2014 boys cross country runner of the year
Name: Carlos Villarreal
School: Rio Rico
Year in school: Senior
Sport: Boys cross country
What he did: At one point this season, Villarreal had the fastest 5K high school time in the nation. The Rio Rico senior ran away with the boys Division III state championship, winning in an overall best time of 15 minutes 24 seconds. The week before that, Villarreal led the Hawks to a section championship as he cruised to the boys individual title in 15:33, almost 30 seconds ahead of second-place finisher and teammate Oscar Amaya.
Top performance: Villarreal won the Desert Twilight Invitational in 14:49.99 on Oct. 3, giving him the fastest high school boys 5K time in the country. It didn’t hold for too long but is still No. 9 in the United States.
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What’s next: Villarreal is signed with the UA to run both cross country and track. He was also the Star’s boys track and field athlete of the year last spring as Rio Rico won the team title, so this won’t be the last time you hear his name.
Runner-up: Nathan Thomas, Salpointe Catholic. The senior won the boys Division II championship and was the closest one to knocking off Villarreal. The two finished first and second at the Rattler Invitational in October.
