Aztec's Sarah Root took a razor-thin victory over Kirtland Central's Shantel Foutz in the 4A 100 hurdles. Photo by Blake Wood.
The New Mexico Track & Field State Championships are our true sporting showcase. The meet is always perfectly reliable for high tension, unexpected surprises, and a celebration of the state’s best athletes. Victories can be earned with supreme ability, or clawed at through sheer determination and true grit. Sadly, victories can be given away in the blink of an eye, and often happen under the glaring sun and packed grandstands.
Walking around the athlete’s warm up area, it was apparent that each athlete was bringing their absolute best. We all knew it was a weekend of huge expectations, and some participants would capitalize on the mistakes of others. But through it all, there was a great display of sportsmanship and integrity, as coaches and athletes congratulated each other throughout the weekend. They were also there to lend solace in the wake of disappointing performances, always reminding each other that bigger dreams would be on the horizon.
It was a beautiful weekend to watch New Mexico’s finest high school athletes, and these memories will live on through the long summer months. Heartfelt congratulations are due to the many champions that we awarded this weekend, as a truer sense of gratitude was indebted to the many coaches who guided their athletes to the culmination of an impressive track and field season.
Team Recaps:
5A Boys – The Cleveland Storm used a well-balanced attack to easily separate themselves from the field. The Storm enjoyed fantastic performances from Luis Martinez, Parker Jones, and their sprinting and jumping crews to notch another blue trophy for the display case at Sue Cleveland High School. Repeating as champions is never easy, and their season-long onslaught brought a great deal of admiration for the finely-tuned team. They have stars and enjoy great depth, and Head Coach Kenny Henry continues a long tradition of Henry-built championship teams.
1. Cleveland – 110 points
2. Highland/Cibola (tie) – 40 points
3. Hobbs – 34.5 points
5A Girls – The La Cueva Bears demonstrated admirable tenacity in clawing their way into the relay finals and withstanding the traumatic collapse of distance star Hattie Schunk. Their balanced scoring attack brought points in every event except the pole vault, and top three relay finishes bolstered a strong Saturday. Individual championships from Ally Mady (Shot Put), Akudasuo Ezenyilimba (Discus), and Stephanie Brener (100m Hurldes) buoyed an impressive onslaught points. Schunk returned from her EKG readings to finish 3rd in the 800m and 1600m races, while an unfortunate disqualification in the 4x400 relay erased Cleveland’s state record setting performance and catapulted La Cueva to the top of the team standings.
1. La Cueva - 87 points
2. Eldorado - 80 points
3. Cleveland – 79 points
4A Boys – The Piedra Vista Panthers were valiant in their team strength, as they enjoyed winning performances from Zach Johnson in the 200m dash and 4x100 relay. Johnson smashed the state record in the 200m dash (21.53), and led a balanced team attack that received points from sprints, distance, and jumps. Their 4x400 relay team won a thrilling showdown with Farmington to win in 3:24.16. Farmington finished 2nd overall with 56 points, while the Academy Chargers finished third overall with 48 points.
1. Piedra Vista – 76 points
2. Farmington - 56 points
3. Albuquerque Academy – 48 points
4A Girls – Aztec’s jumping crews powered points in the valuable field events, garnering 33 points to establish their crew as the most dominant jumpers in the state. To further the divide from Los Alamos & Piedra Vista, Aztec scored valuable big in the Sprint Medley, 4x200, and 4x400 to seal the state championship with a well-rounded effort.
1. Aztec – 76 points
2. Los Alamos – 59 points
3. Piedra Vista – 52 points
3A Boys – Silver High School repeated as State Champions, with their throwing crew powering them along the way. Javelin champ Dakota Bencomo (155-6) led a deep team with both his throwing arm and his fast feet, as he was an integral member of several scoring relays. Their team strength enabled crucial points in the relays to separate themselves from the Horsemen of St. Michael's and the Tigers of Taos.
