Noah Kenyawani and Ryan Silva could sometimes drift into the background last season. This year, they're ready for the spotlight.
Kenyawani and Silva often rotated as Rincon/University's top runner with Ochor Odol, who the Rangers lost to graduation. The three runners pushed each other and all took home a handful of first-place finishes.
"They were switching off the whole season," coach Anneli Henneke said. "They worked together a lot so that really helped them push each other along and make up time."
In last year's Division I state meet, Odol was the top runner for Rincon as the Rangers took seventh as a team. Odol placed 16th in 16 minutes 25.09 seconds. Silva came in 18th in 16:29.51 while Kenyawani placed 30th, 15 seconds later.
Silva earned his stripes when he won the Los Mezquites Invitational last season as a sophomore, and Kenyawani won plenty of mid-week races as a junior.
The Star recently sat down with Silva to find out what to expect from the Rangers this season:
Who is going to replace Odol's spot in your top three?
A: "We have a sophomore who stepped up this year. His name is Brandon Dorr. He was training with us over the summer and he's improved a lot so I think he's going to bridge the gap that was there between us. And everybody on the team is just training harder this year, so hopefully we can close the five-man time on our team."
What is your mindset heading into this season?
A: "I'm just trying to put the past two years behind me and really focus on this year. I feel confident going in. I did a little bit unsatisfactory those past two years. I had very high individual goals going in, especially freshman year. I was inexperienced and I thought I was going to be the best going into high school."
What's the biggest change you've made from the past two years?
A: "I'd say just perspective. Just having those two years under my belt is helpful. Going into these bigger races now, I feel more confident and I know what I can do more. And on top of those years of training, I'm training even harder than before for this year."
What are your goals for this season?
A: "I definitely want to be top five this year but I'm shooting for top three. We've got a lot of momentum coming into this year, so we're hoping to keep that all the way through the season. Our team goal is to be one of the top teams at state."
What was your offseason training like?
A: "It was one of the best summers I've ever had. I think Noah would agree with me. I went to two camps, and I'm a big fan of going to cross country camps over the summer.
"The first one was Anasazi up in Pinetop. Basically they teach you that cross country is about the long term, and every mile you put in is going to help you, and it's more about minutes.
"But then I went to a camp at Colorado University, and they told us we had to schedule our training and be smart about how we run. It was kind of cool to see both sides, and I think that's helped me grow a lot."
2011 watch list
Girls
Kelly Karina, So., Mountain View
Kelsey Larson, Sr., Sahuaro
Sarah Macdonald, Jr., Pusch Ridge Christian
Lilia Moncada, Sr., Nogales
Chloe Newell, Sr., Sahuaro
Emily Page, Sr., Rincon/University
Nikki Regalado, Sr., Cienega
April Steward, Sr., Canyon del Oro
Vicki Tozer, Sr., Cienega
Zoe Urcadez, Sr., Salpointe Catholic
Boys
Andrew Garcia, Jr., Canyon del Oro
Noah Kenyawani, Sr., Rincon/University
Nico Montanez, Sr., St. Augustine Catholic
Lance Pedersen, Jr., Mountain View
Lucas Rischar, Sr., Canyon del Oro
Ryan Silva, Jr., Rincon/University
Tyler Stamp, Sr., Sabino
Aaron Valdez, Sr., Nogales
Brian Wargaski, Sr., Cienega
John Winfield, Sr., Ironwood Ridge
Selections made by Star staff in
consultation with local coaches
