Tiana Hatler-Stefick has taken her throwing skills to an elite level of competition.
Hatler-Stefick, representing Sedona Red Rock High School, competed in the 38th Great Southwest Track and Field Classic on June 6, 7 and 8, in Albuquerque, N.M., after being invited to the meet based on her winning performances at both the Yavapai County Track and Field Championships and the Arizona Interscholastic Association Division III State Meet in May.
More than 600 high school athletes from Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah are invited to compete at the Great Southwest Track and Field Classic, one of the top four postseason regional and national track and field invitationals in the nation. According to its website, the major purpose of the Southwest Classic is to provide the outstanding boy and girl athletes in each state the opportunity to compete in a regional invitational meet. A number of past participants have gone on to compete in the Olympic Games, U.S. Olympic Trials and the NCAA Championships.
This year, team Arizona was comprised of athletes from across the state who qualified to attend because of their standings in the Arizona state track meets.
Hatler-Stefick placed sixth in discus after winning her flight and throwing 119 feet, 2 inches in the finals. The top three through six throws were within inches from each other while Haley Showalter of Colorado threw an impressive 139-5 for first place.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, June 19, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.
