Year: 2020
Award: Most Promising, Cross Country
Location/Affiliation: Air Academy High School
- Won the State Championship as a Freshman
- 4A High School Cross Country State Champion
- Freshman at Air Academy High School
Bethany Michalak is the Sportswomen of Colorado Most Promising Athlete award winner. The honor is given to a powerful up and comer and this freshman at Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs is all that.
She wasn’t an unknown when she hit the prep scene. She came in with a lot of cred. Bethany joined her first cross country club team in the third grade, then won the USA Track & Field (USATF) Junior Olympics National Championship in the 11 – 12 age category.
In 2020, she turned heads with instant results as a ninth grader. Then, she wrapped up the season winning the 4A state title and leading the Kadets to a third place finish in the team race.
Her time was a fast 17:59.1 which would have placed her second in the 5A girls championship race behind Cherry Creek’s junior phenom, Riley Stewart.
Bethany Michalak is off to a very “promising” start and is already drawing comparisons with former Air Academy superstar Katie Raibsberger. We can’t wait to see what the next three years, and the high school track season, bring for Bethany.