Micah Newkirk and Teagan White are students at Valley Christian and are members of the AIA Student SID Program.

The Trojan Cross Country teams were able to compete in the Arizona State Championships on Saturday, November 2, 2024. The boys team ran at 8:30 in the morning and the girls team ran shortly after at 9:20. This year Valley Christian was moved up a division in cross country, so the competition at this meet was significantly better than last season. The course at Cave Creek Golf Course is notorious for having a lot of hills, so it is the most difficult course the Trojans run all year.

The boys team finished off the season strong at State this year. As a team they placed 25th in Division III. All of the runners had a great race, with the most notable finish coming from junior Micah Newkirk, who placed 4th in the state, running with a time of 16:03. Micah now holds the school record for both the Sectionals and State courses. Another runner who had an impressive race was junior Cody Sigerud. With a time of 17:06, he now holds a school record, running the 3rd fastest time in Valley Christian history on both the Sectional and State courses. This state race was also very special because both senior runners, David Loechelt and Wesley Gentala, were able to represent the Trojans at State for the first time in their four years of dedication to the cross country team.  

The girls team had an excellent showing this year and were able to take home hardware as they came home with the State Runner Up trophy. This is especially impressive given that they had moved up a division this year. In order to medal at state runners need to place in the top 21. Ellie Phillips (11), Ellie Edwards (11), and Raegan Randleman (10) all medaled for the Trojans. Ellie Phillips finished 3rd, running a time of 19:22, Ellie Edwards finished 6th with a time of 19:41, and Raegan Randleman finished 14th, finishing in a time of 20:14. After these awesome times, Phillips now holds the 2nd fastest time in school history on the state course and Edwards holds the 3rd fastest time. This girls team is the fastest team that Valley Christian Cross Country has ever seen. All of the top five runners ran under 22 minutes, which is exceptional on a course like this. The Trojans' 4th and 5th runners were Mara Mellberg (10) and Madison Lewis (10), who each played a vital role in helping the team earn the State Runner Up title.

When asked about the race, Layla Heller (12) said "It was a great experince to be able to run at State against the best competition. The course was very difficult with all of the hills but we were able to push through and get the runner-up title. It was awesome to see everybody do well and celebrate each other's success."

The Trojan Cross Country Team had an amazing season and should be proud of how they ran this year. The team puts in so much work during the season, having to practice at 5:30am since it is always so hot during these months. Next time you see a cross country runner in the hallway, make sure to congratulate them on a great season!

The season is not over yet for some of the runners. A few of the runners will be competing in Nike Cross Regionals on Saturday, November 23rd. Make sure to continue to cheer on the Trojans!