O’Connor girls track team
takes 3rd at 5A state meet
Eagles boys claim two individual champions
by Jason Stone

DVUSD – Sandra Day O’Connor followed up its best cross country season with its greatest in track.

The Eagles, coming off a second‑place finish in 5A‑Division II during the girls cross country last fall, rode the talent of its distance team May 13 to finish third in the girls state championship meet at Arizona State University.

Sophomore Lindsay Prescott capped her memorable second season with her second consecutive state championship in the 3,200. She also took second in the 1,600 and finished sixth in the 800.

The Eagles’ boys team, meanwhile, finished in the top 10 (ninth) thanks to individual championships from discus thrower Troy Hamblin and middle‑distance runner Spencer Morgan–the school’s first boys champions.

“We had a great championship season–the region and state,” girls coach Brian Dempsey said. “We definitely have improved over the last couple of years, and with the (5A Conference) split into (two) divisions, it’s really helped our confidence. We just performed really well.”

Prescott led a crew of distance runners that scored most of the Eagles’ girls’ points. She finished the mile in 5 minutes, 7.25 seconds and two‑mile in 11:08.16. Camille Olson also placed in those three events, taking third in the one‑ and two‑mile, and seventh in the 800. Aleina Eisenhauer came in fourth in the two‑mile and fifth in the one‑mile.

Nicole Elliott was a two‑time placer for the Eagles as she took second in the shot put and eighth in the discus. And the girls 4x800 relay, with the dream team of Prescott, Olson, Eisenhauer and Renee Peck finished second.

Morgan was the victor in the boys 800 and Hamblin triumphed in the discus to help the Eagles nip Centennial by a point for ninth‑place in the team standings. Morgan’s time of 1 minute, 55.53 seconds ended up as the state’s best.

Morgan and Hamblin were two of four individual placers for the Eagles. Austin Nielsen took fifth in the shot put, while Steve Jones grabbed seventh place in the triple jump. The Eagles’ 4x800 relay team also placed with an eighth‑place effort.

Five O’Connor athletes will compete at this week’s Meet of Champions at Chandler High School. Prescott and Olson will compete in the one‑mile, Morgan will race in the 800, Hamblin will throw the discus, and Nicole Elliott will take part the shot put. The meet begins at 7 p.m.