Arizona State Meet - Girls Preview

Nov 07, 2008

1A - 2A

Junior Andrea Klimowski (pictured left) from Northland Prep is the clear favorite in the Division 1A-2A State Meet this Saturday. Some highlights from Klimowski's season include, 2nd at the Blue Ridge-Shane Morris Invite and 6th at the Four Corners Invitational. Klimowski also led her team to a 9th place finish at the Mt. Sac Invitational in California two weeks ago. Klimowski may get some competition from teammate Corrie Bain (So.) who took 5th at the Blue Ridge-Shane Morris Invite. Other contenders for the title could be Freshman Brittany Little (Hopi) and Sophomore Caitlyn Mains (Northwest Christian). Little finished 4th at the Hopi Invite, 6th at the Jack Boehle Memorial, 7th at Ojo Rojo and 9th at the Blue Ridge-Shane Morris Invite. Mains won the Tempe Prep Invitational and finished second at Phoenix Country Day School Invite.

3A

Freshman standout Rolanda Jumbo (pictured on front page far left) (Chinle) is the top choice for the 3A Division Title. Jumbo burst onto the scene winning several Invitionals starting with the Peaks Invite. Other impressive wins include the Holbrook Invite, Jack Boehle Memorial, Hopi Invitational and recently the 3A North Regionals. Midway through the cross country season, Jumbo finished 5th in the Doug Conley Invitional behind senior Jessica Rydberg of Blue Ridge. Rydberg and teammate Emerald Raney (Sr) will also be contenders for the title. Rydberg finished 3rd at the Doug Conley Invitational, 2nd at the Holbrook Invite, 2nd at the Peaks Invite and recently 1st at the 3A East Regionals. Rainey won the Blue Ridge-Shane Morris Invite and was third at the Four Corners Invite, 3rd at the Peaks Invite and 2nd at the 3A East Regionals.

4A I

In the 4A I division, Kailey Rumbo (Jr, O'Connor, pictured left) and teammate Gloria Tello (Jr, pictured right) are the top two favorites. Tello was 2nd at the Boulder Creek Invitational with Rumbo finishing two places behind. Rumbo was 5th at the Scottsdale Running Company Invitational and 12th at Doug Conley. She was also 3rd at the O'Connor/Denson Invite with Tello finishing 7th. Carolyn Brown (Sr, Saguaro) finishing 4th at the Queen Creek Twilight and 9th at the Scottsdale Running Company Invitational may also be in contention for the title along with Freshman Laura Orlie from Sunnyslope and Lisa Wiley, a sophomore from Shadow Mountain. Orlie had a strong start to the season winning the Desert Vista Freshman Meet by more than a minute. She also finished 3rd at the Ray Wherley Invite and 5th at the Boulder Creek Invitational. Wiley was one place ahead of Orlie at The Ray Wherley Invite and also finished 9th at the Queen Creek Twilight Meet and recently 5th at the Paradise Valley District Meet.

4A II

Sophomore Aeoleone Bristow (pictured left) from Rio Rico will be the girl to beat in the 4A II division. Bristow's sophomore year started off well as she took 2nd at the O'Connor/Denson Invite and 7th at the Doug Conley, however, her running career took a definite swing upward when she won the Queen Creek Twilight Meet and recently the Gila Regionals. Bristow will most likely have competition from Freshman Taylor De Laveaga from Perry who won the Ojo Rojo invite and was heading to a 3rd place finish at the Doug Conley Invitational when she was overtaken by dehydration finishing 13th. Obviously fully recovered, De Laveaga won the East Sky Regionals last week. Other contenders for the title will be Chloe Phillips (Sr, Flagstaff), Alex Myers (Sr, Sinagua) and Latrisha Blackstar (Jr, Page). Phillips won the Ray Wherley Invitational early in the season and took 2nd at the Four Corners Invite. Myers had an impressive season with a 2nd place at the Jack Boehle Memorial Meet, a 2nd at the Mingus Invite and last week, a win at the Grand Canyon Regionals. Blackstar finished second at the Grand Canyon Regionals and 3rd behind Myers at the Jack Boehle Invitational.

5A I

Two time Footlocker National qualifier Jessica Tonn, (Jr, Xavier College Prep, pictured right) is the only undefeated runner in Arizona. Her impressive catalog of wins include the Scottsdale Running Company (course record), the George Young Invitational, the Doug Conley Invitational and the Desert Valley Regionals. Tonn is also ranked in the top ten in the Nation running against the Nation's best at the Great American XC Festival where she placed 6th and the Mt. Sac Invite placing 4th.

Kylee Kieser (So, Casa Grande, pictured on front page center) and Taylor Cole (Jr, Hamilton) may try to press Tonn but most likely will not be able to stay with her. Kieser is a very impressive young runner with her fair share of wins this season winning the Chandler Invite Sophomore Race with the fastest time of the day, the O'Connor/Denson Invite, the Mingus Invite and the Boulder Creek Invitational. She also took 2nd at the Marana Invite, the Doug Conley Invitational and the Southern Regionals. Cole won the Junior race at the Chandler Invite and the Fiesta Regionals last week. She also finished 3rd at the Mingus Invitational. Ann Bawden (Sr, Highland) will also be in the mix for a top finish. Bawden finished 3rd at the George Young Invitational, 4th at theDoug Conley, 2nd at the Queen Creek Twilight Meet and 1st at the Gilbert City Meet.

Also, Sydney Beatty (Sr, Chandler) with a 2nd place finish at the Fiesta Regionals could find herself in the top five.

5A II

Kofa senior Stephanie Ledgerwood (pictured center) and Ironwood Ridge teammates sophomore Sara Beth Miville (pictured right) and senior Kat Howard (pictured far left) will be the top contenders for the Division 5A II title. Miville finished 6th at Doug Conley, 1st at the Rattler Invitational and 1st at the Southern Regionals last week. Miville's teammate Howard won the Senior Race at the Chandler Invitational with the second fastest time of the day. She also won the Marana Invite, finished second at the Rattler Invitational, placed 8th at the Doug Conley Invitational and took 2nd at the Southern Regionals last week. Ledgerwood took a second place finish behind Howard in the Senior Race at the Chandler Invitational, placed 2nd at Ojo Rojo, finished 9th at Doug Conley and last week took 1st at the Gila Valley Regionals. Each girl is capable of winning the 5A II title.

Also watch for freshman Lacey Kalinen from Pinnacle. Kalinen had a slow start to her first prep season of cross country but with two solid wins at the Paradise Valley District Meet and the Pima Regionals in the last two weeks........look for her to be in the top five.