Freelance
HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD
ASH FRIEDERICH
sports@tucsoncitizen.com
Sahuaro High girls pole vaulter Christine Corrao set a personal record Friday of 9 feet, 3 inches to claim the Class 4A Kino Region championship.
Corrao’s win helped the Cougars girls team claim the region championship while topping meet host and second-place Sabino 211-102.
“It’s an adrenaline rush,” said Corrao, who came within three inches of the school record of 9-6 set in 2007 by Brittany Bishop.
In her first year of vaulting, Corrao has shown steady improvement.
“Christine has been working really hard,” said coach Holly Kirchberger, who vaulted at the University of Arizona. “I thought to myself right away that she would be a region champ.”
Sabino (179) won the boys championship, beating second-place Sahuaro (121) by 58 points.
In the 4A Sonoran meet, also held at Sabino, the Catalina Foothills boys 4×800 relay team (8 minutes, 27.34 seconds) set a blistering pace out of the first turn and never looked back, easily defeating Pueblo (8:55.83).
“It was a race against the clock,” said Foothills anchor Kevin Lin. “I think the guys did a good job today.”
Canyon del Oro’s boys and girls teams each won Sonoran Region team championships.
The 4A Division I state meet starts Wednesday at Mesa Community College.
Final heats are May 16 at MCC.
Region champions
4A Kino
Boys: Sabino
Girls: Sahuaro
4A Sonoran
Boys: Canyon del Oro
Girls: Canyon del Oro
5A-I Southern
Boys: Casa Grande
Girls: Sierra Vista Buena
5A-II Southern
Boys: Ironwood Ridge
Girls: Ironwood Ridge