Five individuals and two relay teams from the Xavier Track & Field team traveled to Red Mountain High School on Thursday, May 7, for Day 1 of the State Division I Championships. Day 2 is Saturday, May 9.

Success will not be couched in winning the Division I Championship Title because Track & Field elation does not rely on winning State titles or even Individual Event titles. Xavier all-time top-ten marks, personal bests, and season bests bring personal satisfaction and congratulatory sentiment to our athletes, their families, and their coaches. These are attainable crowns of achievement. This is one of the reasons why Track & Field is such a great sport.

After senior Kennedy Frakes finished the 3200m race and I heard her time, elation came over me and caused me to say things like, "Wow!" and "Are you kidding me" for several minutes. 

Did Kennedy win? No. She took third place.

BUT, she ran a 10.9-second personal best, broke 11-flat for the first time, and took a deep dive into the Xavier all-time 3200m top-ten list, where someone has to run a sub-11:00 just to be considered for top ten. She passed four Xavier alums on her way to #7 on the list.

Already having made the 1600m top-ten list at #10, Kennedy runs the 1600m today, her graduation day and the final day of the Division I meet.

VIDEO: 3200m Final



Ali Mitchell, just a freshman, ran her first 300H race back on March 27 in 52.07, four and a half seconds away from Xavier's all-time 300H top-ten list (47.40). In her second meet, she even digressed to 52.61. On Thursday, she took 11th place and did not make the finals.

BUT, Ali ran 47.28 to take over #10 on the Xavier top-ten list. AND, she's just a freshman who was only three places away from making the finals in a State Division I Championship meet.

And now, the cherry on top: Ali ran a personal best in the 100H. After starting the year at 17.32, she is now down to 16.16. The 100H top-ten list is beginning to draw her in (15.81).

Note: Ali's 100H race was not videod because she was in lane 8, where spectators standing at the fence block the view. Later, I asked the AIA officials to have announcer Ron Smith make an announcement to have spectators move away from the fence.  It worked for a while.

JR Susan Gbekia also ran the 100H prelims on Day 1. 

Sophomore Nina Rao, who has been a key contributor to the success of the 4x800m and 4x400m relay teams, ran a 400m personal best. She broke 60-flat for the first time at 59.83 and is half a second away from the Xavier top-ten list (59.34).

SO Claire Hertzberg also ran the 400m prelims on Day 1.

A major bright spot for the Xavier track team, the 4x800m relay team of SO Rao, SO LilyGrace Anderson, JR Scarlett Kinsman, and FR Avaani Lallian, took 2nd place in the 4x800 final. What are they capable of doing in 2027?

Now, steal the three younger members of the 4x8 relay team and add Xavier's top 400m runner, SO Claire Hertzberg, and you produce a great 4x400m relay team. This relay team qualified at #5 for Saturday's final.