ARIZONA STATE MEET

Highland sweeps Division 1 crowns for first time, Gibson Kibia becomes first Chandler male athlete to triumph; Flagstaff girls, Chinle girls and Page boys add to championship legacies

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

PHOENIX – It was a combination of fantastic firsts and meaningful milestones Saturday at the Arizona Interscholastic Association state championship meet at Cave Creek Golf Course, punctuated by a memorable sweep of both Division 1 titles by Highland High.

For the first time in program history, the Hawks captured both championships, becoming the first Division 1 school to achieve the feat since Desert Vista in 2016.

Highland had five scorers in the top seven and all seven competitors among the first 15 finishers to repeat as girls team champions with 20 points, led by senior Emma Baugh covering the 5-kilometer layout in 18:46.8 to secure the Hawks’ first Division 1 girls individual crown.

Highland also matched the lowest girls team score in Division 1 history, equaling the 20-point performance achieved in 2016 by Desert Vista, with sophomore Cloe Baugh (18:52.8) placing second, senior Kayla Case (19:06.9) finishing fourth, senior Lindsay Schlink (19:16.7) securing sixth and sophomore Stella Hall (19:20.2) achieving seventh.

The Hawks had five scorers in the top 22 and all seven athletes placing among the first 25 competitors in the boys final, capturing their first title since 2019 and third in program history with 43 points.

Timothy Willford, a junior, led Highland with a second-place finish in 16:08.8 and Lucas Witcher placed fourth in 16:11.9.

The most significant career achievements were showcased in the other three girls championship races, with Valley Christian standout Lauren Ping winning a fourth career title and fellow seniors Mia Hall of Flagstaff and Kylie Wild of Salpointe Catholic each securing their third championships.

Ping, an Oklahoma State commit, followed three Division 1 titles at Desert Vista with her fourth in Division 4 for Valley Christian, clocking 17:53.2.

She became the first female athlete in the state to achieve four career championships since Maya Smith of Northland Prep won four in a row in Division 4 from 2014-17.

Ping not only won titles at a pair of schools and in multiple divisions, but she also triumphed at different venues, including her championship at Crossroads Park in 2020, where Hall and Wild won as well.

Mia Hall made it five consecutive titles for her family, with older sister Hana Hall winning the Division 2 crown for Flagstaff in 2018-19. The Eagles also captured the 18th team championship in program history, relying on Hall’s victory in 18:50.7 and freshman Taylor Biggambler taking third in 19:29.3 to prevail with 48 points.

Flagstaff had a streak of six in a row snapped last year by Casteel.

Wild, a Boston College commit, clocked 18:40.0 to make it four in a row overall for Salpointe Catholic, with Zoey Delgado winning in 2019.

Chinle relied on sisters Temyra Bia (19:14.5) and Tumayah Bia (20:07.4) placing second and seventh to achieve its first Division 3 championship since 2011 and 10th in program history with a 61-91 victory over Salpointe Catholic.

Phoenix Country Day benefited from a second-place effort from Kimi Cahoon (19:28.5) behind Ping to secure the first girls championship in program history with 50 points. 

Valley Christian also received a third-place performance from freshman Ellie Phillips (19:43.1) to finish fourth with 93 points, trailing Phoenix Country Day, Glendale Prep at 74 points and Northland Prep at 88 points.

Chandler celebrated its first Division 1 boys individual champion with senior Gibson Kibia clocking 15:50.2 and twin brother Francis Kibia taking third in 16:10.5. The Wolves weren’t able to match Highland’s overall depth, placing 10th overall with 235 points.

Brandon Martz became the first Division 2 individual winner for Catalina Foothills since Harvey Nelson in 2013, clocking 15:39.4 to hold off Campo Verde senior Martin Breinholt in 15:41.8. Max Irey took third for Catalina Foothills in 16:17.0.

Ironwood Ridge, which endured a five-point setback last year against Flagstaff, relied on seniors Nathan Richardson (16:28.3) and Declan Jorgensen (16:36.3) finishing seventh and eighth to hold off the Eagles by an 84-90 margin to secure the program’s first team title since 2009.

Catalina Foothills took third with 92 points.

Micah Slivers, a senior at Ganado, rallied in the final 50 points to edge Salpointe Catholic senior Michael Urbanski by a 15:55.1 to 15:58.2 margin, with Rio Rico senior Jorge Trujillo taking third in 16:02.8.

Following Salpointe Catholic championships the past two seasons, Page won its first Division 3 team title since 2019 and the 18th crown in program history with 99 points. The Lancers were second with 124 points.

Symond Martin, a freshman, earned eighth in 16:47.2 and senior Quentin Davis took 10th in 16:56.1 for Page.

Valley Christian captured its first boys championship since 2003, winning the Division 4 title with 58 points, led by freshman Jamison Ping finishing second in 16:31.2, with Micah Newkirk (17:03.1) and Jose Garcia (17:14.4) placing seventh and eighth.

Following its first Division 4 team title last year, Northwest Christian produced the individual winner Saturday with junior Glenn Thomas clocking 16:17.7.

JD Ouellette, a senior, took third in 16:43.2 for runner-up Chandler Prep, which had 82 points.

Team Champions

Division 1 - Highland boys 43 points; Highland girls 20 points - RESULTS

Division 2 - Ironwood Ridge boys 84 points; Flagstaff girls 48 points - RESULTS

Division 3 - Page boys 99 points; Chinle girls 61 points - RESULTS

Division 4 - Valley Christian boys 58 points; Phoenix Country Day girls 50 points - RESULTS