The Fountain Hills High School track and field team competed in Arizona’s largest meet last weekend. The Falcons ran against more than 70 other teams, including two teams that made the long trip down from Canada.

There were no team placements, but the Falcons set personal records (PRs), moved up in rankings, and are closer to qualifying for the state meet. The Falcons competed in 40 individual events and five team relays.

The most impressive relay performance was the boys 4x800m, which the Falcons finished fourth in. Senior Zion Atwood started it off and then junior Caleb Lara and senior Franklin Fiola held their positions. Senior Tyler Irvine-Violette ran the final lap, and the relay team’s debut performance is currently ranked ninth in the division (9:00.6).

The girls 4x400 relay placed 10th at Chandler and is ranked 13th (4:40.42). The girls 4x100 relay team placed 20th against teams from across the country but is 14th in the division (55.6).

Junior Jeneya Boone has been impressing her coaches and team with her speed and her composure early in her first season. Boone set a PR in the 100m (13.99) and is the first Falcon girl to run under 14 seconds since 2009. According to head coach Kevin Clancy, both Boone and fellow newcomer sophomore Sara Dethlefs ran good legs in the 4x100 relay.

“Jeneya’s taken a big jump, not only from her speed, but just her approach to it,” Clancy said. “She’s out there and on the field, understanding what’s going on, understanding the check in process…Some things you normally don’t see until a student athlete has been on the team for a year or two. She’s picking up on all that stuff really quickly, and the performances are coming as well.”

Junior Erin Hooley set a new PR on her way to 15th place in the 400m (1:04.41), and freshman Ally Guerrette finished not far behind her (1:06.96). Hooley is ranked 13th, and Guerrette is ranked 26th in the division. Hooley is also ranked 12th in the 800m (2:35.24) after this past weekend.

The Falcons need to be ranked in the top 24 of their division and in their event to compete at the state meet. The Falcons have some other early qualifiers, including three hurdle jumpers.

Senior Gunnar Wise set a new PR and finished 12th in the 110m hurdles (18.84). Zion Atwood also took 12th place, but in the 300m hurdles (45.08), and junior Garren Keeler finished 27th (46.96) with a new PR in the 300m hurdles.

At the time of writing, Wise is 16th in the state, and Atwood is ranked 11th in 110m. Keeler has been improving all year and is currently ranked 23rd.

“We left with a lot of good performances, a lot of PRs, and I think it’s that kind of competition that brings the best out of student athletes,” Clancy said. “It certainly did for our kids.”

The Falcons set 25 PRs this weekend. Some athletes cut off a few seconds from their best times from last week, and others saw huge gains from their attempts at the Chandler meet last year.

Junior William Breen ran the 3200m over a minute faster this year than last year, and junior Keian Evans had a new season record in shot put from 34’5.5” to 35’1”.

Senior Brandon Despain started the year with a 26’5” shot put, and he’s set a new PR in each competition this year. This past weekend, Despain nearly caught up to Evans with a 33’7” toss. Evans is ninth in school history, and Despain is 12th in school history for shot put currently.

Freshman Colby Wright finished 36th in the 3200m, but he won his individual race for the second time in his young career. Wright took home a medal with his new PR (11:00.27).

There were lots of other achievements at the Chandler meet. Clancy has seen his athletes grow and challenge themselves early in the season, and he has high hopes for the postseason.

The Falcons will compete with their biggest rival, Payson, in the Battle of the Beeline today, Wednesday, March 29. Then, four Falcons will compete in a decathlon next Wednesday, April 5, and Thursday, April 6. Wise, Dethlefs, Atwood and Despain will compete to show their versatility in track and field at Brophy College Prep.