Highland, Casteel among state champions
The 2021 Arizona Interscholastic Association Cross Country State Championship was held at Cave Creek Golf Course on Saturday, Nov. 13, and the course welcomed runners, family, and fans from across the entire state.
Here is a breakdown of the winners in each girls division.
Division 1
The Highland Hawks took first place in Division 1 for the teams section. The Hawks finished with a score of 38, with a total team time of 1:37:58. Just behind Highland was Desert Vista, which finished with a time of 1:36:43. Coming in third place was Liberty, clocking in at a 1:41:33.
“The girls stepped up. Desert Vista always sets the bar high, and our girls landed at 43 seconds between one and five, and that’s how you win meets,” said Highland Head Coach Dave Montgomery. “Today it went our direction, so I’m really happy about it.”
The individual winner of Division 1 was Desert Vista junior Lauren Ping. Saturday afternoon, Ping won her third straight individual title, running a 17:39.4.
“I was really excited that I won my third state cross country state title, and I was just really excited to cheer for my team.”
Highland finished with the next two finishers, with Emma Baugh coming in at second, and Kayla Case at third.
Division 2
The Casteel Colts ended the day as state champions, winning the team competition with 70 points, edging Flagstaff and Desert Mountain who ended in second and third.
Casteel’s team ran a total time of 1:41:17, with their average runner time being a 20:16.
I am so proud, these girls have worked so hard, and battled a lot of things, so it was awesome to see them win today,” said Casteel Head Coach Whitney Lemieux.
The individual winner of Division 2 went to Mia Hall of Flagstaff. Hall, a junior at Flagstaff, ran a 18:06.2.
“I was happy, especially since I ran faster than my time last year,” said Hall.
Just behind Hall was Clara Jones of Campo Verde, who ran a 18:59.5, and Taylor McCue of Catalina Foothills, who ran a 19:04.8.
Division 3
Coconino left Cave Creek Golf Course with the Division 3 state championship trophy. They finished with a time of 1:44:22, scoring 72 points, just edging Salpointe Catholic who finished with 74 points. In third place was Chinle, who finished with a total time of 1:45:37.
Although Salpointe Catholic couldn’t claim the trophy in the team section, they did in the individual. Salpointe Catholic junior Kylie Wild ended the race with a time of 18:41.0, claiming the state title.
“It was a really fun race, and I was happy because my teammates did well,” said Wild.
Landing in second place was Evelynne Carr of ALA Queen Creek, finishing with a time of 18:55.7, and third place went to Wheaten Smith of Coconino.
Division 4
Winning division four was Northwest Christian, finishing with a team time of 1:50:28.
“I was incredibly proud of my team,” said Kaitlyn Stone. “Our goal was just to run hard and pass as many people as we could.”
In second place was Glendale Preparatory Academy, which clocked in a time of 1:51:00. Third place went to Pusch Ridge Christian, which finished with a 1:55:51.
The individual title went to Round Valley senior Jessica Madrid. Madrid finished with a time of 19:52.7.
“Throughout the whole race I was telling myself to just not get in my head. I didn’t know how far everyone else was, but once I crossed the finish line and saw my older sister, and my mom, everything that I’ve worked so hard for, it just became so surreal,” said Madrid.
In second place in the individual standings was Taryn Janssen of Glendale
Preparatory Academy, who ran a 20:21.1. Third place went to Kimi Cahoon of Phoenix Country Day, who clocked in a time of 20:33.2.