DV Girls Track State Runners Up!

DV Track State: Girls 300m Hurdle Finals, originally uploaded by dr.coop.

The Deer Valley girls track team finished 2nd at the 2009 5A Division II State Track & Field Championships May 18th at Chandler HS. The Skyhawks were lead by outstanding seniors Carrie Jarnagin, Leigha Graziano, and Sam Rasmussen. Graziano successfully defended her state championships in the shot and discus, winning both with throws of 134'6" and 38'10". She also tied for 10th in the High Jump with a 4'8" jump. Jarnagin placed 3rd in the 300m hurdles in 46.22 (video), 5th in the High Jump with a jump of 4'10", 6th in 100m high hurdles running 16.01, and ran a leg on the 2nd place girls 4x400 relay that ran 4:04.24 without Junior Claire Zampini. Rasmussen finished 2nd in 800m in 2:22.15, 6th in 1600m 5:23.79, and was also a member of both the 4x400m relay and the 3rd place 4x800m relay team that ran 10:03.53. Senior Jasmine Green finished 4th in the Triple Jump with a leap of 34'0.75".

The seniors had great help from their younger teammates. Junior Elizabeth Wells placed 2nd in the High Jump with a jump of 5'0". Wells was als 9th in the Triple Jump with 32'0.75". Junior Chelsea Gobster surprised everyone with a vault of 9'6" earning her a 3rd place medal in the Pole Vault. Sophomore Amber Roberts was 9th with a vault of 8'6". Freshman Tessa Kelley finished 8th in 300m hurdles after an unfortunate fall down the final stretch (video). Also unfortunate was the absence of junior Claire Zampini who was busy trying to win a state softball title. Zampini just missed qualifying in the 200m finals by 1/100 of a second running 26.73. The last place qualifier ran 26.72. Zampini also had the fastest qualifying time for 400m final with 59.48. That time alone would have placed in the top 3 in the final, but her lane was empty for the final. Sophomore Mante Koliakinaite finished 10th in the long jump with a jump of 14'8.5".

The girls scored 77 points behind state champions Ironwood Ridge who scored 108. Rincon was 3rd with 74 and Mountain View Marana 4th with 61.

DV Boys 7th at State Meet

DV Track State: Boys 4x800m Relay, originally uploaded by dr.coop.

The Deer Valley boys track & field team finished in 7th place at the 2009 5A Division II state championships held at Chandler HS, May 18th. The Skyhawks scored 29 points led by Sophomore Josh Espinoza and Seniors Robert Wozny and Jared Ritter. Espinoza ran 9:48.13 in the 3200m and placed 4th, ran 4:33.45 in the 1600m and finished 6th, and anchored the 8th placed 4x800m relay with Seniors Andrew Austin and Billy Lutz that ran 8:24.05 (video). The 4x100m relay was the only other team or individual to make it to the finals on the track and finished 5th in 43.03.

Wozny placed 2nd in the high jump with a jump 6'4", 2" below his best and the winning jump of 6'6". Ritter had a big day in the pole vault placing 4th with a season high 13'9" vault. Senior Bryce McCleery finished 8th with a vault of 13'.0", also a season best. And Senior Tom Engel scored with a 7th place in the discus with a toss of 137'7".

Two More Added to State Qualifying List

Jarnagin 300m Hurdles
Originally uploaded by dr.coop

Senior Carrie Jarnagin added another event to her long list of state qualifying events. She ran a 16.19 in the 100m Hurdles at the Mario Castro Invitational at Sunnyside HS in Tucson this past weekend. That time earned her a 5th place in the meet and a place in the state meet in May. Jarnagin is already qualified in the HJ (5'4"), 4x400 and 4x800 relays, and the 300m Hurdles. She and teammate Tessa Kelley bettered their state qualifying times in the 300m HH this week running 47.24 and 47.45 and finishing 5th and 6th in a tough field. The winning time, 43.67, was only a second off the state record. Jarnagin also helped the 4x800m relay team consisting of Charlotte Hurley, Ashley Edmondson and Senior Sam Rasmussen lower their time to 10:21.48.

Freshman Tray Armstrong also joins the DV state qualifying party running a 11.30 in 100m. His time wasn't fast enough to make it in the finals, but it did earn him a ticket to the State meet in May. Armstrong joins a long list of other Skyhawks who have qualified for State.

