Team, runner nominees, coach of year
Here is The Arizona Republic’s All-Arizona girls cross-country team with the eight Runner of the Year nominees and Coach of the Year for the 2019 high school season. All of their race results are courtesy of Athletic.net.
Zoey Delgado, Sr., Tucson Salpointe Catholic
Won the 2019 Division III individual state championship, led Salpointe Catholic to second place in the team state championship, finished first at both at the Glendale Showcase and Rio Rico Rattler meets this season, and finished second in the Division III Sectional I race.
Hana Hall, Sr., Flagstaff
The GCU-commit won five of seven meets she competed including the Division II individual state championship, Four Corners, The Peaks and Holbrook invitationals, and the Division II Section II qualifier. She led the Flagstaff girls cross-country team to its fifth straight team state title and set a personal record of 17:35.6 as she finished in 11th place at Desert Twilight.
Taylor Lovell, So., Gilbert Perry
Was on the podium at third place in multiple races including the Division I individual state championship, Casteel Invitational, Chandler City Meet in which she set her personal record of 18:27.5. She finished fourth in the Division I Section I state qualifier race.
Caroline McCloskey, Sr., Gilbert Highland
One of the state’s top runners since her freshman season, she won four races including the 2019 Doug Conley and Eye of the Tiger invitationals, Gilbert District Championships and the Division I Section III race. She came in seventh at Desert
Twilight, eighth at the Nike Southwest Regionals, set a personal record of 10:51.3 at the Chandler Relays two-mile meet, and had an inspiring finish for 13th place in the Division I state championship.
Lauren Ping, Fr., Phoenix Desert Vista
Nationally renowned runner who dominated most of the races she competed in this season including first at the Division I individual state championship, Desert Solstice and Mount SAC invitationals. She came in second at Desert Twilight and Woodbridge Cross-Country Classic, set personal records in the respective latter three meets (her best time is 16:09.8) and was sixth in the Nike Southwest Regional.
Grace Ping, Jr., Phoenix Desert Vista
She finished second at Desert Solstice before she was sidelined for a portion of the season. She had an impressive comeback as she won the Tempe City CrossCountry Championship, finished as runner-up to her younger sister Lauren in the Division I state championship, second at the Division I Section III race, and got a personal record of 17:48.5 as she was twelfth at the Nike Southwest Regionals.
Grace Tipton, Jr., North Phoenix Prep
Transferred from Cactus Shadows for this academic year and finished first in three races including the Chandler, Valley Christian and Tempe invitationals and Division IV Section I state race – where she had a personal record of 18:33. She was the runner-up at the Division IV individual state championship and the Mount San Antonio College Invitational in Walnut, California.
Ali Upshaw, Sr., St. Michael Indian
The two-time Division IV state individual champion who has the seventhfastest time for the event in state history (17:49.5), led St. Michael Indian to its second consecutive state team title, won Division IV Section III and the Curtis Williams and Patason Amesoli invitationals, came in second and marked a personal record of 17:34 at Eye of the Tiger, was fourth at The Peaks and finished 14th at Desert Twilight.
Coach of the Year
David “Monty” Montgomery, Gilbert Highland
In addition to leading the Highland boys team to their second Division I state team title, Montgomery coached the school’s girls team to second place in the Division I state team championship, its highest finish in program history.
How they were selected
The players and coaches were chosen by the azcentral sports high school sports reporters, using personal observations and interviews with players and coaches as well as statistics and rankings.