in the 300 hurdles with a time of 43.83.
She also placed fifth in the 200 (25.45).
Rasmussen was even the anchor of Eaton’s sixth-place 1,600 relay team (4:10.36).
She was pivotal in the Reds placing fourth in the girls team standings.
