Arizona State Meet - Girls Preview

 

Northland Prep senior Andrea Klimowski (pictured left) will be defending her State Championship title this weekend in the Division 1A/2A State Meet.   Klimowski tops the leader board in the 1A/2A division with a time of 19:37.9 and took second at the Four Corners Invitational behind winner Rolonda Jumbo (So, Chinle, Div 3A). She also placed 20th in the sweepstakes race at the Queen Creek Twilight Meet held October 2nd.  Last weekend at the 1A North Regionals, Klimowski placed second to freshman Chelena Betoney from Valley Sanders.  Betoney will be Klimowski's toughest competitor in the 1A/2A race as she has also had an impressive season.  Betoney took second to Jumbo at the Hopi Harrier Invitational on September 1st but came back to beat her at the Bud Davis Invitational on October 16th.

 

 

Other contenders for the State Division title could be junior Ashton Wolf from Valley Christian and Monik Kawaki from Horizon Honors, also a junior.  Wolf won the Metro West Regionals in 20:04.00 with Kawaki taking second in 20:37.00.

 

 

Northland Prep is the favorite to win the team title but Northwest Christian, Hopi and Valley Christian will all have a shot at eclipsing Northland Prep.

 

 

 

 

 

Chinle sophomore Rolonda Jumbo (picture right) will be going for her second 3A State title this weekend with teammate Curley Charnelle a close second.  The pair should help Chinle repeat as team champions.  Jumbo has had a string of wins this season including; the Hopi Harrier Invitational, the Peaks Invitational, the Chinle Invite, the Four Courners, the Page/Lake Powell CC Invite, the Holbrook Cross Country Invite and the 3A North Regionals.  Charnelle has been close behind placing 4th at the hopi Harrier, 5th at Peaks, 2nd at the Chinle Invite, 3rd at Four Corners, 2nd at Page Steel/Lake Powell CC Invite, 3rd at Bud Davis, 2nd at Holbrook and 2nd at the 3A North Regionals.

 

Other contenders are Wickenburg junior Viviana Ruiz (won the 3A West Regionals), Sophia Zeno (Jr., Sedona Red Rock), Karrissa Strickland (Empire), Autumn Gibson (So., Blue Ridge), Carrisa Jones (Fr., Show Low), Allison Rydberg (Jr., Blue Ridge) and Tuba City junior April Tracy.

 

Challenging Chinle for the team title will be Sedona Red Rock and Tuba City

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zahira Jimenez (Jr., Nogales, pictured left) and Christina Price (Sr., Sabino) will battle it out for the individual 4A I title.  Price won the event last year finishing in 19:16.20.  This season Price won the 4A I Sonoran Regional Championships; took 4th at the Catallina Cross Country Classic; 3rd at the Los Mesquites Invitational and 8th at the Doug Conley Invitational.

 

Jimenez won the 4A I Kino Regionals, the Sue Fletcher Invitational and the Los Mesquites Invitational.  She also finished 7th at the Doug Conley Invitational.

 

Ashley Workman (Sr., Queen Creek) moved into the Division 1 and will also be a strong contender for the state title.  Workman won the 4A I Desert Sky Regionals last weekend after an impressive 16th place finish in the Varsity race at Mt. Sac Invitational one week earlier.

 

Other contenders for the individual title will be Lisa Wiley (Jr., Shadow Mountain), Emily Dunbar (Jr., Prescott), Terri Baker (Fr., Cactus Shadows), Konnie Zuniga (Jr., Nogales) and Nichole Rogge (Sr., Apollo).

 

Nogales has the edge going in the State Championshps but Sabino and  Catalina Foothills will definitely be in the mix as will Prescott and Saguaro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Junior Aeoleone Bristow (pictured right) from Rio Rico will be the girl to beat in the 4A II division. Bristow had a slow start to the season but looked exceptionally strong at the O'Connor/Ken Denson Invitational a few weeks ago.  She also won the Ray Wherley Invite, the 4A II Gila Regionals and took 6th in the Queen Creek Twilight Meet.

