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home / Sports
Cross Country earns two state medals
Alice Shoaf
Monday, December 5, 2011
Maricopa High School’s Cross Country team returned home as champions from the 2011 AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association) State Championship Tournament on Saturday, November 5. Seven athletes qualified and competed, and brought home a 5th place team medal and a 2nd place individual.
A 5th place medal was awarded to the men’s varsity team for their 5000-meter race. Sophomore Eli Reynolds came up from the junior varsity team to run with the team, and finished 187th of 190 athletes. Jonathan Dean, fresh off the injury list, ran his second race of the season finishing 118th. John Newman struggled with a strained tendon, finishing 94th. Gibran Aguilar came in 27th, running a strong and smart race. Chris Lessard led the team and also medaled individually with a 2nd place finish. His success is especially sweet since a foot injury forced him to miss both Regional and State competition last year.
Lessard’s time of 16:17 was good enough to designate him a National Elite athlete, one of only nine athletes at State Championships. This qualified him for the Southwest Regionals of the Nike Cross Championships, held in Chandler on November 19. Twenty-four Arizona athletes competed in the Boys Championship 5k race at this multi-state meet, and only three did better than Lessard. Out of 253 runners, Chris placed 48th with a time of 16:07. Although he will not move on to national competition, he earned the title of National Silver Standard athlete with his performance.
“These boys have worked hard for this,” stated Coach Duane Anderson. The team ran all summer, logging an average of 60 miles per week to prepare for the season, and most of them have been running together for a year or more. One wonders which medal they would have won if Dean and Newman had been in top form.
For the girls, sophomore Jessica Beach ran the race of her life against a field of 156 that included no less than six National Elite athletes. Her 40th place finish is no mean feat against such a competitive field, placing her in the top third of Arizona’s finest. In addition, she broke her own personal record by four seconds with a time of 20:51.
Coach Ronnie Buchanan couldn’t be happier with his girls. “I’m so proud of them, all of them,” he said. Jessica’s performance has consistently improved with every race. Her previous Personal Best time, which she broke in the State meet, was set at the Marana Qualifier in October. At the Marana meet, five of the seven Varsity team members set Personal Records. They just missed qualifying for State, but worked out with Jessica to keep her in top condition.
While some of Maricopa High School’s fall sports programs struggled under this year’s revised AIA system, Cross Country loped through the season as consistently as they have for the last seven years. From an inauspicious beginning with a handful of kids, Duane Anderson has developed a solid program of more than 40 students and a dedicated coaching staff who have coached athletes through state level competition for the last four years.
This season is over and flushed with success, but most of the athletes aren’t finished. Some will take a well-earned break. Soon, though, you’ll see them back out on the roads, training in anticipation of spring Track and Field. Cheer them on when you see them; they are champions, and Maricopa should be proud.
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Alice Shoaf / CopaNews.com
Senior Gibran Aguilar helped his team win a 5th place medal at the 2011 State Championships.
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