12/4/2009 12:15:00 AM 2009 Fall All-Courier Teams: BMHS's Jesus Escalera and PHS's Emily Dunbar
named prep cross country runners of the year
Prescott High's Emily Dunbar, left, and Bradshaw Mountain's Jesus Escalera were named The Daily Courier's prep cross country runners of the year
Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier
Bradshaw Mountain senior Jesus Escalera and Prescott junior Emily Dunbar should know. Escalera finished second at the 4A-I state meet this year and Dunbar was eighth among the girls.
The 2009 All-Courier prep cross country runners of the year each have natural ability. But it's more than that that allows them to succeed.
"I work really hard," Escalera said. "I set goals to just be a really good player."
In doing so, he was able to improve from 16th place in 4A-II a year ago to his runner-up spot this year a division higher.
Dunbar similarly set her goals at the beginning of the year to finish in the top-7 at state and top-2 in region. She got her second-place at regionals and missed the goal at state by about five seconds.
But after a 28th-place finish at state a year ago, the improvement was just fine with her.
"It's a lot harder than people think and to be able to do good at it you not only have to push through pain but you have to be able to endure it and accept it," Dunbar said of the sport. "Know that it's going to hurt and that's part of the racing experience and if you can't accept it then you're not good. I think that's why I like it. It takes real guts."
She said she started running just to lose weight and had always been told she'd be good at it since her dad was a runner.
"Emily is just a great runner because she is one of the girls that is willing to just work very, very hard," PHS coach Ashley Brunstedt said. "And she also has the raw talent to go along with it, which is a rare combination to have."
Brunstedt, who also coaches Dunbar in track, said she remembers Dunbar coming to her in the first week of practice and asking if her goals were attainable. And then Brunstedt watched her go out and do it.
After Dunbar finished second at region, she beat that first-place finisher at state. She was only eight seconds back of sixth place.
But the thing Dunbar will remember the most about her junior season is a first-place run in Phoenix. Though not for the reason you might think.
"Me and my teammate Emily Goswick were leading the race by a ton - we easily had it," Dunbar said of her and her senior friend. "We were just running alongside each other the whole time and neither of us wanted to beat each other as a teammate.
"So right before we finished the race she said 'let's finish together,'" Dunbar added. "And I said 'OK, let's hold hands when we cross the finish line.' So we just ran and as we crossed the finish line we held hands so we could both get first place and not have one be second."
In an individual sport, Dunbar can look back on that moment of camaraderie with another year to improve on her personal accomplishments.
Escalera, on the other hand, hopes to run all the way to a college education, having maxed out on his goals.
His runner-up finish was almost 28 seconds behind Queen Creek's Sherod Hardt.
"I was happy because I knew I wasn't going to beat that guy," Escalera said.
Based on his time in 4A-I, he was the eighth best prep runner in Arizona across all classifications.
What was the key to his season?
"I worked harder," Escalera said. "That's it."
He doesn't say much, but his work ethic speaks for itself.
"I had told him that he needed to do a long run over the weekend," Bradshaw cross country and track coach Mike Simon recalled from last season. "The next day I went out on Iron King and I heard a few miles into my run 'hi, coach.' And sure enough it was Jesus Escalera.
"He had run from Prescott Valley on the Iron King to Prescott on the Peavine and back, which has to be at least 15 miles. That gives you an idea how intense he is at his training."
Escalera had numerous high finishes during the year and set the course record at Thunderbird Park in the Valley.
"He has improved the most out of any of the runners that I have coached from his first to his third year," Simon said. "He's had the best finish, as far as time, out of any of my athletes the past 12 years."
