David delivers all-time Florida 5-kilometer effort to propel program to historic win in Arizona; Washington standouts Van Valkenburg and David-Smith battle to the line in unattached/club sweepstakes race, as Great Oak secures team title

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

SAN TAN VALLEY – Tatum David turned in one of the most impressive performances in meet history and her IMG Academy teammates rose to the occasion to shine under the lights on their biggest stage of the season Friday night at the 14th annual Desert Twilight Festival.

David, a sophomore transfer from Olney Richland County in Illinois, demonstrated again that she is capable of performing against elite competition regardless of state, making the trip from Florida to Arizona a memorable one in the girls high school sweepstakes race at The Links at Queen Creek.

David, a Foot Locker and Nike Cross Nationals All-American, covered the 5-kilometer course in a Florida all-time best 16 minutes 41.41 seconds, helping IMG Academy become the first Southeast girls team to capture the team sweepstakes championship with an 87-98 victory over Desert Vista of Arizona.

David eclipsed the 2008 record of 16:46.66 achieved by Wellington High graduate Ashley Brasovan at the FLRunners.com Invitational.

Mountain Brook High from Alabama is the only Southeast boys team to win a sweepstakes championship at Desert Twilight in 2011. After Arizona girls programs won the first 11 sweepstakes titles, the past three winners are Boise Senior from Idaho in 2018, Niwot High from Colorado last year and IMG Academy.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

Sophomore Lauren Ping finished runner-up for the second year in a row for Desert Vista, which was seeking its record fifth sweepstakes title.

Ping, who took second last year to Jenna Hutchins of Science Hill High in Tennessee, clocked 16:57.20 to hold off a late surge from senior Carlee Hansen of Woods Cross High in Utah (16:57.70).

Katie Sigerud (17:48.79) finished fourth for Desert Vista, but IMG Academy responded with Jais Ward (18:03.14) securing seventh and Carly McNatt (18:12.02) taking ninth.

Emilia Puskas (19:03.82) was 23rd and Eve Siff-Scherr (20:13.94) placed 54th for the Ascenders, overcoming Desert Vista having all seven athletes in the top 50, including Emily Littlefield (19:13.73) and Olivia Thatcher (19:19.45) finishing 25th and 27th, respectively.

Kayla Case (18:10.68) was eighth for Highland High of Arizona, which took third with 113 points.

David’s dominant effort came after the girls unattached/club sweepstakes race produced the closest finish of the two-day meet, with Washington standouts Emily Van Valkenburg of Eastlake and Julia David-Smith of Issaquah battling all the way to the final step to determine the winner.

David-Smith, who had prevailed a week earlier at the Desert Daylight Invitational, was edged in her pursuit for a second straight win, as Van Valkenburg’s final stride allowed her to emerge victorious by a 17:15.48 to 17:15.53 margin.

Ava Gordon of Loudoun Valley High in Virginia was third in 17:16.56 and Stormy Wallace of Sage Creek High in California finished fourth in 17:17.15.

Led by the return of senior Brianna Weidler, Great Oak captured the girls unattached/club sweepstakes team championship competing as South Temecula Track Club. It marked the first appearance for Great Oak at Desert Twilight since 2012, resulting in the first girls sweepstakes title by a California team in meet history.

Weidler, who was injured during the postseason last year for the Wolfpack, took 10th in 18:33.65 to lead five scorers in the top 40, as South Temecula prevailed by a 47-60 margin over Beach Cities Running Club, representing California Division 1 rival Mira Costa High.

Dalia Frias was seventh in 18:12.69 for Beach Cities. Peak Distance Project, representing El Toro in California, had five scorers in the top 40 to take third with 70 points and Newbury Park Athletic Club was fourth with 116, led by a fifth-place individual effort from Samantha McDonnell in 17:42.95.

South Temecula also triumphed in the unattached/girls championship race with a 26-31 victory over Sun City, representing Yakima, Wash.

Meilani Castillo (20:58.11) and Emily Donofrio (21:01.18) were fifth and sixth for Great Oak, with Kara Mickelson (21:19.58) taking 10th for Sun City.

Anastasia Snodgrass of Mission Viejo (20:01.99) and Georgia Jeanneret of JSerra (20:02.10), both representing Orange County Heat, took the top two spots in the unattached/club girls championship race.

It was a split decision for Arizona programs in the girls championship race, with Kylie Wild of Salpointe Catholic (18:40.31) prevailing over fellow sophomore Evelynne Carr from American Leadership of Queen Creek (18:42.17) in a rematch of last year’s Division 3 state final.

But American Leadership secured the team title by a 110-115 margin over Salpointe Catholic.