Arizona Sports Awards Boys Cross Country Athlete of Year finalists: Santiago Hardy, Abdihamid Nur, Manuel Olivo-Quinones
The Arizona Sports Awards, presented by Arby's, will honor an Athlete of the Year in every sport at the spring 2017 event.
At the end of each season, azcentral sports will announce three finalists for each Athlete of the Year award. The finalists are listed alphabetically.
All three will be invited to the awards show where the winner will be announced live. More information on the spring 2017 event will be announced soon.
RELATED: Meet the 2016 All-Arizona Boys Cross Country Team
MORE: Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year: Rick Baker
Santiago Hardy
School: Chinle
Year: Senior
Santiago Hardy was a top-five finisher in all of his competitions this season. Hardy won tournaments in six consecutive weeks to close the season, the Alchesay Invitational, Dave Conatser Invite, Holbrook Cross Country Invitational, Division III sectional, Division III state championship and Nike Cross Southwest Regional Championship.
“I trained hard for my season," Hardy said. "I had to train twice as hard as I did last year, and I've been beating my times last year and it was a pretty big accomplishment that I did because I put a lot of hard work into it and it turns out I did great."
Chinle Athletic Director Shaun Martin, who coached cross country for nine years, said Hardy has helped the program tremendously.
“In the world of running, it's the details that make or break the stellar performers,” Martin said. “The sleeping habits, the habit of being on time and working out good, recovering when recovery rounds are in place. When it's time to push hard, he's busting his gut to put the effort in at practice, the long runs. All of those small details that come into the big picture at the end of the season, he led the team through his actions in those ways.”
Hardy has not decided on his plans after high school.
Abdihamid Nur
School: Phoenix North
Year: Senior
Abdihamid Nur joined the cross country team last season. A former soccer player, Nur was noticed by North cross country coach Carlos Zubiate.
“We made a decision to change from soccer to cross country last year,” Zubiate said. “I saw his form in the warmup runs around the track and that’s when I asked him to join cross country. His form and his ability to run, he’s got the natural form. With a little bit of practice, he was one of the best in the district and also in the state.”
In his senior season, Nur won each of his races except for a sixth-place finish in The Four Corners Invitational. He won the Division I state championship.
“Getting the state championship was the highlight of my season,” Nur said. “At first, it didn’t feel real. It didn’t hit me until I started getting the messages and schools started contacting me. It made me feel good that all of the hard work paid off.”
Nur stopped playing soccer to continue his cross country career.
“I think he has a talent, and he’s going to be a good long-distance runner," Zubiate said. "If he takes it seriously, he will do something good in the future. I can see him in the Olympics.”
Manuel Olivo-Quinones
School: Sierra Vista Buena
Year: Senior
After starting the season with two consecutive eighth-place finishes at Desert Solstice and the Nike Desert Twilight Invitational, Manuel Olivo-Quinones found his stride.
Olivo-Quinones won the Rio Rico Rattler meet and Just Prevatte Classic before the state meet. He also won the Division II sectional and Division II state championship.
“I came into the season a little shaky because I was gone and out of running," Olivo-Quinones said. "I came back a little shaky, but then I got back into my rhythm and it went well.”
Because of his outstanding performance all season, Olivo-Quinones raced in the Nike Cross Southwest Regionals where he placed eighth. At the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore., on Dec. 3, Olivo-Quinones was 11th.
“There's nothing that he's done that has been unexpected," Buena coach Roger Bristow said. "(He's) been one of the top kids for the past couple years in the state and he's really, really embraced that. He's a tremendous leader for us. He does anything we ask. He's not extremely vocal, but he's a very good role model for the younger guys. Both as a runner and as a person.”
Olivo-Quinones, who also runs track and field, said that he will likely attend junior college to continue his running career.