ARIZONA STATE MEET

Lauren Ping Wins AIA D1 Girls Race By 86 Seconds

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Lauren Ping of Desert Vista dominated the Division 1 girls final and the junior won her third consecutive state title at Cave Creek Golf Course. 

Ping tore through the 5-kilometer course in 17:39.4 and the next finisher came in nearly a minute and a half behind her. However, those next finishers, Highland junior teammates Emma Baugh (19:05.2) and Kayla Case (19;06.7), did their job to help lift the Hawks to a narrow 38-45 victory. 

Highland finished second in 2019 and 2020 and the state title was the school's first in girls cross country, as four first-time winners were crowned as girls team champions.

INTERVIEWS

Senior Noah Jodon led the Desert Vista boys to the team championship with 58 points. Jodon won the Division 1 final in 16:09.4, surviving a close race with Sunnyslope's Trevor Querciagrossa (16:10.8).

The Flagstaff boys took the Division 2 team title with 85 points and got past Ironwood Ridge thanks to a big advantage at No. 5 (28 team points to 49). Gilbert's Terrence Keyes won the Division 2 race in 15:43.9, improving from third in 2020, when he led the Tigers to the team title, snapping a streak of five straight championships for Flagstaff. 

Flagstaff junior Mia Hall, the daughter of Ryan Hall and Sara Hall, dominated the girls Division 2 final and won by 53 seconds in 18:06.2. Casteel got its first team title, though, thanks to a 25-58 advantage in fifth-runner scoring. Casteel's victory snapped a six-year winning streak for Flagstaff.

Salpointe Catholic's boys put four runners in the top 17 to win back-to-back Division 3 team titles by a wide margin. Cesar Diaz from Mingus Union got the individual victory in 16:20.0.

The Coconino girls won a tight team race with Salpointe Catholic, 72-74, for the first girls championship in program history, as the fifth runners matchup (28-38) swung the title to the Panthers. Salpointe's Kylie Wild won her second straight Division 3 crown in 18:41.0.

Northwest Christian swept the Division 4 team titles, the first championships for both groups. Jon Barney from Veritas Prep won the boys race in 16:20.0. Jessica Madrid from Round Valley took the girls individual win in 19:52.7 after placing second last season.

Team Champions - 

Division 1 - Desert Vista boys 58 points, Highland girls 38 points - RESULTS

Division 2 - Flagstaff boys 85 points, Casteel girls 70 points - RESULTS

Division 3 - Salpointe Catholic boys 46 points, Coconino girls 70 points - RESULTS

Division 4 - Northwest Christian boys 105 points, Northwest Christian girls 69 points - RESULTS