It looks like it's gonna' be a cold day at Cave Creek Golf Course, but there's a few things we've got to keep a few things in mind as we head into the AIA State Championships. For starters, it's possible that we might see some records fall. Here are five that we think are most likely to fall on Saturday.
Jordan Black clinched his first D4 State Title last fall at the AIA Cross Country State Championships. - photo by John Hays
Division IV Boys Record
There has never been a boy out of Division IV, in which the smallest schools in Arizona are categorized, to run under 16-minutes at Cave Creek Golf Course. Jordan Black (North Phoenix Prep, Sr.) could definitely change that this Saturday morning. As one of only two sub-15 boys in the State, running under 16-minutes in a morning race along a hilly course is certainly a possibility for the lanky Gladiator.
Division IV Girls Record
Two years ago, Maya Smith (Northland Prep, '18) finished just two seconds off breaking the 18-minute barrier. Aliandra Upshaw (St. Michael Indian School, Sr.) has 10:37 leg speed for a 3200m and three weeks ago at the Eye of the Tiger Invitational, she ran 17:34 on a flat course. If she presses the pace from the get-go, Upshaw certainly has a shot at running under 18-minutes.
Freshman Girl Record
While Leo Daschbach has dominated the boys' races, Lauren Ping (Desert Vista, Fr.) has carved her name in the record books as Arizona's fastest freshman ever. According to the database, the fastest freshman to run Cave Creek was Sarah Fakler of the Xavier Gators. Back in 2009, she ran 18:02.7 for the runner-up finish behind her teammate Jessica Tonn.
Cave Creek Girls Course Record
Again, Lauren Ping is already among the fastest Arizona girls we've seen in cross-country and her times are already comparable to the likes of Jess Tonn, Dani Jones, and Allie Schadler. Three years ago, Schadler ran a course record with a monstrous run of 17:04.5 in the D3 Girls' race during one of the last races of the day. Though we've seen, some incredible things out of Lauren Ping, there's no telling what the freshman powerhouse will do on Saturday morning.
Cave Creek Boys Course Record
Leo Daschbach (Highland, Sr.) has taken his Senior season by storm with the intent of throwing down monstrous times, wherever he runs. Last year, the State Title eluded him by just a few seconds but given his performances at Clovis and Mt. SAC, he's proven that he's not messing around in his final season. The Division I boys' race goes off at 8:45 and by 9:00 am we may very well have witnessed our first sub-15 ever on Cave Creek Golf Course.
Do you know of a Division or class record we may have missed? Let us know in the comments below. Best wishes to all at Cave Creek Golf Course on Saturday.
Check out the Top-100 Performers by boys and girls at Cave Creek Golf Course.