With their first region championship in nearly 30 years under their belts, the Mingus Union High School girls used that momentum to take third overall at the 4A-II track and field state championships.
At Mesa Community College, the Marauders tied for third place with 56 points. Notre Dame Preparatory took first with 81 points while Desert Edge High School came in second with 71 points.
Mingus tied with Cactus High School who also had 56 points while Greenway High School wrapped up the top five with 37 points.
“I’m happy with the finish to the season this year. Our girls did great and it’s one of the better teams to come through here,” Mingus Head Coach Jared Stone said.
For a team that practices every day on dirt, third place isn’t half bad. The Marauders don’t have a regulation track at their school, just a dirt circle around the football field. This also means Mingus never has a home match. Ever.
The girls weren’t the only ones at MCC on Saturday, May 15, as the boys took 26th overall with six points.
Liberty High School claimed the title while Thunderbird High School took second and Rio Rico High School wrapped up the top three.
Perhaps the best performance of the day came from sophomore Torey Braly who finished second overall in the 100-meter hurdles with a 15.31 time.
“To see that kid run as hard as she did was great. It would have been something else for a sophomore to get first in that race,” Stone said.
Braly was a part of the 4×100-meter relay team that set a new school record that stood for nearly 30 years, running a 50.37 time which was good enough for fourth overall.
There was one state champion in the group for Mingus in Leslie Kincaid who took first overall Saturday in the pole vault with a 10-foot, 6-inch try.
Courtney Hageman came in second with a 9-foot, 9-inch try.
The best finish for the boys came in the 3,200-meter run where Juan Wells ran a 9:56.84 time, good enough for sixth overall.
