Hawks impress, track stars improve for state finals
Competing at the 20team Southern Arizona Championships in Tucson on Saturday, the Gila Ridge track and field team took second on the boys side and third on the girls. The Hawks boys got first-place finishes from Cody Hartman in the 800 meters (2:01.49) and Daniel Marquez in the 1,600 meters (4:30.75), and the Hawks girls got first-place finishes from Mia Corners in the long jump (17-9) and the triple jump (35-11) and Savannah Stewart in the discus (115-07).
Corners also took second in the 400 meters (1:00.01) and third in the 200 meters (25.63), while Hartman also took third in the 1,600 meters (4:40.25).
From a Division II statequalifying standpoint, helping their cause with improved provisional times were Marquez in the 1,600 meters, the boys 4x400-meter relay team (3rd at 3:31.27), the girls 4x400-meter relay team (4th at 4:18.77), the girls 4x100-meter relay team (6th at 51.51) and Faith Lopez in the girls 300-meter hurdles (7th at 49.60).
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Cibola senior Thomas Cain PR’d by 10 seconds in the 3,200 meters Friday at the Mt. SAC Relays in Torrance, Calif. Cain finished fifth overall in a time of 9:06.26, which ranks first in the state this season. Cain’s previous personal best in the event was a 9:16.08, posted at last year’s Mt. SAC Relays.
While Cain was in Torrance, the rest of Cibola’s top track and field athletes competed at the Fountain Hills Friday Night Fever Invitational. The Raiders finished fifth with 39 points out of 20 teams on the boys side, and sixth with 57 points out of 19 teams on the girls side.
Mori Gordon led the Raider girls with firstplace finishes in the 100 meters (13.11), the 200 meters (26.47) and 300-meter hurdles (48.18). Her time in the 200 meters was a personal-best, and made her a provisional Division I state qualifier in the event.
On the boys side, Jake Smith took first in the 1,600 meters in 4:29.16 — a personal best, and improved provisional-qualifying time — and the 3,200 meters in 9:45.12.
Other top-five finishers for the Raiders were: Levi Galvan in the boys shot put (2nd at 46-4.5), the girls 4x100-meter relay team (2nd at 51.10), Milan Swammi in the girls high jump (3rd at 4-10), Ashley Valenzuela in the 1,600 meters (4th at 5:44.9), Quinn Thompson in the girls javelin (4th at 85-10), the boys 4x100-meter relay team (4th at 44.99) and the boys 4x400-meter relay team (5th at 3:40.31).
Swammi in the high