Chinle freshman shatters 800-meter PR

SHOW LOW, Ariz.

Chinle freshman Isabell Martin shattered her personal best in the 800-meter run by over six seconds on Friday during the Cougar Invitational at Show Low High School.

Martin completed the two-lap race in 2:25.93 as she placed second to St. Johns senior Morgan Lee, who posted a winning time of 2:24.31.

“I’m so happy that I had her around because with great competition I always do good,” Martin said of the St. Johns runner. “Even though I got second, I was happy that I got a new PR.”

With that new PR, Martin owns the sixth fastest time in the Arizona Interscholastic Association Division IV level as the regular season is ending next week.

Prior to the Show Low, Martin was sitting 11th among her Division IV peers at 2:32.67, as she set that previous best during the Angelo DiPaolo Invite in Gallup.

“She had an awesome PR today,” Chinle coach Shania Smith said. “Before that she was focused on her 1600 and 3200.”

In those two races, Martin has the fourth fast time in the 1600 (5:24.97) and the seventh fastest in the 3200 (11:50.58) in the division standings. Those top times have earned the Chinle distance runner a spot in the AIA Division IV Championships which is scheduled for May 8-9 at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix as the AIA is inviting the top 24 individuals and the top 16 relay teams to the divisional championships.

“At the start of the year, I knew that I wanted to be in the top 5 in the state,” Martin said. “Hopefully, I can chase the championships, but I am meeting my goals, and I have exceeded them.”

Martin also runs a leg in the 4×800 relay team, which is currently seeded at No. 10 with a time of 11:00.74. The team consists of sophomore Delilah John and seniors Elayah Pete and Kaitlyn Bia.

“For the relay teams you have to be in the top 16 to qualify, so both of our 4×800 teams are in top (10) right now,” Smith said.

The Chinle boys team consists of seniors Micah Hunter and Hayden Chee, and juniors Maverick Martin and Hayden Terrell. Going into this week’s slate of meets, the Wildcats are seeded No. 5 with a time of 8:32.08.

The Chinle coach said the 4×400 girls and boys team are pretty close of qualifying. As of this week, the girls are ranked No. 18 at 4:32.81 with the current cutoff time being 4:30.70.

The boys are seeded No. 19 at 3:41.00 with the current cutoff time being 3:37.97.

“We’re right on that line,” Smith said while adding that anything can happen in these last few meets for teams and athletes to earn their spots.

On Friday, the Wildcats will be at the Winslow Invitational followed by the 3A North Championship on Wednesday, April 29 at Page High School.

“This is the time when they start to go in and out,” Martin said of qualifying. “You know, you can have one kid in there, but there could be three, four quicker times that pushes them out.

“It’s really hard to tell, but the cool thing is we’re competitive enough that we can compete in our division,” she added. “That’s huge, especially in our region because we want to be able to represent the 3A North the best we can.”

Individually, Hayden Terrell is currently ranked No. 21 in the 800 with a time of 2:04.83. During Friday’s meet, he placed third with a time of 2:08.08 at the Show Low Invite.

“I did my best, but I feel like this past month I haven’t been training like I’m supposed to do,” Terrell said. “Before this season, my 400 times would be like sub-ones and my 800 times would be sub-twos.”

The Chinle junior said his times are much slower due to starting his business and extracurricular activities.

“I’m in student council, and I’m running my own business,” he said. “I’m studying for my ACT too. I just have a lot on my plate.”

His younger brother, Ira, is looking to get qualified in the 110 hurdles. He is currently ranked No. 20 in the state with a time of 17.25, which he set during the Lake Powell Invitational last month.

“There was no wind, and it was really nice,” Ira Terrell said, while adding that his previous best was a 17.37 that he hit during the Round Valley Invitational.

On Friday, he opted out of the 110 hurdles and ran the 300 hurdles for the first time this season. He finished that race in fifth place with a time of 45.43.

“It’s really tiring,” Ira said of running in the 300 hurdles. “That lactic acid really hits during that last stretch, so it’s really hard.”

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