Ironwood Ridge cross country sends message

The Ironwood Ridge girls cross country team sent a loud message across Arizona on Saturday morning.

They just might be the state's best team, regardless of class or division.

With a two-point, 107-109, win at the state's premiere cross country event – the Doug Conley Invitational – over nationally-ranked and defending Class 5A Division I champion Xavier Prep, Ironwood Ridge, a 5A-II school, certainly proved they were the state's best... at least on this day.

The Doug Conley Invitational is an event even more prestigious than the state championship meets in that it is an event consisting of the top 20-ranked teams in the state, regardless of class and division. An invite alone is an honor. A win on the 5K course at Tempe's Kiwanis Park is something to tip your hat to.

Coach Rob Clouse's Nighthawks were led by four top-15 finishes in the win (these places are among runners also entered in the team event... some runners competed unnattached from a team affiliation):

• 5th - Sarah Miville (19:17)
• 7th - Kat Howard (19:26)
• 12th - Allision Crawford (19:58)
• 13th - Lauren Cooper (20:05)

Other top southern Arizona story lines from the Doug Conley Invite: Rio Rico's boys team took second place led by Jose Luis Muñoz and Omar Hernandez's 6th and 7th place finishes, respectively, among runners also competing in the team event; Rio Rico's girls took eighth place led by Aelone Bristow's sixth-place finish; Catalina's boys took fourth place; Casa Grande's Kylee Kieser took second place in the girls individual competition.

Southern Arizona team results:

GIRLS

1. Ironwood Ridge (107)
8. Rio Rico (260)
11. Mountain View (319)
14. Sierra Vista Buena (385)
18. Catalina Foothills (437) t23. Salpointe (510)
t23. Casa Grande (510)

BOYS

2. Rio Rico (133)
4. Catalina (196)
8. Catalina Foothills (234)
11. Sabino (259)
13. Flowing Wells (232)
20. Salpointe (459)

Here are links from Arizonatrack.com for all the results:

• Boys individual results
• Boys team results
• Girls individual results
• Girls team results

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Also, here is a link to a photo slideshow from Saturday's Los Mezquites cross country meet here in Tucson: LOS MEZQUITES SLIDESHOW