Arizona Interscholastic Association State Championships Preview

The Arizona Interscholastic Association state cross country championships begin Saturday showcasing two of the top dynasties looking to extend their streaks and could conclude with multiple first-time winners at Cave Creek Golf Course in Phoenix.

The Division 3 boys final opens the day with a scheduled 8:30 a.m. MST start and features two-time champion Page, which ranks third all-time in state history across all divisions with 19 championships.

Only Hopi, with 27 titles, and Tuba City at 21 state crowns, have won more boys championships than Page, which could win at least three in a row for the fifth time in program history.

The individual showdown involving Eastmark’s Bryson Nielsen and Page’s Symond Martin has the potential to be one of the best races of the day on the 5-kilometer Cave Creek course.

Martin placed second last season and Nielsen finished fourth, with Seton Catholic’s David Williams also scheduled to return following a fifth-place effort last year.

Window Rock’s Bearren Kee earned eighth last season and is expected to compete, in addition to Micah Newkirk of Valley Christian, who moved up following a seventh-place performance in the Division 4 state final last year.

American Leadership (Queen Creek), which took third last season, will rely on David Soria and Nicks Nielson, with last year’s runner-up American Leadership (West Foothills) led by Ryland Levander and Ryan Baum.

Highland is pursuing its fourth consecutive Division 1 girls title at 8:55 a.m., which would be the longest championship run in the state's top division since Xavier College Prep captured six consecutive crowns from 2007-12.

Highland, led by Stella Hall, Cloe Baugh, Audra Huempfner, Camryn Delancey and Charlotte Greer, has the potential to become the seventh girls program across all divisions to win at least four straight titles, with Hamilton seeking its first championship.

Taylor Drewry, a junior at Basha, is the reigning Division 1 champion and will be challenged by not only the Highland competitors, but Mountain View Mesa’s Natalie Roberts, who was third last season.

Drewry is attempting to become the first back-to-back winner in Division 1 since Desert Vista’s Lauren Ping won three in a row from 2019-21.

Amelia North, a senior at Rincon University, finished 10th last year, but has developed into a strong challenger, in addition to sophomore Josephine Smeets from Red Mountain, who is looking to elevate after placing 41st in her state debut last season.

Valley Christian, which secured runner-up honors in Division 4 last year, could make an immediate impact in the Division 3 girls final at 9:20 a.m.

American Leadership (Queen Creek) won its first Division 3 title in program history last season, but even with Tally Call and Jada O’Leary returning as well as the addition of freshman Brynlee Johnson, the presence of Valley Christian has made the path to a potential repeat more difficult.

Ellie Phillips, who took third in the Division 4 final last year, has emerged as one of the leading contenders for Valley Christian, which is seeking its first championship since 2006.

Addison Bisceglie is another Division 3 newcomer, who has not only added depth to the Gilbert Christian program without the presence of reigning state champion Mila Russo, but also put herself in title contention.

Bisceglie, a senior, placed 58th for Higley in the Division 2 state final last year and has Gilbert Christian in the hunt for another podium finish after the Knights were second last season.

Ganado’s Damira Allen, who was Division 3 runner-up last year, along with Saguaro’s Evangeline Dunckley, Chinle’s Janessa Segay and Rio Rico’s Isabella Bravo are also strong contenders.

The morning concludes with the Division 1 boys final at 9:45 a.m., which features Highland trying to capture a third straight title, with an impressive Hamilton lineup attempting to achieve a breakthrough with the program’s first state championship.

Zarian Rodriguez, Chase Markunas, Theo McDaid, Dominick Muller and Ryan Estrada are looking to help the Huskies elevate after finishing second last year.

Brady Moar leads Highland, which is also expecting challenges from Casteel, Mountain View Mesa and Sunnyslope in its quest to return to the podium.

Liberty’s Henry Dilworth, who placed second behind teammate Ryan Denhof last season, is looking to capture his first title.

Along with the Hamilton athletes, Basha’s Boston Walseth, Mountain View Mesa’s Daniel Judd, Westwood’s Kai Espinosa-Golinski, Cibola’s Caius Lastra and Jack Bradley of Williams Field, who finished third in the Division 2 final last year, are all expected to challenge Dilworth for the championship.

The Division 4 boys championship opens the afternoon session, with a scheduled 12:45 p.m. start, as Northland Prep will rely on Delani Hanson and Aaron Nicol in its bid to secure back-to-back titles for the third time in program history, along with 2004-05 and 2017-18.

Glendale Prep and Chandler Prep are both pursuing their first state championships.

With several top athletes elevating to Division 3 this season, Chandler Prep’s Josef Iker has the opportunity to ascend from eighth place at last year’s final to capture a state title.

Max Bruns of Arete Preparatory Academy, who was 11th last season, also has the potential to climb to the top of the podium, in addition to ninth-place finisher Benjamin Benally from Valley Lutheran.

Desert Mountain won its first Division 2 girls state crown last season, but runner-up Flagstaff returns to race at 1:10 p.m. with a highly motivated lineup led by Olivia Baker, Taylor Biggambler and freshman Kylyn Taylor looking to capture the program’s 19th championship, which would rank second all-time in Arizona behind the 22 girls titles achieved by Hopi.

Ironwood Ridge, which took third last year, has also emerged as a legitimate title threat, looking to prevail for the first time since winning three in a row from 2007-09.

Katherine McNulty of Catalina Foothills, who finished fourth last season, is capable of capturing the individual title, along with the Flagstaff trio and the Canyon View pair of freshman Taelyn Janssen and senior Isabella Velazquez.

Coconino’s Mary McGinlay also returns following a fifth-place effort last year.

With the top two programs from the Division 4 girls final last season – Northwest Christian and Valley Christian – both moving to Division 3 this year, it has allowed lineups from Veritas Prep, Northland Prep and North Phoenix Prep to grab the spotlight entering the 1:35 p.m. championship race.

Veritas Prep, which finished 10th last year, has relied on Rachel Barney and sisters Violet Haggerty and Hazel Haggerty in pursuit of its first state title.

Northland Prep, which has won four championships including its most recent victory in 2020, is led by McKenna Marino and Jaelyn Weiss.

North Phoenix Prep, also seeking its first state crown, boasts a strong individual title contender in freshman Leah Morozowich, along with the support of sophomore Aslyn Lindsay.

Taryn Janssen, a senior at Glendale Prep, has the potential to elevate from 12th place last season to secure the individual championship.

Arizona Lutheran’s Ava Wadhwa, who was fifth last season, is also expected to compete, in addition to Phoenix Country Day freshman Emerson Butler. Kimi Cahoon won the individual championship last year for Phoenix Country Day.

The Division 2 boys final, scheduled for 2 p.m., is highlighted by another spectacular showdown involving reigning champion Alex Bland from Flagstaff and Andrew Fastrup of Sunrise Mountain, last year’s fourth-place finisher.

Bland captured the first individual state crown for Flagstaff and it has been more than 15 years since a male athlete has captured back-to-back Division 2 championships.

Millennium won its first Division 2 boys title last season and it could be Nogales, Arizona College Prep or Mica Mountain emerging with a championship for the first time to conclude the eight-race schedule at Cave Creek.

Nogales took 10th last year in Division 2, with Mica Mountain finishing 11th in the Division 3 state final and Arizona College Prep placed 21st, but all three lineups are positioned well to challenge Flagstaff, which has won six titles in the past decade.

Centennial’s Mattox Grove, Desert Mountain’s Conor McGlynn and Deer Valley’s Daequan Tigue are also capable of challenging for the individual championship.

By Erik Boal