Ella Hagen, a junior at Summit High in Colorado and the reigning Class 4A state champion who placed 25th at Nike Cross Nationals last season along with winning the National High School Trail Championships in July at Salida Mountain, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss competing Oct. 28 at the Colorado High School Activities Association state championship meet at Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs. Hagen reflects on winning her Region 1 race Oct. 19 and Summit qualifying as a team for the state final. She revisits her four previous experiences competing at Norris Penrose Events Center, including a seventh-place finish at the 2021 state meet as a freshman along with winning the championship last season in 17:48.9 to secure Summit's first state crown in 18 years. Hagen examines her impressive performances early in the season by placing second Sept. 9 at the Liberty Bell Invitational at Heritage High, along with her victory Sept. 22 at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota, joining Cherry Creek standouts Jordyn Colter and Riley Stewart as the only Colorado female athletes in meet history to win the top high school girls race at the Les Bolstad Golf Course. She also analyzes her victory July 29 in the National High School Trail Championships and how it was a late decision to choose to compete, before winning the 5-mile race in 36:31.0. Hagen highlights how significant it is to be competing in Colorado during a period where there is exceptional depth of female athletes, including reigning Class 3A state champion Isabel Allori of Liberty Common along with Air Academy standouts Bethany Michalak and Tessa Walter, and how grateful she is to race in Class 4A against the Niwot lineup, led by Addison Ritzenhein, along with Payton Meineke of Riverdale Ridge. She speaks about the importance of having a strong support system in her family, both as coaches and parents, and her ability to eliminate outside distractions and only focus on training and competing with her teammates. Hagen looks forward to racing Nov. 18 at the Nike Southwest Regional at Coyote Run Golf Course at Leisure World in Arizona and earning a berth to compete again Dec. 2 at Nike Cross Nationals at Glendoveer Golf Course in Oregon.