The third time wasn’t the charm, at least for Flagstaff senior Yohanes van Meerten.
The superstar distance runner finished fourth at the Desert Twilight XC Festival in Mesa at Toka Sticks Golf Club on Sept. 25, running the 5,000-meter course in 14:42.0. Two false starts delayed the start of the Boys Sweepstakes race, a rarity in the sport of cross-country at such a high-level meet.
Desert Twilight is one of the biggest meets in the nation, with over 6,000 athletes competing from multiple states.
Entering the race, van Meerten — ranked third in the country by DyeStat — was one of the favorites to win.
Just before crossing the finish line, van Meerten vomited, the first time he’s done so in a race.
“I threw up everything,” van Meerten said, then referencing
the third start. “I don’t blame me throwing up on that, though. I think it threw all of us off, because my first two starts were perfectly good. My last one wasn't the best. I think it makes you kind of feel fatigued.”
El Paso Eastwood (Texas) junior Noah Garcia, Coronado (Colorado) senior Oliver Horton and Niwot (Colorado) senior Quinn Sullivan finished ahead of van Meerten.
Van Meerten wasn’t sure exactly what made him sick. He continued to throw up throughout the night Friday and suspects that he may have contracted food poisoning.
His coach, Trina Painter, said his training leading up to the race indicated he was going to run much faster. Last year as a junior at Desert Twilight, van Meerten ran 14:25.7 to finish second.
“I still ran the best I could,” van Meerten said. “I never throw up, so that’s how I knew I was pushing myself more than I usually do. I think that's great. I got fourth. My rankings may drop. But it's OK, because all that matters is when it gets to December.”
Van Meerten, an Oregon commit, is referring to Nike Cross Nationals, the de facto national championship for high school cross-country held in Portland. He finished second in 2025, the best-ever finish from an Arizona athlete at the prestigious meet.
Even after a disappointing night by van Meerten’s standards, he’s still using the race as a learning example as he looks ahead to the rest of the season.
“I think it's going to be perfectly fine,” van Meerten said. “I'm excited. Overall I'm going to say I'm happy that I threw up, because I've seen now what's left of my limit. I never threw up before, not even at NXN or anything, so it really shows me.
“I probably should have worked a little more slow-twitch (muscle). It was just a bad race. I don't know if it's something I ate before, but I can tweak it next time,'' he said after the race.
There will be a three-week break for van Meerten until his next race against national competition when Flagstaff makes the trip to Southern California for the 78th Mt. Sac Invitational.
Coach Trina Painter believes this race could be a blessing in disguise.
“Sometimes when you have an undefeated season, it goes one way,” Painter said. “And other times, when you don't win everything, it is a little more motivating. It kind of gets those juices flowing of, ‘OK, I got to buckle down and stay focused.' We all know nothing's given. We all have to go to the start line, and you have to earn these titles, races and performances. It's just a reality check.”
Flagstaff as a team finished 16th overall, with junior Uuts Masayumptewa, senior Ezra Varley, junior Grant Corlew and sophomore Azuul Ruiz-Bergner scoring points for the Eagles.
Gilbert Highland was the top-finishing school from Arizona, coming in at 13th.
Individually, Page sophomore Max Martin (15:19.5) and Mesa Red Mountain senior Crew Comish (15:32.2) were the next best finishers from the state in the Boys Sweepstakes race. Chandler Basha senior Brady Summers turned in a great effort in the Championship race, running 15:20.0.
On the girls' side, Mesa Mountain View sophomore Cassidy Long led all Arizona athletes with her time of 17:49.8. That now puts Long in a tie with Flagstaff senior Kylyn Taylor for the state lead in the 5,000.
ALA Queen Creek senior Tally Call (17th), Glendale Mountain Ridge seniors Sydney McCracken (26th) and Mia Torrez (28th) and Gilbert Highland senior Katelyn Anderson (39th) were the next best finishers from the state in the Girls Sweepstakes race.
Overall for the girls, seven of the top 10 fastest times in Arizona from the 2026 season were recorded at Desert Twilight.
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@usatodayco.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @RLSscribe.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Flagstaff runner van Meerten struggles at Arizona's Desert Twilight
