Gruenwald gets Chandler off to strong start with historic final leap to surpass 40-year-old record; Wolf repeats as 3,200 champion; Jones secures third straight Division 2 shot put title

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Haley Wolf ran the fastest all-time girls 3,200 meters for Chandler High.

Tyson Jones produced the most impressive shot put mark in 50 years at the Arizona Interscholastic Association state championship.

And Jai Gruenwald saved the best long jump in Arizona history for her last leap in the state final Wednesday at Mesa Community College.

Gruenwald, a Chandler senior, eclipsed the oldest girls state record in Arizona, surpassing the 1978 long jump mark held by Roxane Keating of Cortez High.

The final jump for the UCLA-bound Gruenwald was originally measured with the laser at a wind-legal 20 feet, 7 inches, but confirmed with the steel tape measure at 20-6.75 (6.26m) to move past the 20-4.50 effort of Keating.

Gruenwald, who also qualified for Saturday’s Division 1 finals in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, elevated to No. 4 in the country this year.

Wolf improved on her personal best from last year’s Arcadia Invitational by nearly 10 seconds to clock 10:34.76. It was her first Division 1 state title with Chandler after winning last year’s 3,200 championship for Desert Vista in 10:52.58.

Jones, the national shot put leader at 70-6 (21.49m), produced a first-round effort in the Division 2 final of 68-10.50 (20.99m) to capture his third consecutive state title. The Desert Edge senior and state record holder surpassed last year’s winning mark of 67-6.50 (20.58m) by more than a foot.

Chandler also added victories from Samantha Ponds in the discus with a throw of 144-2 (43.96m) and a third straight title in the girls 4x800 relay, with Sarah Plant, Mihajla Milovanovic, Becca Taylor and Morgan Foster clocking 9:18.74 to contribute to the Wolves’ bid for a 12th Division 1 team championship in 13 years.

Highland sophomore Leo Daschbach ran a 1,600 program-record 4:10.64, No. 5 in the country this year, to prevail in the Division 1 final. After taking second in the 1,600, Jacob Lewis of Boulder Creek won the 800 in 1:56.56.

Junior teammate Cierra Tidwell cleared a personal-best 5-8 to repeat as Division 1 high jump champion.

Desert Vista put itself in strong position to capture the Division 1 boys team title Saturday with 31 combined points in the shot put and javelin.

Deshon Toney won the shot put with a personal-best 60-10.50 (18.55m) and teammate Marcos Figueroa finished second at 51-2 (15.59m). Kevin Fairchild secured the title in the javelin with a throw of 193-1 (58.86m) for the Thunder.

Pinnacle’s Jaylen Coleman secured the Division 1 boys triple jump title with a leap of 46-6 (14.17m), Hamilton’s Malik Whitaker cleared 6-6 (1.98m) in the high jump for the Division 1 crown and Mountain View’s Sam Jarvis prevailed in the pole vault by clearing 14-9 (4.50m), holding off Brophy Prep’s Carson Kurtz on fewer misses.

North Canyon helped its pursuit of back-to-back Division 2 girls championships with a victory in the 4x800, with Stefana Purkovic, Makyah Richard, Andrea Diaz and Dominique Mustin running 9:24.22. Jadyn Mays added another 10 points for the Rattlers by repeating as girls long jump champion with a leap of 18-10.25 (5.74m).

Chaparral junior Abi Archer repeated as Division 2 girls 3,200 champion in a personal-best 10:48.36.

Campo Verde’s Ryan Stubbs won the boys 1,600 in Division 2 in 4:15.71 and Vista Grande’s Johnathon DeSanti prevailing in the 800 in 1:54.36.

Sunnyslope’s William McMurry also cleared 14-9 to win the Division 2 boys high jump title.