Now that the high school basketball state playoffs have finished in Colorado, it’s time to look back at the top winter sports athletes from Durango High School and vote for who was the best.
The Demons didn’t have a ton of success on the basketball court, with the Durango girls making it to the state playoffs before losing in the second round. However, the Durango wrestling teams had a fantastic season as the programs continue to grow, with six Durango wrestlers at state. Durango Alpine skiing had eight athletes qualify for state.
Four athletes have been chosen for this poll. Each athlete showed they could compete with the best in the state and were key parts of their teams.
Regardless of who wins, this article is another way to commend these athletes for all the work and sacrifices they put in. It’s not easy playing sports at the high school level for Durango, and it’s even harder to do it at a high level with how isolated Durango is from the other schools in the state that are the same size. School, social events and the comfort of being at home every night were missed, but these athletes still flourished against their peers.
Here are the nominees for best winter athlete for Durango High School in the 2025-2026 season:
The Durango girls wrestling team is on the rise, and junior Lillian Fenberg is a big reason why. Fenberg and her twin, Aleia, have improved since they started wrestling on the varsity level in 2023-2024, and Fenberg showed she is one of the top wrestlers in 5A throughout the winter.
After a disqualification ended her sophomore campaign in regionals, Fenberg finished her junior season with 45 wins and eight losses. She started the season at 140 pounds, winning the Rocky Mountain Girls Invitational and the Clash at the Coliseum Girls Varsity tournament.
After cutting down to 135 pounds for the rest of the season, Fenberg made it to the first-place match of the CHSAA 5A Girls Region 2 regional and finished second. She then had an impressive run at state in Ball Arena in Denver, controlling her first three opponents to get to the final. She lost 1-0 to Columbine’s Makena Heston, but it was a statement performance as Durango’s first runner-up in girls wrestling.
Fenberg’s consistency throughout the season was stellar, with her finishing third or better in every tournament. Her consistency was juxtaposed with her unpredictability on the mat with her athleticism, aggressiveness and versatility. She will be rewarded with a spot on the second-team all-state once those teams come out.
The Demons girls wrestling program should have their entire team back next year, with Lillian leading the way as she looks to make more history as Durango girls wrestling’s’ first state champion.
The Durango girls wrestling team was led by the Fenberg twins, and sophomore Ryder Martyn impressed as a sophomore to lead the boys throughout the season.
Wrestling at 138 pounds, Martyn improved upon a fantastic freshman campaign to finish his sophomore year 51-10. Martyn is one of the hardest workers in the program, constantly wrestling in the offseason and working out on his own to get better
Martyn was ranked second in the preseason at 138 pounds in 4A and lived up to those expectations in the regular season by winning the Wolverine Classic and the Rocky Mountain Invitational. He continued his strong form at regionals, taking the CHSAA 4A Region 4 title.
At state, Martyn had comfortable wins in the first three rounds before losing in the semifinals to Sand Creek’s Rayce Schriever. Martyn didn’t lose his focus and dominated his two consolation bracket matches to finish third.
Martyn will have a lot of expectations going into his junior year after two stellar years to begin his high school career. Expect him to continue to thrive with his strong mindset and work ethic.
The Demons girls basketball program had a lot to replace from its 2024-2025 state quarterfinal team, but one of those players wasn’t Claire Goodwin, who became the primary creator for the Demons in the 2025-2026 season.
Goodwin stepped into the No. 1 option role for the Demons as the lone starter coming back from last year’s team. She had her games where all of the defense’s focus slowed her down, but Goodwin still led the team with 12.8 points per game, 2.5 steals per game, and she was a good rebounder as a guard with 4.7 rebounds per game.
The senior shooter had her moments when she got red-hot from 3-point range with an impressive shooting stroke, but she also found lanes to the basket and drew fouls to get to the free-throw line.
Goodwin’s full arsenal of skills was on display when it mattered most with the Demons taking on Golden in the second round of the 5A state playoffs. Goodwin had the best game of her career, helping the Demons lead late in the fourth quarter before Golden came back to win. Goodwin finished with a season-high 25 points on 8-18 shooting from the field, 3-7 from 3-point range, 6-7 from the free-throw line, seven rebounds and five steals.
Unfortunately, that loss ended Durango’s season with an 11-12 record.
Next season, Durango girls basketball head coach Lauren Moran will have to replace a lot of production, with Goodwin being at the top of that list.
The Durango High School Alpine ski team didn’t have the best conditions with a super warm winter, but senior Corbin Horrocks did a great job despite the lack of snow.
Horrocks, a Del Norte student who skied with the Demons, is a tall, lean and beautiful skier who powers through the gates, according to his coach Jill Carithers. He finished third in slalom at the season’s opening round in Loveland on Jan. 8, and he finished third in slalom at Keystone on Jan. 30.
The senior skier used his power and steadiness to finish 10th in slalom and 17th in giant slalom at state; both results led the Durango boys.
Out of all the winter sports and the nominations for top Durango High School winter sports athlete, Horrocks and the Demons ski team were definitely affected the most by the warm weather. Who knows how much better Horrocks could’ve done if Southwest Colorado had a normal winter.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