Event	Name	Year	Time/Dist	Meet/Date
HJ	Robert Wozny	Sr	6'6"	North Canyon Invite, March 14, 2009
PV	Bryce McCleery	Sr	12'6"	North Canyon Invite, March 14, 2009
PV	Jared Ritter		12'6"	North Canyon Invite, March 14, 2009
4x100m R	??, Robertson, Armstrong, McClellan		44.34	Valley Classic Invite, March 28, 2009
LJ	Jumanne Robertson	Sr	21'7.5"	Valley Classic Invite, March 28, 2009
TJ	Jumanne Robertson	Sr	41'11.25"	Valley Classic Invite, March 28, 2009
1600m	Josh Espinoza	So	4:30.83	Westside Invite, April 17, 2009
3200m	Josh Espinoza	So	9:57.47	Queen Creek Invite, April 11, 2009
100m	Tray Armstrong	Fr	11.30	Mario Castro Invite, April 24, 2009

On the girls side:

Event	Name	Year	Time/Dist	Meet/Date
1600m	Samantha Rasmussen	Sr	5:23.88	Queen Creek Invite, April 11, 2009
400m	Claire Zampini		59.30	Westside Invite, April 17, 2009
HJ	Carrie Jarnagin	Sr	5'4"	Westside Invite, April 17, 2009
Shot Put	Leigha Graziano	Sr	39'10"	Westside Invite, April 17, 2009
Discus	Leigha Graziano	Sr	128'11"	Westside Invite, April 17, 2009
300mLH	Carrie Janagin	Sr	47.24	Mario Castro Invite, April 24, 2009
800m	Samantha Rasmussen	Sr	2:18.94	Queen Creek Invite, April 11, 2009
4x400 R	Jarnagin, Kelley, Zampini, Rasmussen		4:05.73	Westside Invite, April 17, 2009
PV	Chelsea Gobster		8'6"	North Canyon Invite, March 14, 2009
300mLH	Tessa Kelley	Fr	47.45	Mario Castro Invite, April 24, 2009
4x800 R	Jarnagin, Edmundson Stone, Rasmussen		10:21.48	Mario Castro Invite, April 24, 2009
TJ	Jasmine Green		31'11"	Greenway Invite, April 4, 2009
100mHH	Carrie Janagin	Sr	16.19	Mario Castro Invite, April 24, 2009

DV Girls Win Westside Invitational

Zampini 100m at Westside Invite
Originally uploaded by dr.coop

The Deer Valley girls track and field team competing on their own track won the 2009 Westside Invitational April 17th. The girls outscored a watered down Xavier team and outdistanced the rest of the field by more than 50 points. DV scored 101, Xavier 79, Kellis 47 and O'Connor 46. The Skyhawk boys finished 5th. Twenty-five teams participated.

In an exciting shotput competition, Senior Leigha Graziano fell for the first time this season, finishing 2nd behind Trevor Browne's EJ Gaines who won with a put of 40'0". Although Graziano posted her best mark of the season with 39'10". She bounced back in the discus to remained unbeaten by tossing a season best 128'11" to win that event. Senior Carrie Jarnagin continued her winning ways, this time adding a season best 5'4" HJ to her win list. Senior Robert Wozny also won the HJ on the boys side with 6'6" jump.

Freshman Tessa Kelley pulled off a surprise victory in the 300m Hurdles winning the race in a season best 47.51. Kelley was followed closely by Jarnagin who finished 3rd in 47.84.
Claire Zampini placed 2nd in the 200m with a time 26.93, 3rd in the 100m in 13.13, and 3rd in the 400m with a season best 59.30. Seniors Sam Rasmussen and Andrew Austin both finished 3rd in the 800m with times of 2:20.13 and 2:03.11 respectively. The girls 4x400m relay team, featuring Kelley, Jarnagin, Zampini and Rasmussen, won that event and lowered their state qualifying time to 4:05.73.

Rasmussen placed 3rd in the girls 1600m with a time 5:24.42 and sophomore Josh Espinoza finished 4th in the boys 1600m running 10:02.86. Jarnagin added a 3rd place finish in the 100m Hurdles to her resume. She ran a 16.46. Lastly the boys 4x800m relay placed 2nd with a time of 8:32.15.

DV Boys & Girls Finish 2nd at Greenway Invite

DV Track: Greenway Invite, originally uploaded by dr.coop.

With the help of a speedy hurdler from Apache Junction, the Deer Valley boys track team is listed as winning the Greenway Invite this past weekend. I'm still a little unsure as to the real team scores, but doing the math, it looks like the Skyhawks finished 2nd on both the boys and girls side.

