Top HS boy's track and field performances: Week 10

The state high school track and field AIA Division Championships are taking place this week at Mesa Red Mountain High School and Glendale Deer Valley High School. During the 2024 season, The Arizona Republic has been tracking the top performances each week as Arizona’s best athletes compete on the oval and in the field.

Here are the top boy’s performances from the tenth week of the season.

1. Vance Nilsson, Gilbert, hurdles, Sr.: Nilsson continued his remarkable spring by breaking his own state record in the 300-meter hurdles 12 days after doing so for the first time, running 35.50 at the Northeast Valley Championships held at Scottsdale Horizon High School. With the 35.50, Nilsson enters the all-time list in national high school history. Only eight U.S. high school athletes have ever run faster than Nilsson in the event. He’s the only hurdler in the country this season under 36 seconds. Now there’s talk of the national high school record of 35.02, set in 2009 by California’s Reggie Wyatt.

2. Taylor Searle, American Leadership Academy Queen Creek, jumps, Sr.: Recorded an all-time mark in the pole vault at the Seton Catholic Last Qualifier held at Chandler Seton Catholic Preparatory High School, clearing 17-6 feet. The transfer from Montana has been clawing away at the record book this season and now moves up from No. 4 to No. 2 all-time in state history. Notably, Searle passes Tolleson’s Nick Hysong on the list – Hysong went on to win gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Now, Searle, a BYU commit, is only two inches from breaking Surprise Valley Vista Cole Riddle’s 2017 state record of 17-7.

3. Luca Cannizzo, Phoenix Brophy Preparatory, sprints, Sr.: Ran 48.03 in the 400 meters to finish first at the Northeast Valley Championships. Cannizzo is close to becoming just the third athlete this spring to run under 48 seconds in the 400 (Phoenix Barry Goldwater senior Josiah Anderson and Nilsson are the others). Only Isaiah Oliver and Bobby Grant, two of the greatest prep track and field athletes in state history, have run faster than Cannizzo in school history in the event.

4. Donovan Bitticks, Scottsdale Horizon, distance, Sr.: Put together his best race of the season at the Northeast Valley Championships, running 1:52.12 to come in first. It’s the second-fastest time in the state this spring, behind Red Mountain senior and state record-holder Tyler Mathews. It’s also a top-25 time in the country (No. 25). Bitticks is now close to cracking the top five all-time list in state history with Phoenix Desert Vista’s John Kline at 1:51.33.

5. Michael Mickelson, Queen Creek Casteel, jumps, Sr.: Became the fourth Arizona athlete this season to hit 16 feet in the pole vault, clearing the height at the East Valley Qualifier held at Queen Creek High School. Mickelson moves into a tie with Lake Havasu senior Sylvan Osman at the No. 4 ranking in the state and extends his school record in the event. The East Valley is dominating the pole vault this spring: three of the top five marks are from Queen Creek-based athletes.

Other highlights

• Scottsdale Saguaro junior Reiss Rinaldi (the brother of former Phoenix North Canyon sprinter Treasure Rinaldi who is now competing at Oregon State) ran 48.21 in the 400 meters at the Northeast Valley Championships to take down the school record and moved to No. 5 in the state. Rinaldi, who plays wide receiver, is a rising football prospect.
• Brophy Prep senior Jack Sebald was in the same race as Nilsson’s state record and ran a personal best of 38.61 to move up to No. 6 in the event this season.
• North Phoenix Preparatory senior Jonah Pearson won the 3,200 meters at the Northeast Valley Championships, running 9:21.42 to move to No. 7 in the state.
• North Canyon senior Diego Herrera-Vendrell — the state leader in the discus — threw 58-11 in the shot put at the Northeast Valley Championships, which is the No. 3 mark in the state.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Top HS boy's track and field performances: Week 10