Many of our dedicated cross-country athletes from Great Hearts competed under the lights at the 19th Annual Desert Twilight Cross Country Festival [1], held at Toka Sticks Golf Course in Mesa, Ariz.
Desert Twilight [1] is one of the most anticipated cross-country events in the Southwest, drawing over 6,000 athletes from hundreds of schools across many states. The meet transforms the desert evening into a festival of endurance, competition, and community, with races beginning after sunset under a canopy of stadium lights.
The all-grass course at Toka Sticks Golf Course [2] is fast, flat, and beautifully designed for spectators to view much of the action. Despite thunder, lightning, and record-breaking rainfall earlier in the day, our high school and middle school teams and individual runners competed across multiple divisions
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“We had an impressive showing with seven personal bests and two season bests,” shared Coach Eric Webdale at Glendale Prep [4]. “Two of our freshmen, Macyee Brady and Zander Rich, also brought home medals in their respective races.” Glendale Prep’s [4] Girls Varsity Team finished 20th out of 54 teams in the Small School Division, and the Boys Varsity Team finished 14th out of 29 teams in the Championship 5K. “The Championship race was the second-highest rated race of the evening, making the boys’ performance especially noteworthy. Overall, it was a strong night, and the team represented GP [4] exceptionally well,” said Webdale.
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It was also an incredible night for middle schoolers at Glendale Prep [4], according to Coach Amanda Leivian. “Our middle school cross country team shined with countless PRs, first-time runners giving their all, and several athletes dropping 1–3 minutes off their times. Truly amazing work,” shared Leivian. “Ezra Trimble brought home a 17th-place medal for the boys, while Kyla Leivian earned a 5th-place medal for the girls. A fantastic showing of teamwork and a memorable evening for everyone.”
The cross-country team over at Chandler Prep [6] also had an outstanding performance that night. “The weather cleared just in time for our athletes to rise to the occasion and come home with exceptional results including a total team PR hit rate of 62%,” shared Assistant Athletic Director Jeremy LeFebre. “Highlights from the meet include our Freshman and Open Division Boys achieving an insane 100% PR hit rate. Our Varsity Girls defeated a rival school by just one place with Linah Webber achieving a personal best.”
But the biggest news of the night for the Chandler Prep [6] Titans came from the Varsity Boys, who made program history by becoming the first team in Coach Steenson’s tenure to have all seven varsity runners finish under 20 minutes in the same race. “This is a milestone that hasn’t been achieved at CPA in eight years,” added LeFebre.
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Arete Prep [8] Athletic Director Todd Conklin shared that while they are a small team, they had a standout runner in junior Jhon Bruns representing them in the most competitive race of the night, the Championship 5000m race. “He was the top Great Hearts finisher to compete in this high-level race,” reported Conklin, adding Bruns’ impressive finish at 28th with a time of 16:27, out of 243 runners.
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Congratulations to all the Great Hearts runners who took part in this year’s Desert Twilight [1]. Your effort, discipline, and sportsmanship represent the spirit of Great Hearts athletics at its finest.
Do you have a story or know of one that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts? Please contactjmoore@greatheartsamerica.org [10].
Submit a student application to a Great Hearts Academy by visiting: https://www.greatheartsamerica.org/enroll/ [11].