Top Moment of the Meet (1)
Allie Schadler had some unexpected company escorting her around the course.
The crowd who showed up for Desert Twilight is a pretty knowledgeable group of fans. And, one thing every cross country fan in Arizona is in the know about is just how good Allie Schadler is. Schadler swept the miles at Arcadia and Chandler Rotary this spring. She qualified for NXN as a sophomore and likely would have again as a junior but for being set back with an injury.
So, it was more or less a foregone conclusion that the rest of the field would be seeing a lot of Schadler's backside--while it lasted--at Desert Twilight.
Well, perhaps all of Arizona was clued in on that message. But, "all of Arizona" did not include Quinn McConnell.
McConnell is a sophomore at Peak to Peak Charter School in Lafayette, Colorado, whose season, and career, just keeps getting better and better. Eventually, McConnell would cede the win to Schadler, but not before giving Schadler the kind of chase she's rarely dealt with on her home turf. When the crossed the finish line, it was Schadler at 17:03 and McConnell at 17:12, and most of that gap was established in the final half mile.
Schadler's sister Samantha made it a 1-3 for the family at 17:27, but the Rio Rico run of the places ended there. What began when the Rio Rico run ended was a piece of domination by Desert Vista. DV scored 7-8-12-14-15 to close shop early with 56 points.
Air Academy took second at 118, while McConnell's Peak to Peak teammates earned third with 141, pushing aside all other Arizona programs along the way.