Much like they did when wearing the orange and black at Montezuma-Cortez High School, Aryelle and Avery Wright bring their best to the track for Colorado School of Mines, adding another chapter to the growing lore of their achievements.
On March 8-9, the Wright sisters took to the Robert W. Plaster Center track at Pittsburg State University for Division II Indoor Track and Field National Championships.
Redshirt senior Aryelle Wright earned her highest finish in her collegiate career, taking third place in the 800 meters. She also joined a quartet of Orediggers on a seventh-place distance medley relay squad to add two more All-American honors to her résumé.
Sophomore Avery Wright earned her second nationals appearance in track and field. It was also her first in the indoor pentathlon, finishing 13th in the multidisciplinary event.
Aryelle bested her previous top finish at the national meet by one place, as she worked her way up from eighth place on the opening lap to within striking distance of a top-three position entering the bell lap.
Wright posted the second-fastest finishing kick in the field, earning her a time of 2 minutes, 8.88 seconds – her fastest of the season.
Coupled with her distance medley relay result (11:29.00, alongside teammates Imani Fernandez-Gorbea, Grace Galvin and Riley McGrath), Wright now owns eight All-American honors, six in the 800 meters and two from the medley relay.
Meanwhile, Avery utilized strong performances in the shot put (12.50 meters) and 60-meter hurdles (8.86 seconds) in the five-event combined competition, just one year after she qualified for the heptathlon in the outdoor national championships as a true freshman.
As a team, the Orediggers scored 19 points for 10th place overall in the Division II field, while league rivals Adams State took home another national title.
The sisters’ national-level success followed a league championship, in which Aryelle broke the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference meet record on her way to the 800-meter crown. Avery added a runner-up finish in the pentathlon to help the Orediggers to run away with the RMAC team title.
The Wright sisters had impressive careers while at Montezuma-Cortez, as each sister posted individual state titles.
Aryelle won the 400 meters before shifting toward middle distance in college. Avery won the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, and now she focuses on the jumping, hurdling and throwing disciplines. The duo combined to break the 3A state record in the 800-meter relay before reuniting in Golden.
For Aryelle, one more opportunity awaits for All-American honors before capping her sensational collegiate career.
Meanwhile, Avery looks to return to the outdoor championships in the heptathlon. With the outdoor season now on the horizon, the Wrights aim to qualify for the National Championships, which take place May 23-25 in Emporia, Kansas.
