GIRLS TRACK
“Mia wasn’t anything surprising,” Hawks coach Briar Ploude said. “She’s running really well right now.”
Corners’ times in the sprinters were both season-bests — which at past district meets wouldn’t have meant much, but this year did.
That’s because this year, for the first time since 2013, the district meet counted as an Arizona Interscholastic Association sanctioned statequalifier — meaning an automated timing system, brought in from the Phoenix area, was used.
That decision was made by district athletic directors, and certainly supported by coaches.
“It made (the meet) a little more meaningful, and not just for bragging rights,” Ploude said.
Added Cibola coach Brett Pavey: “It’s nice because kids have a chance to go out there and qualify for state without having to ride on a bus for four hours in the morning.”
Corners’ met Division II’s automatic state-qualifying standard in three of her events Tuesday, though she’d already done so earlier in the season for all four.
“I just wanted to have fun and just get the city championships again,” Corners said. “I wanted to enjoy my time and not stress as much.”
Joining Corners as a multiple-event winner for the Gila Ridge girls was senior Savannah Stewart, who won the shot put at 33-7.5 (a season-best) and the discus at 118-9. Also for the Hawks, who won two of three relays (4x1, 4x4), sophomore Gracie Garner won the 400 meters (1:02) and junior Hanah Sims won the pole vault (9-0).
Three other girls, not from Gila Ridge, also won multiple individual event titles: Kofa junior Karen Rivas (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Kofa junior Keiley Sharp (javelin, high jump) and Cibola sophomore Ashley Valenzuela (1600m, 3200m).
For Rivas, the 300-meter hurdles district title was her third straight, in an event she’s currently ranked No. 4 in Division I in. But the 100-meter hurdles title was her first, as it’s an event she hasn’t done in the past.
“We’re really just having her do it to build confidence for her going over hurdles,” Kings coach Melissa Johnson said.
Johnson was particularly impressed with Sharp’s performance. She won the javelin — which is a new AIA event this year — with a mark of 1242, and the high jump with a personal-best 5-3.
Kofa finished third as a team with 68 points, following by San Luis (15) in fourth and Yuma High (2) in fifth.
The most exciting girls event of the day was the 1,600 meters, which Cibola’s Valenzuela won in a literal photo finish over teammate Aylin Quintero. Initial postings had Quintero winning at 5:54.18 followed by Valenzuela at 5:54.20, but a review reversed it.
It was nearly identical to how Valenzuela edged Quintero for the girls cross-country district title back in the fall.
“It makes it fun because we know we have each other to push each other through it, but it does make it kind of stressful like, ‘Oh, who’s going to win?” said Valenzuela, who also won the 3,200 meters.
Cibola’s Ariana Ames added a third distance win for the Raiders in the 800 meters.