Chenoa Crans, Xan Hawes, Julia Koss, Sophia Perry, Hannah Ringel and Dawson Stevenson — you’re safe.
Heading into the Sedona Invitational, the final home track and field meet Tuesday, April 19, the postseason hopes of every other Sedona Red Rock High School athlete are, at best, provisional.
“I’m one inch off from automatically qualifying in the high jump,” said Koss, a sophomore, who also was the longest girls discus thrower April 8, helping the Scorpions tie for second at the Mingus Union High School Invitational. “In discus, I’m not exactly close, but it’s a goal of mine.”
The Scorpions were co-runners-up behind Koss’ fifth win in the pole vault and the seventh win for Ringel, the second-best high school shot put thrower in Arizona.
“At this point, I just want to break the school record,” said Ringel, whose only 39-foot shot put this season still puts her 9 inches behind 2012 graduate Nyomi Mosley. “I’m working on a new technique in that and discus, which is improving my throws a lot.”
While Ringel admits she is just not at the point where she is capable of surpassing Mountain Pointe High School junior Kayleigh Conlon as the state’s best in the girls shot put, she definitely feels that by the Sedona Invitational, she can throw the discus the farthest among Division III girls — 120 feet.
“Which is a big jump, but I’ve been throwing that far in practice,” said Ringel, who won her seventh shot put competition of the spring April 8. “I’m trying to figure out how to spin rather than two-step, so I can be quicker.”
Koss’ winning pole vault was 9 feet, 3 inches — her personal best and the seventh-longest pole vault in Division III.
The vault even eclipsed Hawes, a junior, who owns the fourth-best Division III mark in the event from her first home meet March 23.
“I really want to get at least 10 [feet] this year,” Koss said. “That would, I think, get some scholarship offers.”
Junior teammate Sophia Perry’s 5-foot, 1-inch high jump March 23 tied for the best in Division III at the Sedona Friendship Meet.
After setting the division’s fifth-best time in the 100-meter hurdles at the Tolleson High School Invitational, winning the March 26 meet in just over 17 seconds, Crans looks to break the SRRHS sophomore record.
“I think it’s in the 16s,” she said. “I want to break 17 seconds to move up to third. If I drop 0.08 seconds, I’ll be there.”
A week later, at home in the Red Rock Invitational, she earned the same rank in the 300-meter hurdles, winning April 2 in 49½ seconds.
“I want to break 49 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles,” Crans said. “That’ll also get me ranked third in the state.”
Seniors Bridey Brosnahan and Annie Parrella teamed up with sophomore Lauren Malmgren and freshman Lova Lagercrantz to win the girls 4×800 relay.
The Scorpions swept the event April 8 after sophomore Nathan Hoyer and junior Luke Doerner teamed up with seniors Nicholas Malmgren and Wyatt Stevenson to stay among the top four 4×800 relay teams in Division III with a win in 8:39.30.
“It’s really, really close,” said senior Nicholas Malmgren, who hopes to run alone in the 3,200 meters at the Division III state championships at Mesa Community College. “I was ninth, but I didn’t compete last week, so now I’m 12th.
“My goals are to get in the top six for the two-mile so I can be confident I can compete well in the state championships. I only have to drop, like, two seconds.”
Doerner was the only individual winner for the boys April 8, vaulting 9 feet, 6 inches for his first win of the season in the event.
“In pole vault, I want to try and get at least 11 feet,” Doerner said. “That would be pretty cool.”
Although Malmgren has provisionally qualified in the 3,200 meters, Doerner thinks it would be “pretty crazy” if he or one of his relay teammates could make it to the postseason in the 400- or 800-meter dash Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7.
“To improve my 4×8[00] times, I want to get my times down in the 800 [meters]. Me, Nathan and Nick all want to get at least a 2:05.”
Malmgren believes the 4×800 team will position itself well for the State meet Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7, at Mesa Community College with a win at the Yavapai County Track and Field championships, which follow the Sedona Invitational on Friday, April 22.
“We’re probably going to be almost at our best,” Malmgren said. “We hope to be at least in the top three. I’m confident everyone will be performing really well.”
But, Doerner said, all the 4×800 runners will rest, instead focusing on individually qualifying for State, on Friday, April 15, at the Wrangler Invitational in Wickenburg.
For more photos, please see the Friday, April 15, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.
