Five years later, George Young Invitational going strong

    SportZine Magazine was there in 2004 when 327 from nine high schools
showed up for the very first George Young Invitational at the Sanctuary
Golf Course, helping organizers, Mike Keahon and Dave Van Sickle,
publicize the new event.  This weekend, the cross-country meet
celebrated its fifth anniversary at the same course – but with 1,200
runners! 
    Young, the well-known four-time Olympian and
long-time cross-country coach at Central Arizona College in Coolidge,
was there to launch the event. His involvement helped bring out some of
the best cross-country talent, unusual for a new event, including seven
of the top 20 teams in Arizona. Today, it has become a major
early-season event.
    Some things have changed since then. 
Flagstaff HS dominated that first meet, winning the girls varsity
competition and finishing second on the boys’ side.  This year,
Alhambra HS finished at the top of the boys’ individual and team
competition (1:24.10) and Xavier Prep earned the individual and team
(1:39.47) honors in the girls’ division.
    Jorge Martinez, Alhambra, won the boys’ individual competition in 16:19.9, followed by Eric Zuza from Camelback HS (16:20.6) and Tyler Bingham from Mountain View HS (16:29.2).  On the girls’ side, Jessica Tonn, Xavier Prep (pictured here), led the pack at 18:01.1, followed by teammate Sarah Fakler (19:19.4) and Christen Collins from Pinnacle HS (19:37.9).
    Mesa Mountain View HS finished second in the boys’ team competition (1:24.35), Corona del Sol HS came in third (1:26.16), Brophy Prep was fourth (1:26.33), and Cesa Chavez HS (1:26.33) rounded out the top five.  On the girls’ side, it was Highland HS in second place (1:44.05), followed by Corona del Sol (1:46.31), Mountain View HS (1:45.39), and Sandra Day O’Connor HS (1:46.54).
    Boys individual results: 1) Martinez 2) Zuza 3) Bingham 4) Alexis Chucatte (16:29.9), Cesa Chavez HS  5) Garrett Baker-Slam (16:33.7), Corona del Sol HS  6) Cory Breinhold (16:37.0), Highland HS  7) Jared Hirschl (16:40.3), Corona del Sol HS  8) Mathew Xuereb (16:41.9), Brophy Prep  9) Russell York (16:46.6), Red Mountain HS  10) Edgar Duarte (16:47.0) Cesar Chavez HS.
    Girls individual results:  1) Tonn 2) Fakler 3) Collins 4) Sarah Schmidt (19:47.0), Mountain View HS  5) Kylee Kieser (19:48.6), Casa Grande HS  6) Ashley Hatch (19:58.4), Highland HS  7) Brianna Decker (20:02.7), Mountain View HS  8) Kristy Rush (20:09.6), Highland HS  9) Juliana Vanderhout (20:15.7), Notre Dame Prep  10) Kailey Rumbo (20:18.6), Sandra Day O’Connor HS.