Rio Rico High cross-country runners did well in the Nike Nationals NXN Southwest Championships Saturday, with the boys’ team finishing 10th of 26 teams; Aeoleone Bristow finished 12th in the girls’ championship race and was named to second team, all region; Jose Luis Munoz finished 7th in the boys’ championship race and was named to first team, all region and was invited to the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore., Dec. 5.; and Alejandro Valencia finished 16th in the boys’ championship race and was named to third team, all region.

Cross country runners, from left, Alejandro Valencia, Aeoleone Bristow and Jose Luis Munoz at the Nike NXN 3rd Team All Regional race Saturday. Photos / Contributed and William Wilczewski

The top five runners from a team are invited to nationals, Rio Rico coach Roger Bristow said. Since two runners declined, Munoz was invited.

Additionally, Nogales High’s Zahira Jimenez finished 29th in the girls’ championship race.

The race included high school runners from Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Nevada.

Rio Rico ran well and did a good job. They were the second Arizona team to finish, behind Catalina Foothills, which finished sixth. Bristow said, “Runners have to be from the same school. It’s not an (Arizona Interscholastic Association) event.”

AIA is over, but it’s not the end of the season. Aeoleone Bristow and Valencia are ready to run the Footlocker regional event at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., Dec. 5.

“If you get in the top 10 in that, you go to Footlocker Nationals, which is in San Diego,” Bristow said.

Overall it was a good season, Bristow said. “We were preparing for the national event and we ran our best race on this past Saturday, boys and girls. Of all the Arizona finishers, Aeo was the third Arizona finisher.”

Jocelyne Munoz may also run in Footlocker, Bristow said.

Final results include:

Boys Championship team

10 Rio Rico RC, 328, 1:24:14.545: 5 Jose Luis Munoz 15:38.332; 12 Alejandro Valencia 16:03.541; 29 Matt Diaz 16:25; 129 Robert Contreras 17:46.806; 153 Michael Faircloth 18:20.155; (170) Emilio Garcia 19:08.277; and (173) Nick Rendon 19:20.678

Boys championship

7 (5), Luis Munoz, Jose, 12 Rio Rico RC, 15:38.332 (1st team all region) (invited to Nationals in Portland Oregon)

16 (12), Valencia, Alejandro, 11 Rio Rico RC, 16:03.541 (3rd team all region)

40 (29), Diaz, Matt, 12 Rio Rico RC, 16:25.711

171 (129), Contreras, Robert, 9 Rio Rico RC, 17:46.806

199 (153), Faircloth, Michael, 11 Rio Rico RC, 18:20.155

217 (170), Garcia, Emilio, 12 Rio Rico RC, 19:08.277

220 (173), Rendon, Nick, 11 Rio Rico RC, 19:20.678

Boys open

158, Jones, Lee, 9 Rio Rico RC, 19:01.395

Girls Championship

12, Bristow, Aeoleone, 11 Rio Rico RC, 18:42.954 (2nd team all region)

29, Jimenez, Zahira, 11 NOGALES AZ, 19:20.810

Girls open

Place, Runner, Grade/School, Time

18, Jones, Danielle, 11 Rio Rico RC,20:26.377

34, Munoz, Jocelyne, 9 Rio Rico RC, 20:57.648

69, Henson, Marley, 12 Rio Rico RC, 21:58.501

118, Alvarez, Daniela, 9 Rio Rico RC, 23:02.500