Sand Devils strike gold at AIA division meet

MESA, Ariz.

The Page Sand Devils track team captured three gold medals on the opening day of the Arizona Interscholastic Association Division IV Championship meet on Friday.

Sophomore Symond Martin and seniors Jade Reid and Kaydence Tsinigine stood atop the podium at Red Mountain High School after winning their respective events in Mesa, Arizona.

Martin led for the first three laps of the 1600 before Chino Valley’s Quenton Metz briefly took the lead with 400 meters to go. But the Page long distance runner regained the lead down the stretch as Martin was clocked in at 4:20.10, edging Metz who finished in 4:21.10, literally by one second.

This is Martin’s first divisional championship in track as he placed sixth last year in the same event.

“Well, I was told to stay in front and keep the lead,” Martin said. “But when he went after the last lap I knew that I could overtake him because I was just cruising it the first three.

“I knew I would have a kick at the end, and I just caught him in the back stretch,” he added.

The Page runner is seeking to win another divisional crown as he is the top seed for Saturday’s 3200.

“It feels great to win this,” Martin said. “I’m hoping to be the champion in the 3200.”

Tsinigine captured her first divisional crown with a 16-feet, 8.25-inch effort in the long jump. She cleared that distance on her fifth try after making the finals.

“I wore my dad’s cedar bead and I prayed to my grandpa, who is watching over me, to get me the strength and speed to get out there,” Tsinigine said. “He successfully got me there.”

She beat out Benjamin Franklin junior Delin Peterson (16-06.50) and ALA-West Foothills sophomore Stephanie Hunter (16-02) for the divisional title. The Phoenix-metro athletes entered the divisional meet leading the state with marks over 17 feet.

“I really didn’t expect this because the two girls behind me were jumping in the 17s,” Tsinigine said of her division title.

Reid was also a first-time winner as the Page senior outkicked Chinle’s Janessa Segay in the 3200-meter run. Reid won the eight-lap race in 11:25.22 and Segay clocked in at 11:27.24.

“I don’t know how to explain it, but this feels so surreal right now,” Reid said. “I’m not grasping it, but I know when I get to my family it’ll hit me. This is so cool because I’ve been racing against Janessa for a long time.

“Last year it was Temyra (Bia),” Reid said,  and so I’ve always had someone there pushing me, making me a better racer and a better runner.”

Segay, who entered the meet as the top seed, was not disappointed with the final result as she graciously accepted her second-place medal.

“It’s fun to have Jade running right beside me,” the Chinle junior said. “It kind of pushes me and motivates me a lot. I’ve been running against her since third grade and we’ve been going at it since then.

“It’s fun to see her at meets because she just gives me a lot of motivation to run,” she added.

The pair are looking to make future podium appearances at the conclusion of the two-day meet with entries in the 800 and 3200 races.

Page sprinter Sofia Cambridge qualified in two events in Saturday’s finals. Cambridge is seeded second in the 200 and third in the 400. On Friday, she posted times of 26.05 and 59.07, respectively.

Other top finishers included a fourth-place effort from Ganado senior Jayden Smith in the 800. Smith clocked in at 1:57.64.

“I’m so happy because I knew this was my only chance to get on the podium,” Smith said.

Greyhills Academy junior Benjamin Miera missed the podium by two spots as Miera placed sixth in the 1600 in the Division IV meet.

In the field event, Holbrook’s Chelsey Begaye placed eighth overall with a throw of 32-01.25 in the shot put.

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