The Xavier Prep girls have won nine state championships including three in a row from 1995 to 1997 and then six in row from 2007 to 2012. Added to that incredible accomplishment is six runner-up finishes including the last two in 2013 and 2014.

Former Xavier co-head coach Dr. Jeff Messer was on hand for the run from 2007 to 2012 (along with current head coach Dave Van Sickle) but Messer transferred over to Desert Vista in 2013. Coincidently, Desert Vista was the program that turned Xavier Prep back the last two years.

But Dani Jones has graduated from Desert Vista and she is now running track and cross country for the University of Colorado. Jones was named the 2014-15 Arizona Gatorade Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year after she won the state championship last year with a course record of 17:26.

Jones still holds multiple state records and she won nine various state championships so it was obvious her absence was going to be felt. To be fair, Xavier also lost two senior standouts in Shannon Molvin (NAU) and Sierra Brown.

Molvin took ninth place last year and Brown finished in 19th. Sarah Carter was way back at 54th. But that was last year.

Xavier won the Division I, Section II championship by a score of 19 to 62 over Sandra Day O'Connor at Rose Mofford Park and leading the way was Carter with a time of 17:57.56. Her teammates Tessa Weiss took second (18:15.59) and Jane Miller came in third place (18:24.09).

Meanwhile, Desert Vista took second place to Chandler by a wide margin 16 to 102 in the Section I meet held at Cross Roads Park in Gilbert. Desert Vista sophomore Kelly Harris took ninth (19.53).
Chandler swept the top four finishers and had five of the top six and seven of the ten. It was a dominating performance led by senior Alexis Nichols (19:02).

But Desert Vista still holds some of the top times in the state in Division I with junior Baylee Jones (17:41) coming in right behind Carter (17:26.5). Carter's teammate, Miller, has the third best time in the state (17:59.1).

Desert Vista juniors Emily Crall (17:59.7) and Amanda Davis (17:59.8) hold the next two spots on the best times list for D-I. Chandler freshman Morgan Foster is sixth (18:08.3) and Nichols comes in next (18:08.5).

Not only is Carter surging in D-I in the state of Arizona, her time is the 22nd best in the country. Only Rio Rico standout Allie Schadler holds a better position nationally. Schadler has the 5th best time in the country at 16:47.7.

Carter won the Peaks Invitational, competed at the 35th Annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic in California and came in third at the 8th Annual Desert Twilight before winning her section title.

The state meet for Division I should come down to Xavier, Desert Vista and Chandler with the individual title going to a runner from one of these programs. There may be a few surprises come race day so keep your program handy.