On the track and field there was no confusion, however. The Skyhawks dominated. The girls relay teams had a great showing, winning both the 4x400m and 4x800m relays and qualifying for state. A team of Carrie Jarnagin, Tessa Kelley, Claire Zampini and Sam Rasmussen ran 4:06.26 in the 4x4 relay, and a team of Jarnigan, Rasmussen, Ashley Edmondson, and Madisen Stone won the 4x8 relay in 10:21.85. Rasmussen lowered her 800m time to 2:22.67 and also won that race. Andrew Austin finished 2nd in the 800m on the boys side with a time of 2:04.34

Both Tray Armstrong and Claire Zampini finished 3rd in the boys and girls 100m in 11.44 and 13.01. Both are really close to meeting the state qualifying standards of 11.34 and 12.96. Armstrong also finished 2nd in the 200m running a 23.11; he ran 22.94 in the prelims. And Zampini placed 4th in the 200m. Sophomore Josh Espinoza placed 2nd in the 1600m with a time of 4:36.65, just 1 second away from the qualifying standard. Freshman Tessa Kelley shattered her personal best in the 300m Hurdles and finished 3rd in 47.59, while on the boys side Junior Hayden McClellan finished 4th in the 300m Hurdles with a season best 42.61.

Senior Leigha Graziano won both the shot and discus again. She out distanced the competition by a large margin throwing 36'3.5" and 126'5" respectively. And Senior Robert Wozny won the High Jump with 6'6" jump. Elizabeth Wells finished 2nd in the girls High Jump with a jump of 4'10". And Jasmine Green qualified for state in the Triple Jump with her 8th place 31'11" jump.

You can see more photos and videos from the Greenway Invite on the respective website pages.

DV Girls Win Valley Classic - Boys 3rd

DV Track: Valley Classic Invite
Originally uploaded by dr.coop

It was a great day in the sun for the Skyhawks at the 2009 Valley Classic Invite at Alhambra HS last weekend. The girls team, sporting brand new light blue unis, stepped up to the challenge and brought home the trophy. Lead by seniors Carrie Jarnagin, Sam Rasmussen and Leigha Graziano, the girls team scored 104.5 points to cream the competition. Casa Grande was 2nd with 83.5 points.

Rasmussen won the mile in 5:35.98 and took 3rd place in the 2 mile with a time of 12:36.44. She also anchored the 1st place 4x800m relay team that ran 10:29.30. Not to be outdone, Jarnagin added her share of points to the total finishing 2nd in High Jump with a jump of 5'2", 2nd in the 300m Intermediate Hurdles running a season low 48.50, and 3rd in the 100m High Hurdles running 16.66. And the defending state champ continued her dominance in the throws. Graziano pulled off another sweep in the shot and disc, winning both with throws of 38'6" and 128'10".

The seniors had a little help from the rest of the Skyhawk girls' team. Elizabeth Wells finished 3rd behind Jarnagin in the High Jump with a jump of 5'1", and freshman Tessa Kelley finished 3rd behind Jarnagin in the 300mIH with a time of 49.13. She also placed 8th in the 100m High Hurdles. Pole Vaulters Chelsea Gobster and Brianna Edwards finished tied for 2nd and 4th in that event. Gobster vaulted 8'6" and Edwards 8'0".

The boys looked just as impressive finishing 3rd with 68.5 points behind 2nd place Casa Grande, 85 points, and winner Cesar Chavez with 116 points. The boys were led by seniors Robert Wozny and Jumanne Robertson. Wozny won the High Jump clearing 6'2". Robertson won the Long Jump with a leap of 21'7.5" and finished 2nd in the Triple Jump with the a hop, skip and jump of 41'11.25".

You can find more results for the boys and girls on the Valley Classic Invite Results page. Also there are lots of photos and videos to see.

Big Day on the Field at North Canyon Invite

McCleery Warmup Vault
Originally uploaded by dr.coop

The Deer Valley Track & Field teams competed in the North Canyon Invite, March 14, 2009, and the field side of both teams shined. Robert Wozny won the boys high jump with a jump of 6'6" which not only qualified him for the state meet, but placed him in the National Elites category. Wozny joins Leigha Graziano with that distinction. She qualified last week. This week Graziano wasn't able to match her outstanding marks from the Gatorade Invite, but she still won the girls discus and placed 2nd in the shot. Senior Carrie Jarnagin equaled her 5'2" qualifying jump from last week to place 2nd in the girls high jump.

Keeping with the field events, Coach Jeager's pole vaulters also had a big day. Both Bryce McCleery and Jared Ritter qualifed for state with their 12'6" vaults. McCleery placed 2nd and Ritter was 3rd. Joining these two on the girls side was Chelsea Gobster, who cleared 8'6" to place 3rd in the girls PV and qualify for the state meet.

On the track, the girls 4x400m relay qualified for state with a time of 4: 13.96. They placed 4th behind a tough Xavier team. Also qualifying on the track was Samantha Rasmussen who ran 2:22.77 in the 800m and 5:26.01 in the 1600m. She placed 2nd in both races. Jarnagin also ran a state qualifying 48.95 in the girls 300m IH prelims, but placed 6th behind Freshman Tessa Kelley in the finals. Kelley ran 49.54.

The girls team finished in 4th place with 66 pts and the boys finished 7th with 50 points. To see more North Canyon Invite Results, click the link.