Last weekend at the Arcadia Invitational, Arizona runners were turning in some top performances.
In the women's 3200, Xavier Prep junior Jessica Tonn (pictured far left) took the lead at the 800 mark with Blue Ridge senior Jessica Rydberg (pictured left) in 9th place. Tonn held the lead through the first mile crossing in 5:13 and ran the second mile in 5:12 finishing second in the race behind Califonia San Clemente senior Alex Dunne. Rydberg moved up to 5th place by the mile mark and finished 8th in 10:40.34 a PR of 10 seconds. Tonn's time of 10:25.85 is the second fastest 3200 time in Arizona history behind Sara Gorton (Mtn. Pointe, 1999, 10:15.94)
On the boys side, Mingus Union senior, Tim Freriks, Ironwood Ridge junior, Steve Magnuson and Queen Creek junior Sherod Hardt all had huge PR's in the 3200. At the beginning of the race Hardt settled into the middle of the pack, Magnuson hung with the back pack and Freriks moved up with the front runners. With three laps to go the three started moving forward and Freriks took the lead. With 200 meters left in the race it looked as though Freriks could win the event but at the 100 meter mark, Collin Jarvis (Sr., Rancho Buena) caught up with Freriks and passed him at the finish. Jarvis finished in 8:58.15 with Freriks a half second behind in 8:58.7. Magnuson's time of 9:08.04 placed him in 14th with Hardt next in 9:08.79.
Brian Shrader (Jr., Sinagua) and Alex Myers (Sr., Sinagua) were both scheduled to run the 800 and both were alternates for the mile. At the last minute, Myers was told she was able to run in the mile and barely made it to the start line before the gun went off. Without a warmup, Myers ran the race and finished in 9th place in 5:12.08. Shrader had the seed time for the mile invitational but a spot opened up in the seeded race and he took it placing 2nd in 4:19.57.
West on Diehl (Sr., Paradise Valley) placed 4th in the seeded 300 hurdles race with a nice PR of 38.98.
Peoria junior Serene Williams won both the 100 and 200 meter dash seeded races with times of 12.03 and 24.84 respectively. Her 100 time of 12.03 would have placed her second in the invitational race.
After Spencer Chase's (Sr., Desert Vista) incredible win in the 400 meter dash, he went on to run the 200 meter dash placing 4th in 21.68.
Trent Murphy (Sr., Brophy Prep) took second in the Discus Throw, throwing 192-07.
Junior Bryan McBride from O'Connor and Dylan Walashek (Boulder Creek) both jumped 6-07 in the high jump. McBride made his jump on fewer attempts and placed 5th. Walashek took 7th.
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Desert Vista placed 2nd (1:01.13) in the 110 meter shuttle hurdle invitational relay behind indoor national champions Sheepshead Bay (59.50) from New York.
(photo: Alec Hsu (Sr., Desert Vista anchoring the 110 meter shuttle hurdle relay)
Heather Arsenau (Jr., Desert Vista) placed first in the pole vault during the Friday night session, vaulting to 11-01.
Donovant Grant (Sr., Marana Mtn. View) jumped 6-05 and Matt Yalung (Jr., Desert Vista) jumped 6-03 in the high jump during the Friday evening session. Grant placed 2nd and Yalung tied for 3rd.