Lisa Sutherland didn’t know she’d been named the Colorado High School Activities Association’s (CHSAA) 2023 Athlete of the Year for 1A Track and Field on June 2. She found out online by accident June 13, but said it was “very cool” to get the news regardless.
“It’s a huge honor to be named (athlete of the year),” she told the Forum. “It’s kind of funny that I found that way.”
“Athletes of the year were selected based upon their performance at the state meet,” CHSAA representatives said online. “In order to be considered for athlete of the year, they must first have made the all-state team by winning an event.”
Additionally, several other girls from various 1A schools were named to the state team, too, including Sutherland who had the highest honor.
Sutherland didn’t begin participating in track and field until her sophomore year. She worked with her coach, Sara Bray, to determine which events she wanted to compete in. She tried hurdling, and decided she could do it.
“It seemed to work out pretty good,” she said.
Now she’s a two-time state champion, and also a state qualifier for the long jump, an event she just started competing in during her senior year. Last year, she was named female athlete of the year for the San Juan Basin League, too. For that she received a plaque. She’s not sure what her award will be for the CHSAA title, but thinks it might be a banner. If so, she said it will be presented to Nucla High School and hang in the gym.
Sutherland is set to attend the Colorado School of Mines in Golden this fall. She’s wanted to attend the school since she was in middle school. She thinks the academics are amazing, and she loves the location. She has her heart set on becoming a doctor, so she’ll be majoring in quantitative biosciences and engineering, which checks all the boxes for a pre-med degree.
She got a full scholarship from the School of Mines, and it’s not associated with sports. But, she will be competing in college track and field. She’s a member of the heptathlon team, an event that lasts two days. Four of the events she’s never done before, but she’s intrigued to try them out. They include 100 hurdles, the 200 meter, the 800 meter, the long jump, the high jump, the shot put and the javelin throw.
She’s staying in shape this summer by running and also lifting weights. She said she reports for school in mid-August.
Sutherland is grateful for many people, her mom especially. She said her mother has supported her through all of her endeavors. She never really liked track before and she considered not doing it. Her mom supported that. When she felt like she might compete, her mom stood behind her then too.
And, Bray, Nucla’s high school track coach, has continued to push Sutherland throughout her high school career, helping her with the events she’s wanted to do.
“Her support has been amazing,” Sutherland said.
