Hayden Hartigan is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Desert Edge for AZPreps365.com

For many athletes, Senior Night is unforgettable. For Desert Edge, it became historic. 

Under the lights at Desert Edge High School, seniors competed on the home surface one final time as family and friends filled the stands.

Three program records fell Thursday night, including a 12-year school record in the 400-meter dash, broken by senior Vijay Carrier, while both 4x400-meter relay teams also set new marks. 

Carrier’s 48.90-second performance won the 400 at the Agua Fria Union High School District Track and Field Championships while placing him No. 1 in Division II and No. 13 in Arizona.

He said he is grateful for the support system around him that has helped him through adversity.

Senior Vijay Carrier recovers after breaking the school record in the 400-meter dash as head coach Sharod Selph checks on him on Thursday at Desert Edge High School. (Andrew Wise photo/Sharp Shooter Media)

“I’m blessed and grateful,” Carrier said after breaking the school record. “I wouldn’t have this ability without God. That’s something my parents instilled in me. Being surrounded by people who want it as bad as you is one of the most beautiful things on this earth.”

Carrier delivered again later that night in the 4x400-meter relay alongside his senior teammates Anthony “Ant-Man” Gonzalez, Asad Ali and Andrique Holley. They won the event in a record-breaking time of 3 minutes, 19.71 seconds in their final race on the DEHS track. 

Left to right, Anthony Gonzalez, Asad Ali, Andrique Holley, and Vijay Carrier pose after setting the Desert Edge boys 4x400-meter relay program record Thursday night. (Hayden Hartigan photo/AZPreps365)

“They’re leaving here with the record,” head coach Sharod Selph said about his seniors. “No one can take that away from them.”

The quartet leads Division II and ranks No. 4 in Arizona with the state championship less than a month away. 

The moment wasn’t just about one group – it was a night where the entire program shared the spotlight.

The girls 4x400-meter relay, made up of freshmen Kennedy Brown, Dejollyne Demaih and Kamryn Gibbs alongside senior Grace Bryant, etched its name in the record books at 4 minutes, 5.42 seconds in a race that symbolized the program’s future and present coming together. 

Left to right, Dejollyne Demaih, Kamryn Gibbs, Grace Bryant, and Kennedy Brown pose after setting the Desert Edge girls 4x400-meter relay program record Thursday night. (Hayden Hartigan photo/AZPreps365)

“It feels amazing,” Bryant said. “We’ve been working at it all season and tonight I wanted to show up for my team and put my best foot forward. ... The group of girls that we have this year is amazing.” 

With records falling and seniors competing in their final home meet, the moment carried extra weight for Selph.

“It's bittersweet,” Selph said. “We’ve got some kids that have a special place in my heart and this is their last meet. It’s amazing, but it's going to suck to see them go.” 

Ali capped his final meet on the Desert Edge track with two personal-record, first place finishes in the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles, posting times of 14.50 and 38.20 seconds, respectively. 

He now ranks second in program history in both events, while extending his lead in Division II and sitting within half a second of Arizona’s top time in each. 

Beyond the times and records, Senior Night was about something more – a final opportunity for a group that helped shape Desert Edge’s identity to compete together one last time. On a night where history was made, it was the moments they shared that will last the longest.