Isaiah Oliver has long played the role of support cast. First it was Devon Allen, then Robert Grant. However, this was his year to shine. The Colorado commit not only notched the fastest 400m in the state this year breaking his school record in the process. Isiah also made his mark on the state record books with third fastest all time 300H. Arguably the most impressive of his achievement was coming away from state with three gold medals. Records come and go, but medals stay with you forever. This is why he was selected as the Arizona Milesplit D1 Boys athlete of the year.
Part of what made his state meet so special was thee struggle involved. No, he gracefully won the hurdles as expected, but the 4x400m on the other hand was a bit different. It might have been a hyperbole to call the Brophy boys team a favorite going in. Sandra Day O'Conner certainly was up there, and had the fastest time going into finals. This didn't distract Isaiah and his team. “We stuck to the same game plan that we had on Wednesday, just get me the baton as close to the leaders as possible. In prelims we were just a little too far away and O'Connor got the better of us. In finals on Saturday everyone ran great legs and we were able to pull off a great win with a new PR," recounted Isaiah. The game plan worked and earned Isaiah his third gold medal.
While the 4x400m may have been the hardest fought victory, Isiah will leave his mark in Arizona track and field as a hurdler. “I give a lot of credit to Devon and Bobby as they helped train me and really show me how to become an elite runner," Isiah explained, “I view my legacy on Arizona track as someone who was able to just keep working at it and just really stayed focused to get better every day. When I first started high school track I was never expected to accomplish everything that I have done today and that goes to show you that with the right work ethic and coaches anything is possible."
That's just it, talent isn't everything. While Isiah certainly has lots of talent he works very hard. Always remember hard work beats talent when talent is working hard, when you have both like Isaiah does, well, you will run your way into the record books.
Honorable Mentions:
Connor Stevens: This young man is head and shoulder above the rest of the pole vault field. It is somewhat a surprise when one of Jeff Guy's vaulters don't win state. Connor didn't just win, he put over a foot on the rest of the field.
Torrey Hickel: Desert Vista was a strong team across the board this season, but maybe most of all in the throws. Torry Hickel's high places at state helped the Thunder to a team title.