The 2017 All-Arizona Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year and Girls Track & Field Coach of Year were selected by the azcentral sports high school staff.

The All-Arizona team is made up of those athletes who won their respective sports at the state championships.

The staff used statistics, rankings, observations and coaches’ comments in making its selections.

Girls Athlete of the Year

Allie Schadler

School: Rio Rico

Year: Senior

College: Washington

Allie Schadler, who was the Cross Country Female Runner of the Year in the fall, finishes her high school career as the Track and Field Female Athlete of the Year after turning in another remarkable season at Rio Rico.

The Washington signee broke a state record in the 3200 meters at 10 minutes, 5.70 seconds at the Arcadia (Calif.) Invitational. She won three individual state championships in Division III in the 400, 800 and 1600.

It was the first time she ever ran the 400 at state in her career. She finished the season less than a week after state by posting the state’s fastest 800 meters at 2 minutes, 08.22 seconds at the Meet of Champions at Phoenix Brophy Prep. It was the second-fastest all-time 800 in Arizona history.

“The state meet went really well this year,” Schadler said. “Aside from the wind, I came away with two individual state titles and two team relay state titles and my team got third overall. We missed getting second by one point and we missed first place by six points. It was very heartbreaking but at the same time I was extremely happy with how my team performed. It was a great meet and a great year and I’m sad it’s over.”

She had the second-fastest Arizona all-time 1600 of 4:45.39, set at the Chandler Rotary Invitational. She has two more high school meets before her focus turns to college. She will run in the Dream Mile in New York on June 11 and in the Brooks PR on June 18.

“Allie had a tremendous season,” her father and coach Stephen Schadler said. “We tried some different things to help prepare for the next phase of her career and she responded as she always does — with a positive attitude, an incredible work ethic, and a ferocious desire to win.”

Girls Coach of the Year

Eric Richardson

School: Chandler

Season recap: This was among the greatest of his 11 state championship teams in the past 12 years with distances, sprints, hurdles and jumps all among the best in Arizona. The 4×400 relay team three time set state records, starting with the Chandler Rotary. His granddaughter, senior Anaya Bailey, posted the state’s top times in the 100 and 200 and ran anchor on those state-record relay teams. Chandler scored 187 points to run away with the Division I state championship by 106 points. Chandler had the state’s best marks in seven events, including all three relays.

Coach Richardson’s comments: “I hate that the wind took the steam out of the (state) meet. The really good part about it, the staff has been together for a number of years. Everybody knows the expectation level. Everyone wants their group to perform at an extremely high level. Everyone did a good job of bringing it. The legacy has been set. They know it’s a lot of work. We had good, strong leadership with this group.”

All-Arizona Girls Track & Field team

100 meters: Anaya Bailey, Chandler, Sr., 11.79 seconds.

200: Anaya Bailey, Chandler, Sr., 24.07.

400: Alena Ellsworth, Gilbert Highland, Sr., 56.68.

800: Allie Schadler, Rio Rico, Sr., 2:08.22.

1600: Allie Schadler, Rio Rico, Sr., 4:45.39.

3200: Allie Schadler, Rio Rico, Sr., 10:05.70 (state record).

100 hurdles: Jae’Nisa Heckstall, Glendale Raymond S. Kellis, Jr., 14.10.

300 hurdles: Jai Gruenwald, Chandler, Jr., 42.89.

4×100 relay: Chandler (Diamond Black, Zaire Chest, Jayde Charlton, Armani Harris) 46.26.

4×400 relay: Chandler (LaMeyah Charlton, Anna Foreman, Armani Harris, Anaya Bailey) 3:46.14 (state record).

4×800 relay: Chandler (LaMeyah Charlton, Anna Foreman, Gabrielle Enns, Morgan Foster) 9:07.38.

Shot put: Kayleigh Conlon, Phoenix Mountain Pointe, Sr., 47-9 ½ (state record).

Discus: Kayleigh Conlon, Mountain Pointe, Sr., 156-3.

High jump: (tie) Ana Lopez, Tucson, Sr.; Quintella Johnson, Phoenix St. Mary’s, Sr., 5-7.

Pole vault: (tie) Alexandria Goodson, Scottsdale Prep, Sr.; Josephina Wright, Tempe Corona del Sol, Jr., 12-10.

Long jump: Jayden Mays, Phoenix North Canyon, Fr., 19-5.

Triple jump: Tiana Poirier-Shelton, Chandler, Sr., 40-3 ½.