Cha Ching: City athletes clean up at state
By KEITH JIRON
Sun Sports Staff
Monday, May 12, 2008
MESA -- Track and field athletes from the city of Flagstaff made off with more gold than you could shake a baton at on the final day of the Class 4A, Division II state track and field championships at Mesa Community College on Saturday.
Coconino senior Hannah Moen completed the triple -- again -- when she defended her state 1,600-meter run and 800 titles. Moen, who will run cross country and track in Tucson for the University of Arizona next year, defended her 3,200 state title on Wednesday.
Moen opened the night in style by winning the 1,600 by close to six seconds, but she had to withstand a strong challenge from Flagstaff High junior Chloe Phillips in the 800 later that night.
Although Phillips lost her shot to officially unseat Moen because she was disqualified early in the race for stepping out of the box, she didn't go down without a fight. Phillips kept Moen close through the first three and half laps, then made her move heading into the second to last turn.
Phillips took the lead, but was only able to hold it for a few seconds as Moen regrouped, then retook the lead heading into the final turn. Moen went on to win it going away, but Phillips made gave the CHS contingent quite a scare with her performance.
"I was nervous," Coconino co-coach Tsosie Taylor said. "You've got to give a lot of credit to Chloe. She really pushed Hannah."
Phillips, who finished second in the 400 earlier in the night, wrote her name in the state meet history book when she teamed with Natasha Slaughter, Tereza Chylkova and Ariel Mierendorf to win the 1,600 relay.
THIRD TIME'S A CHARM
Sinagua sophomore Brian Shrader proved experience in an event is not a prerequisite for success.
Shrader, who won the 4A, D-II state cross country title in the fall, had run the 3,200 just twice before when he lined up for the event on Saturday.
When the gun sounded, Shrader settled back in the middle of the pack, content to let Cottonwood Mingus' Tim Freriks take on the role of front-runner.
Lap after lap, Shrader hung back. That lasted until there was 500 meters left. Then he went on attack mode.
Freriks, who led by at least 45 meters at one point, wilted under the assault from Shrader and Queen Creek sophomore Sherod Hardt. Shrader and Hardt both passed Freriks, then went step for step right until the final turn when Shrader turned on the afterburner.
Shrader beat Hardt to the finish line by more than seven seconds.
"From the lights, I saw my shadow and I thought it was Sherod and I said., 'Oh no, he's not budging.' And then when I finished and looked back, he was pretty far back there," Shrader said. "I'm pretty happy with how my races went this week. I' m sure it will sink in more later."
Shrader wasn't the only person happy with his performance.
SHS co-coach Walter Taite said as good as Shrader is now, he's only going to get better.
"He's really come around. We still don't know how fast he can go," Taite said of Shrader. "He can be one of better (runners) this state has seen in a long time."
Shrader won the 1,600 state title on Wednesday.
RAISING THE BAR
Sinagua's Taylor Stapley came up short in terms of defending her 100 hurdles title, but left as the new high jump title holder.
Stapley, a junior, won last year's hurdles title with a time of 14.99, but took third in the event this year at 15.20. She also took third in the 300 hurdles with a time of 47.5.
She won this year's high jump title with a height of 5 feet, 2 inches. Stapley's personal record in the event is 5-4, so she said she plans to come back next season with the knowledge she has the potential to win multiple state titles.
"I think we have as very strong team (coming back) and I think we'll have a good year next year," she said.
REPEAT PERFORMANCE
Northland Preparatory Academy sophomore Andrea Klimowski completed a back-to-back triple when she won the 3,200 on the second day of the 1A state meet at Mesa High School on Saturday.
Klimowski, who won the 1,600 and 800 on Friday, broke the tape with a meet-record time of 11:54.40. She won the same three events at last year's state meet.
NPA teammate Logan Dwyer nabbed his second state title of the year when he won the 1,600 on Saturday with a time of 4:38.42. He won the 3,200 on Friday.
NPA's Corrie Bain was runner up in the 800, 1,600 and the 3,200. Klimowski was also the runner up in the 400.
RJ Howey took third in the boys 1,600.
Keith Jiron can be reached at
kjiron@azdailysun.com or 556-2259.
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