McClintock junior Avaunt Ortiz in the Division II 400m at The 2022 AIA State Track & Field Championships at Mesa Community College.
Photo credit: David McBee/MileSplit Arizona
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MESA, AZ. -- Last season, McClintock's Avaunt Ortiz ended the outdoor track and field season ranked 142nd in the nation for the 400 meters. Fast forward a year, and Ortiz now sits at 14th in the United States for the event after a stellar junior campaign that saw him claim two individual state titles.
Ortiz put together one of the best seasons a quarter-miler has had in the state of Arizona in 2022. He went undefeated in the 400m for the year, winning both the Nike Chandler Rotary Invitational and Arcadia Invitational -- two meets that are some of the most competitive on the West Coast and the nation as a whole.
At the Nike Chandler Rotary Invitational back in late March, Ortiz won the race in a blazing time of 46.69. The mark was No. 2 in the U.S. at the time, placing Ortiz among the nation's elite. Overall, Ortiz is now No. 3 on the all-time list in Arizona. He is only .22 seconds off the state record of 46.47, set by Desert Vista's Spencer Chase in 2009.
As well as not losing a 400m, Ortiz also went undefeated in the 200m. Those trends were on full display at The 2022 AIA State Track & Field Championships at Mesa Community College as Ortiz won both the 400m (47.04) and 200m (21.50).
Division II Boys 400m Final
Ortiz also ran the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay, playing a key role in both as each won their respective race. In all, four races for Ortiz ended in four first-place medals.
Out of the 84 points McClintock scored on their way to a winning state team title, he was responsible for 47 percent of their scoring input. Ortiz was instrumental, to say the least.
You can watch Ortiz discuss his eventful final day and break down his successful junior season in a post-race interview right here:
