D3 Boys Athlete of the Year: Carlos Villarreal


Carlos Villarreal is a name most any track and field fan in Arizona would recognize. Not only is he arguably the greatest boys distance runner in state history, but a self-described “social butterfly." Teammates, rivals and fans alike all admire him not only for his ability to put one foot in front of the other faster than anyone else, but also for his charismatic personality. One might think he has life all figured out, but he is still learning like the rest of us.

“Last year I was afraid to lead, I thought I was going to die," explained Carlos on what skill he developed this track season. “Thanks to cross country this fall I was not afraid to lead, though I still prefer to be in 2nd place until the end." It just so happened that Division 3 featured the premier distance runners in Arizona this spring with Jordan Gardner and Jeffery Miller joining Carlos on the podium at state. “They helped me a lot," recounted Carlos, “They pushed me to another level." During the state race Jeffery made sure the pace was hot from the get go crossing the halfway mark in 2:03. Carlos had never gone out that fast but was able to come back in a 2:00 to set the state record. At the time it was the 2nd fastest 1600m in the nation.

If that wasn't impressive enough Carlos came back the next day and did something equally as impressive. Jordan Gardner had held a faster time than Carlos for much of the year in the 800m. Jordan teammates got him the baton 25-30m ahead of Carlos. Carlos knew he had to go out hard. “I knew I had to grind and take one for the team." Did he ever. His splits were 53 high and 56 high for a 1:50.XX split. If he had run that in the open relay it also would have been the second fastest in the nation at the time. For these two efforts and his 8:59 3200m debut earlier in the season Carlos was an easy choice to be the division 3 boy's runner of the year.

Arizona track fans will get to see Carlos a couple more times before he heads off to Arizona. He is slated to race at the Prefontaine Classic with teammate Allie Schadler and Dani Jones. Make sure to tune in, Carlos is a special high school runner.

Honorable Mentions:

Luke Zuluaga: The first year sprinter was the only one to beat Carlos at the state meet. Luke's 4x400m propelled Seton Catholic past the Rio Rico boys in the 4x400m final.

Jeffery Miller: Most any other year in recent memory Jeffery's times would have been the fastest in the state over the longer distances. The NAU bound Sand Devil certainly had a banner season, even if he was slightly over shadowed by Carlos.