2013 Girls Cross Country Capsules
ADELSON SCHOOL
Head coach: Don Giardina, first season
Outlook: The Lions have five runners on the roster, but four are freshmen. They’ll focus on daily improvement.
ARBOR VIEW
Head coach: Tyrel Cooper, eighth season
Returning letter winners: Three
Top athletes: Zanae Jones (Sr.), Morgan Anderson (Jr.), Maddie Fletcher (Jr.)
Outlook: The Aggies could not ask for much better in terms of returnees.
Jones placed fourth in the Sunset Region and seventh in the state last year. Anderson was 13th and Fletcher 14th in the state meet.
Finding quality depth is the only real question mark.
“The girls have worked really hard this summer and should compete for their sixth consecutive trip to the state meet,” Cooper said. “We need to close the gaps between our third, fourth and fifth runners to see the type of success we are working toward.”
CANYON SPRINGS
Head coach: Freddie Thompson, 10th season
Returning letter winners: One
Top athletes: Brooklyn Allison (Sr.)
Outlook: The Pioneers still are trying to attract new team members and hoping to have enough athletes to compete as a team.
CHAPARRAL
Head coach: Cynthia Ziegler, sixth season
Top athletes: Linda Sue Luchsinger (Jr.)
Outlook: Luchsinger was a state qualifier last season and is back to lead a team that seems to lack experience but may have gained a lot of quality.
Ziegler said she has a few girls returning to the team after not competing last year and a positive group of newcomers.
“We have some first-year runners that we acquired from track,” Ziegler said. “Celeste Hernandez looks to be strong.”
CORONADO
Head coach: Mark Tondryk, eighth season
Returning letter winners: Four
Top athletes: Sara Dort (Sr.), Logan Lucas (Sr.), Taylor Lauten (Sr.), Emma Czerwinski (Sr.)
Outlook: The Cougars bring back two of the top three finishers in last season’s Sunrise Region meet in Dort (first) and Lucas (third).
Lauten placed 10th and Czerwinski 17th in the region last year, giving the defending Division I state champions plenty of reason for optimism.
“The girls are looking for their seventh straight egion title and hopefully a trip back to state to defend their title,” Tondryk said.
DESERT OASIS
Head coach: Jim Dinkel, sixth season
Returning letter winners: Six
Top athletes: Brooke Locey (Jr.), Alexandra Myers (Jr.), Delaney Paul (Jr.), Ellie Tchernagarova (Jr.), Briona Viloria (So.)
Outlook: Locey was a state meet qualifier last year and is back to lead a team that isn’t exactly senior-laden.
Of the team’s expected top runners, four are juniors and one is a sophomore.
“The girls will look to improve on their 3-2 Southwest League record from last year,” Dinkel said.
DURANGO
Head coach: Jim Holben, 14th season
Top athletes: Leticia Salazar-Sandoval (So.), Andie Close (So.), Andrea Lopez (So.)
Outlook: The Trailblazers list only seven runners, including two freshmen, on their roster.
“The girls team lost two top runners to soccer, and our numbers are down from years past,” Holben said.
FOOTHILL
Head coach: Natalie Thomas, 14th season
Returning letter winners: Three
Top athletes: Alyse Vanek (Sr.), Airyanna Medina (Jr.), Leah Burns (So.)
Outlook: The Falcons welcome back three of the top 40 finishers in last year’s Sunrise Region meet, including Vanek, who placed fifth.
Also back is junior Raegan Janda, who was injured and did not run in the region meet.
Thomas said she expects a pair of sophomores and two freshmen to be in the hunt to round out the top seven.
GREEN VALLEY
Head coach: Mark Fordney, 11th season
Returning letter winners: Five
Top athletes: Lindy Eskin (Sr.), Stacie Hall (Sr.), Sara Braverman (So.), Jenna Landman (Sr.), Gladys Rastegari (Jr.), Kylie Schoeffel (So.)
Outlook: The top half of the Gators’ potential lineup is stacked with four of the Sunrise Region’s top 13 returnees.
If the Gators can find a tad more depth, they’ll be on their way to a successful season.
“Our expectations are to win the Northeast League, qualify for state and compete for the Sunrise Region title,” Fordney said.
LAS VEGAS
Head coach: Darcie Conway, fourth season
Returning letter winners: Three
Top athletes: Sharon Ortega (Sr.), Alexis Emmerling (Sr.)
Outlook: The Wildcats are hoping to make steady improvement.
THE MEADOWS
Head coach: Charles Bernick, 10th season
Returning letter winners: Five
Top athletes: Jeneke Heerema (Jr.), Bailey Gosse (Jr.), Krista Thompson (Jr.)
Outlook: Heerema, Gosse and Thompson were the top three finishers in last year’s Southern Region meet, and Heerema placed third in the state meet.
In all, the Mustangs welcome back their top five runners from a squad that captured the region title.
“With the top five runners on the regional championship team returning, expectations are high for the 2013 season,” Bernick said.
PALO VERDE
Head coach: Robert Davis
Top athletes: Marissa Suan (Sr.), Samantha Reintjes (Jr.), Bailey Dunlap (Jr.), Carolina Cleland (Jr.), Kate Vanderstelt (So.), Kelsey Lamph (So.), Alison Brady (Sr.)
Outlook: Suan, the state runnerup last season, is back to lead a team that is hoping to improve on a sixth-place showing at state.
Reintjes and Suan both missed parts of last season with injuries, but are healthy, and Vanderstelt should add quality depth after winning the freshmen race at the Frosh/Soph Championships.
“The team hopes a revitalized conditioning program will keep it running strong and injury free throughout the season,” Davis said. “If that happens, Palo Verde has the potential to be very good.”
SHADOW RIDGE
Head coach: Andy Flynn, first season
Returning letter winners: Four
Top athlete: Ciara Jackson (Sr.)
Outlook: Jackson placed 17th at the state meet last season, and Flynn said he expects her and junior Jessica Graf to lead the squad.
“Returning sophomores and juniors have been working hard this summer and are ready to show what they can do,” Flynn said. “Taking their cues from the veterans, incoming freshmen are shaping up for a promising season.”
SPRING VALLEY
Head coach: Jean Rees, second season
Top athletes: Una Karanovic (Jr.)
Outlook: The Grizzlies are hoping their preseason work will pay off in visible improvement during the season.
“We have been working hard to improve all our runners’ times,” Rees said.