MESA – Lucrezia Gritti didn’t just win a gold medal on Friday, she gained a souvenir to take back to her homeland some 6,000 miles away.
Gritti, a senior exchange student at Benson High School, placed first in the girls Division III triple jump by 2 feet, 8½ inches, with a winning mark of 37-7. The Italian native came into the state meet with the top qualifying mark in the event but she wasn’t taking it lightly.
“I was really focused on it and I really wanted to do it so I just pushed myself harder,” said Gritti, who will return to her hometown Milan this summer. “It’s just super exciting and I’m just super happy. I don’t know how to explain because this whole entire experience actually is amazing.
“It’s just something to say I won a gold medal in America; I’m going to be showing everyone back in Italy.”
In other action Friday, Bisbee’s Tony Chavez came away with a long-awaited state title, winning the boys Division IV pole vault with a height of 14-0. The senior also won his three preliminaries and is hoping to come away with a few more gold medals on Saturday, when the state meet concludes with the remaining finals for all four divisions.
“Last year, I wasn’t to bright and didn’t make a height so I wanted to come back this year and take it all,” said Chavez, who finished second in the pole vault as a sophomore. “I just kept thinking about winning state and I did it.”
As expected, Rio Rico’s girls stole most of the on the track in Division III. Allie Schadler, a junior, ran away with her third straight 1,600-meter championship in 4 minutes, 49.03 seconds while her freshman sister, Samantha, placed third in 5:13.43.
“It’s pretty special,” Allie Schadler said about her win. “I didn’t know I would be in this position when I was a freshman. Once I won that year, I just wanted to keep building upon that so I’m pretty happy.”
Samantha Schadler went on to win her first state title less than a couple hours later, when she won the girls Division III 800 in 2:21.17. Allie was the defending champion in the event but did not compete in it this year, so she could run in the 3,200 on Saturday.
“It’s just very exciting,” Samantha Schadler said about being a state champion. “It’s just nice to have it now under your belt and be able to work off of it for the next three years.”
Sahuarita senior Allyn Williams was the lone Tucson-area boys winner in Division III action on Friday as he captured the gold medal in the long jump (23-7½) before also placing second in the triple jump (44-6¼) by four inches. Williams hopes the Mustangs can contend for the team title on Saturday.
“Long jump definitely is my favorite event,” Williams said. “It meant a lot to win, especially because my team and I are trying to take first place in this whole thing and beat out Snowflake.”
