During the track and field meet at Mingus Union High School on Friday, April 17, Sedona Red Rock High School freshman Juni Spielman came first in the mile and third in the 800-meter run.

“I started doing cross country first,” she said. “I would automatically just play as a distance runner, so I kind of just aim towards that. And I truly like the mile because I learned how to race it.”

She finished the race with a time of 5:32, just over her personal record of 5:28.

“Track is just … in my opinion, it’s more competitive, and it’s a really fun environment to be around,” she said.

Spielman is ranked No. 6 in the state’s fifth division for the mile and No. 14 in the state for the 800.

“I am betting that she will podium at State,” SRRHS Head Coach Sean Eicher said. “Podium is one through four.”

Eicher, who’s been head coach for about five years, said it’s a pretty young team this year overall. The team is composed of about 45 students, he said.

“For our relays, we love them to try to make the podium again,” he said. “We’ve done it every year since I’ve been here — second, multiple fourth places.”

Another event looking for a Sedona win is pole vault, he said.

Ari Tedrick, a SRRHS senior, has been pole vaulting since he was a sophomore.

His personal record is 13 feet and 7 inches, and going into the meet at Mingus, he was the No. 1 seed. He won the meet, clearing 13 feet.

“This competition, I’m placed one,” he said. “Then in Division V, which is what we compete in, I am also No. 1.”

He said his goal is to beat the school record this year, which is 15 feet.

“I’ve definitely been higher than 13’ 7,”” he said. “I’ve been close to 15. But it isn’t official, or even something I would claim, and it doesn’t feel like you’re that high in the air.”

Sedona junior Paola Nieto is a thrower of both discus and shot put. She placed third in her flight for both events, and then 31st overall in discus and 23 overall in shot put.

“I PRed in discus by two feet,” she said, with a distance of 54 feet.

The team practices five days a week, beginning with group warmups and dynamicstretches before splitting off into individual events.

“I think I improved a lot with confidence,” Nieto said. “I’m definitely more outgoing. I would say my team was like a family.”

Girls sophomore pole vaulter Mia Palmieri also broke her personal recordon Friday with a height of seven feet and six inches.

When practicing, she said often there will be a rubber bungee between the poles instead of a stick, so if a vaulter doesn’t clear the bar, the fall doesn’t hurt as much.

“I did get over a nine-foot bungee today,” she said. “So I feel awesome.”

Palmieri also runs in the 4×100 relay race. After placing first in the section, the team placed fifth in the final.

“It went pretty good. I think my handoff was clean, but then I fell, and that’s when that happened,” she said, gesturing to some scrapes on the skin on her leg and arm.

Sedona’s unified 2×200 relay team also beat both Camp Verde teams with a time of 56.87 seconds.

The team’s next meet is at Prescott High School on Thursday, April 23, and its last meet of the regular season will follow on Tuesday, April 28, at Valley Christian High School.