LAKEWOOD – Each step The Classical Academy athletes took toward the podium to collect their team trophies Saturday sounded like someone shaking a piggy bank, as competitors wore a slew of medals.

The Titans were money following three days of competition at Jeffco Stadium as the boys earned back-to-back track and field titles Saturday while the girls claimed their first championship since 2018.

This marks the first time since 2014 that the Titans boys and girls swept 3A.

“It’s sweet,” TCA coach Tim Daggett said. “We’re a K-12 school, so this is a group of kids I’ve known a while. My oldest son is a senior and I remember some of these kids from when they were in kindergarten. It felt like the culmination of a lot of years and hopes and dreams coming together.”

The boys dominated each day of the event and had three individual state champions, Matthew Edwards (3,200), Noah Osterloh (triple jump) and Jordan Wenger (long jump).

Edwards earned consecutive titles in the 3,200 on Thursday and placed second in the 1,600 on Saturday.

The Air Force Academy commit recalled his freshman and sophomore years when the Titans nearly captured titles but had to settle for runners-up trophies.

Matthews said to close with a team championship as a senior and finish with consecutive titles – as an individual runner and for TCA – “was special.”

“We struggled with those close finishes so it’s nice to come here once again and win,” Edwards said. “We had a great team this year and I’m going to miss these guys. We have a special group and it was great to go out in this way.”

For the TCA girls, they endured a six-year drought between titles and had second-place finishes last year and in 2019.

This year, the Titans’ girls pole vaulters provided a necessary jolt to their team score.

Anna Willis, 13-10 (2nd, 8 points); Lily Tesar, 10-7 (3rd, 7 points); Elyse Riley, 10-1 (6th, 4 points) and Elise Thuringer, 9-1 (8th, 2 points) scored 21 of the Titans’ 88 points.

Heidi Nielsen also shined for the Titans, especially as she anchored the 4x200 relay, which finished first.

The 4x200 team set a meet record Friday at 1 minute, 42 seconds and Nielsen said winning the event and setting a state record in the process is "one of the best experiences I’ve ever had."

“I love winning with my team more than I like winning by myself, 100 percent," said Nielsen, who won three gold medals (100, 200, 4x200) and a silver (4x100) this week.

To clinch the team title, the Titans needed a stout performance in the meet’s final race.

Berthoud, which finished second, trailed TCA by eight points entering the 4x400 relay, but placed first to earn 10 points, which briefly gave them the lead.

However, TCA, which needed to place eighth to clinch at least a share of first, finished fourth to earn the title.

“None of these girls have been apart of a track and field state title since we haven’t had one since 2018,” Daggett said. “They’ve been close and they’ve been battling. To do this with the guys and match them, this is special. … When the final results went up, that’s when it felt truly locked up.”

TCA scorers

Boys

Triple jump – Noah Osterloh, 43-9.25 (1st, 10 pts)

3,200 – Matthew Edwards, 9:28.32 (1st, 10 pts)

Long jump – Jordan Wenger, 22-9 (1st, 10 pts)

Triple jump – Jordan Wenger, 43-4.25 (2nd, 8 pts)

1,600 – Matthew Edwards, 4:17.63 (2nd, 8 pts)

High jump – Jordan Wenger, 6-6 (2nd, 8 pts)

300 hurdles – Marcus May, 39.66 (3rd, 7 pts)

4x400 – 4:10.25 (3rd, 7 pts)

4x800 – 8:04.35 (3rd, 7 pts)

800 – Logan Halla, 1:56.75 (4th, 6 pts)

4x100 – 43.42 (4th, 6 pts)

Shot put – Sam Allen, 46-7.25 (5th, 5 pts)

110 hurdles – Marcus May, 15.25 (5th, 5 pts)

1,600 – Logan Halla, 4:21.59 (5th, 5 pts)

4x200 – 1:29.49 (5th, 5 pts)

Shot put – Cole Hoffman, 46-4.5 (6th, 4 pts)

300 hurdles – Jacob Waite, 41.32 (7th, 3 pts)

3,200 – Jackson Cook, 9:50.08 (7th, 3 pts)

100 – JD Packard, 11:38 (9th, 1 pt)

Girls

100 – Heidi Nielsen, 11:86 (1st, 10 pts)

200 – Heidi Nielsen, 24.08 (1st, 10 pts)

4x200 – 1:42 (1st, 10 pts)

Pole vault – Anna Willis, 13-10 (2nd, 8 pts)

4x100 – 49.45 (2nd, 8 pts)

4x800 – 9:35.52 (2nd, 8 pts)

Pole vault – Lily Tesar, 10-7 (3rd, 7 pts)

4x400 – 4:10.25 (4th, 6 pts)

800 – Yana Yuschalk, 2:20.56 (5th, 5 pts)

800 medley – 1:51.79 (5th, 5 pts)

Pole vault – Elyse Riley, 10-1 (6th, 4 pts)

Long jump – Anna Willis, 16-6.75 (7th, 3 pts)

Pole vault – Elise Thuringer, 9-1 (8th, 2 pts)

1600 – Vivian Jack, 5:12.25 (8th, 2 pts)

Final team standings

3A

Boys

1. TCA (118), 2. University (75.5), 3. Berthoud (58), 4. Resurrection Christian (54), 5. Holy Family (51)

Top 20 from the area: 11. Manitou Springs (21), 18t. James Irwin (13)

Girls

1. TCA (88), 2. Berthoud (84), 3. Holy Family (66), 4. Eaton (61), 5. Jefferson Academy (51)
2. Top 20 from the area: 15. Woodland Park (21), 17. James Irwin (18)