 

Bristow won the 4A II Cross Country State Meet last year and she will most likely have company along the way.  Shayla and Kayla Freeman, both juniors from Greenway top the 4A II leader board.  Shayla has the fastest time in 18:44.50 and Kayla is only 4 seconds behind.  The two girls will definitely challenge Bristow for the number one spot.  Shayla won the Peaks Invitational in early September and finished the season with a regional win at the 4A II Black Canyon Championships. She also placed 4th at the Adobe Invitaitonal last month.  Kayla took second behind her sister in both the Peaks Invite and the Black Canyon Regionals.  Both girls were more than a minute ahead of the third place finisher at Regionals.

 

Sophomore Emma Schraner (Mingus Union), Kimmi Allen (Jr., Flagstaff), Adrianna Woletz (Jr., Sahuarita), Breanna O'Connor (Fr., Flagstaff)., Taryn Treadway (Sr., Flagstaff) and Jordan Plichta (Sr., Fountain Hills) should all be finishing at the front of the race.  Sisters Kristina and Julie Vanderhout could also do well in the race.

 

Page, Rio Rico, Flagstaff and Greenway all have strong teams with strong individual leaders.  Page is the stronger team going into the State meet.  They won the Ray Wherely Invitational with Flagstaff and Rio Rico placing 2nd and 3rd respectively. At the Peaks Invitational Page took second with Flagstaff 20 points behind in 3rd.  Greenway ran in a separate race but their average times would have placed them behind Page and Flagstaff. 

 

 

 

 

Three time Foot Locker National finalist Jessica Tonn US#10 (Sr., Xavier College Prep, pictured right) is the favorite for the 5A I individual title.   The nationally ranked and undefeated Tonn will be setting her sights on her 11th State Title. Freshman teammate Sarah Fakler will most likely be following Tonn for the second place spot.  Tonn won the 5A I Fiesta Regionals last weekend with Fakler taking second.  

 

Also contending for top spots will be Sarah Schmidt (So, Mesa Mountain View), Brianna Decker (So, Mesa Mountain View), Kylee Kieser (Jr., Casa Grande), Jenna Maack (Fr., Desert Vista), Ashley Hatch (Fr., Highland) and Daylee Burr (Jr., Xavier College Prep.)  Schmidt won the Doug Conley Invitational and took second at the 5A I Central Regionals.  Decker took second at the Doug Conley Invitational and took first at the Central Regionals.  Kieser finished 3rd at the Doug Conley Invitational and won the Padre Invitational the Chandler Invitational and the East Valley Regionals. Burr took 3rd at the Fiesta regionals behind teammates Tonn and Fakler and has been running in the top ten in most of her races.  Maack finished 4th at the Fiesta regionals and Hatch took 3rd at the Central Regionals and won the Gilbert City Championships.

 

Xavier College Prep (SW #3) is the favorite going into the State Meet with Highland (SW #9) and Desert Vista fighting for the number 2 spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pinnacle senior Christen Collins (pictured left) is the favorite for the individual title in the 5A II division.  In her second year of running, Collins has had an impressive season winning both the Pinnacle Invitational and the 5A Ii Desert Valley Regional Meet.  She also took 3rd at the George Young Invite, 8th at the Queen Creek Twilight Meet, 4th at the Doug Conley Invitational and 3rd at the O'Connor/Ken Denson Invite.

 

Christen will have company from 2008 5A II CC State Champion and teammate Lacey Kalinen (So),  Kerri Lenihan, (Jr., Marana Mt. View), Taylor de Laveaga, (So., Perry), Kailey Rumbo, (Sr., Sandra Day O'Connor), Gloria Tello (Sr., Sandra Day O'Connor), Marissa Opatz, (Jr., Desert Mtn), Rachel Antol (Jr., Horizon) and Ironwood Ridge teammates Sarah Milville (Jr), Allison Crawford (Sr) and Lauren Cooper (Jr).

 

Pinnacle (SW #14) is the favorite for the team title with Ironwood Ridge and Sandra Day O'Connor challenging the Pinnacle team.