Desert Vista 4 x 800 team. Pictured left to right, Megan Dudzinzki (anchor), Katelyn McElhany (2nd leg), Andrea Young, (1st leg) and Samantha Goodall (3rd leg)
The 2009 track and field season kicked off yesterday at the Aztec Invitational at Corona del Sol in Tempe. Dobson senior Carlos Martinez led the boys 4 x 800 at the first handoff with Mesa Mountain View in second and Desert Vista's Nick Andsager (Sr, 2:04) in third. Andsager handed off to senior Sammy Yacut (2:02) who put the DV team in the lead as he handed off to Adam Estavillo (2:01). By the time Estavillo handed the baton to anchor Nick Rice (senior, 2:02), the Desert Vista team had a substantial lead and cruised to the win.
The Desert Vista girls 4 x 800 win was not as easy. Lead-off runner Andrea Young (senior, 2:31) put the team in first place at the hand off to second leg runner Katelyn McElhany (senior, 2:34). The Mesa Mountain View girls kept pressing the Desert Vista team and took the lead on the second leg. Sophomore Samantha Goodall moved Desert Vista back into first place before she passed the baton to Junior, Megan Dudzinzki. At the 400 mark of the last leg, Dudzinzki was running side by side with a Mesa Mountain View runner and lost the lead at the 300 mark. When Dudzinzki hit the 200 mark she found a new gear and shot to the front for the win.
Sprints
The Chandler girls swept the sprints and hurdles with senior Angela Reyes winning the 100 meter dash in 12.61; Bryanna Smythe finished first in the 200 meter dash in 25.91, Jade Dean took the 400 in 1:00.81 and senior Larissa Matthews easily won the 100 meter hurdles in 14:27.
Samantha Collins, a senior from Westwood, finished first in the 300 hurdles in 47.3.
On the boys side Hamilton senior Ryan Milus won the 100 meter dash in 10:61 and the 200 in 21.98. Senior Markus Wheaton from Chandler took first in the 400 in 47.85.
Middle Distance
Adam Estavillo (Sr, Desert Vista) took the lead in the first heat of the 800 and stayed up front until the finish (2:02.4) with teammate Sammy Yacut taking second (2:06.3).
The second heat of the mile started out a little on the cautious side as all the runners settled in for most of the race. With 200 meters left in the race the tight pack of runners broke apart and sprinted for the finish line. Mesa Mountain View senior D.J. Johnson (pictured left) out-sprinted the competition winning the race (4:38.7) by two seconds over Carlos Martinez (4:40.6)
Taylor Cole (Jr, Hamilton) jumped to the front pretty early in the race and maintain a steady pace throughout. HIghland Senior, Ann Bawden made a surge in the final lap to come within 4 seconds of Cole for second place.
Jumps
Bryce Lamb (Sr. Chandler, 22-6.00) jumped about a foot past second place jumper Anders Battle (Jr. Desert Vista 21-06.50) in the long jump and more than two feet (44-10.00) over Mesa Mountain View Junior, Craig Pearson (42-07.25).
Pole Vault
Desert Vista Junior Shaylah Simpson had to battle the wind all morning but she still won the event clearing the bar at 11-6. Lacy Palmer from (Sr, Westwood) took second vaulting 11-0 feet.
Alec Hsu (Sr, Desert Vista) and Matt Vipond (Hamilton) continued vaulting long after the racing ended after missing three attempts at 15 feet, Hsu won the event after he and Vipond both made 14-6 with Hsu making it in fewer attempts.
3200
Cami Jackson (Sr, Mesa Mountain View) missed most of her cross country season due to an injury but stepped to the line for the 3200 and took the lead from the very first lap until the finish. Jackson's mile split was 5:41 and she was the only runner to break 12 minutes and her time of 11:53.20 was 31 seconds faster than second place Mountain Pointe sophomore, Lindsey Schader.
Highland senior John Brown ran a 64 second final lap in the 3200 to win the race by 4 seonds of Tyler Bingham (Jr, Mesa Mountain View). Carlos Martinez had taken the lead for part of the first half of the race but after running the 4 x 8, 1600 and the 800, he started to fade around the 5th lap and took 7th.
Desert Vista 4 x 800 team. Pictured left to right, Megan Dudzinzki (anchor), Katelyn McElhany (2nd leg), Andrea Young, (1st leg) and Samantha Goodall (3rd leg)