Hannah Ringel is still looking for a challenge.

“Hannah was disappointed,” said Harry Schneider, her head track and field coach at Sedona Red Rock High School, after Ringel won the Division III state shot put title Friday, May 6. “Even though she won, she wants to improve. She feels she’s better than that.”

So the junior, undefeated in the event, will challenge for the overall state shot put title Thursday, May 12, in the Meet of Champions in Phoenix, after winning Division III by four-and-a-half feet.

“Her shot put was over in the first throw,” Schneider said. “She was winning too easily.”

So Ringel will square off against Mountain Pointe High School junior Kayleigh Conlon, Arizona’s only high school girl to out-throw her in the shot put.

“She wants to go against the best girl in the state, which she hopes will motivate her a little bit,” Schneider said. “She’s really throwing big.”

But despite also being, by 16 inches, the top incoming seed in the discus, Ringel would finish runner-up to the second seed from Show Low High School by nearly four feet.

“People don’t understand discus is very erratic,” Schneider said. “It’s a tough event to be the favorite in. It just takes one awkward flight, and that’s what affected Hannah towards the end.”

Sophomore Julia Koss’ third place in the pole vault — six inches higher than junior teammate Xan Hawes, who finished fourth — was the other highlight of a weekend that turned out better for the SRRHS girls team than the boys.

“I feel bad for the pole vaulters,” Schneider said after freshman Angeleah Merchant’s personal best in the event helped her tie two others for 15th. “They vaulted at 10:30 [p.m.] on a cold night. The new people running the event gave them an hour to warm up. It took forever.”

On the second, windier final day of State, sophomore Chenoa Crans’ ran her personal best in the 300-meter hurdles for fourth place.

“It’s what we were hoping for,” Schneider said. “Chenoa ran exceptionally well, her best by almost two seconds. She was one of the highlights.”

Other personal bests Saturday, May 7, included a ninth-place triple jump by junior Sophia Perry and eighth place for the SRRHS boys 4×800 relay team of seniors Nick Malmgren and Wyatt Stevenson, junior Luke Doerner and sophomore Nathan Hoyer.

“It was their best time by a lot this season” — eight seconds, Schneider said. “So I can’t complain.”

Juniors Joe Glomski and Dawson Stevenson also made the finals in the high jump and triple jump, respectively, both finishing sixth.