EDITOR'S NOTE: For full results of the Ray Wherley Invitational, click here.

PRESCOTT — Andrew Fastrup did his best to live up to his name at the annual Ray Wherley Invitational, taking first overall with a 16:12.10 time at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Friday morning.

The senior from Sunrise Mountain said the ERAU course is “rough” with a “lot of hills and altitude.”

“I’m not really used to it since I’m down in Peoria. It was an awesome race. Me and Jet [Girardi, Blue Ridge] kept it up for the first two miles, but those hills got both of us,” Fastrup said, adding that this race will help him establish a good rhythm moving forward this fall.

“It will help me tremendously at all my other races coming up, with the altitude and hills. Just hitting a good time on this course was absolutely amazing,” Fastrup said.

Blue Ridge standout Jet Girardi, who finished second with a 16:28.40 time, agreed with Fastrup on the course difficulty.

“There’s a lot of steep, big hills. And it’s rocky, too. … Lots of obstacles you must go through,” Girardi said. “I was staying with him until the first really big hill, then I fell off. Props to him.”

Other top finishers in the race included Klayton Curtis of Skyline with a 17:18.80 time, while Allen Saganitso from Tuba City was fourth with a 17:53.40 time. Will Townsend of Prescott wrapped up the Top 5 with an 18:02.20 time.

Team wise, Skyline took home first place with a 2:10:08.50 time while Tuba City came in second at 2:16:43.30. Prescott was third at 2:20:09.30, Sunrise Mountain was fourth at 2:24:35.80 and Carl Hayden was fifth at 2:28:51.80.

GIRLS RACE

Notre Dame Prep. standout Carly Townend, who finished first overall with a 20:33.80 time at the Ray Wherley Invite, said the rain-soaked course wasn’t as bad as she thought Friday.

“I thought it was going to be a lot worse than it was. I ran with Mica [Altringer, Mingus] for over two miles, and that competition really pushes us. It was good to know someone was out there doing it with you,” Townend said.

Mica Altringer, who set a personal record for the ERAU course time with a 20:45.50, good enough for second overall, said it was “definitely hard.”

“There’s a lot of wind and rain when we come here. … It’s very hilly,” Altringer said. “But I think this course is really exciting. Last year a ran a full minute slower, so this is a course personal record for me.”

Notre Dame Prep’s Carly Townend took first overall with a 20:33.80 time at the annual Ray Wherley Invitational on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365)Coming in third was Olivia Greer from Sunrise Mountain at 22:41.60, while Caraline Brandon from Blue Ridge was fourth with a 22:50.50 time, a personal best for the freshman. Rounding out the Top 5 was Leading Edge standout Shareen Liszak as she finished with a 22:53.90.

As for the team results, Sunrise Mountain took the top spot with a 2:45:07.80 time, while Prescott finished a close second at 2:51.27.50. Notre Dame Prep. was third at 3:10:48.80, and Blue Ridge was fourth at 3:15.34.70.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on X at @AzPreps365Brian or on Facebook at @Five2MediaWorks. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.