1. Silver – 71 points
2. St. Michael’s - 60 points
3. Taos – 55 points
3A Girls – The Tigers of Taos High School were ecstatic as their hoisted their first blue trophy, and a community of Northern New Mexico track & field fans cheered as rival Pojoaque secured a 3rd place team trophy.
1. Taos – 69 points
2. Hope Christian – 55 points
3. Pojoaque – 53 points
Notable Individual Performances:
Luis Martinez (Cleveland, photo above by Blake Wood): The magnificent Martinez easily dispatched the field in the 3200m race, but his 1600m race was a sight to behold. Coming through in the 1200m mark in 3:11, Martinez accelerated into the backstretch and lengthened his lead with each stride. Sprinting home with a 60 second final lap, Martinez finished in 4:11.66 to set a new 5A 1600m state record.
Sarah Root (Aztec): State Champion in the 100m Hurdles (14.98) & Triple Jump (35-5), Root also scored in the 300m hurdles, 4x200m Relay, and long jump. Aztec used her multi-faceted skills to build a formidable team attack that was unrelenting in its quest to top the podium.
AJ Beach (Sandia Prep): Capped a stellar career with a pair of individual titles in the 3A 800m & 1600m races. Beach took control late to earn the 800m victory, flying fast around the final turn as he battled West Las Vegas’ Moises Coca to the line.
Randy Dias (La Cueva): The reigning 5A 800m State Champion successfully defended his crown, leading wire-to-wire en route to his 1:55.12 finish. Dias hadn’t raced the 800m in three weeks, battling a nagging groin injury that threatened to curtail his season.
Nainoa Biggs (Cleveland): 5A Long Jump (21-9.5) & Triple Jump (44-2) State Champion, Biggs led an impressive jumping crew for the Storm, which garnered 26 points for the eventual team champs.
Rachel Fledderman (Sandia Prep): Double State Champion in the 1600m & 3200m. Fledderman started the season as the class of the 3A distance field, and she put an exclamation point on her season with fantastic victories.
Jenna Thurman (Del Norte): Thurman battled all challengers throughout the season, and finished an amazing distance career with blue medals in the 1600m and 3200m races. Her valiant effort in the 800m was narrowly bested by a state record performance from Santa Teresa’s Britani Gonzalez, which barely prevented Thurman’s sweep of the distance races.
Britani Gonzalez (Santa Teresa): State record performance in the 4A 800m, Gonzalez held on for dear life against Del Norte’s Jenna Thurman, slinging around the final turn with victory in her sights. The two runners sprinted together until the final 5 meters, when Gonzalez used a half step acceleration to narrowly capture the win, and set a new state record of 2:14.60.
Zhianna Flores (Piedra Vista): Flores rallied from a disqualification in the 100m dash to smash the state record in the 200m in 25.11, and easily dominate the 300m hurdle field. Flores is nationally ranked in the 300m hurdles. Her efforts fueled the Piedra Vista team to a 3rd place team trophy.
Amanda Babicke (Pojoaque): 100m, 200m, and Long Jump 3A State Champion, and finished 3rd in the 400m dash. Babicke also anchored the winning 4x 400m relay to a time of 4:06.59. She was the integral cog to an Elkettes team that finished 3rd overall in the team standings.
Katie Hegarty (Piedra Vista): State champion in both the Shot Put (41-9) & Discus (121-5), Hegarty delivered on her potential as the most dominant thrower in the state. Hegarty’s points for pivotal in establishing Piedra Vista as a top scoring team.
Lauren Martinez (Eldorado): State Record Pole Vault performance of 11-9, Martinez was the preeminent pole vaulter for the entire season. She finally capped off a perfect season with a new state record. Martinez was also part of Eldorado’s state record setting 4 x400m relay.
Jessie Hix (Eldorado): Finished the meet at the high point scorer, and swept the 3200m and 1600m races with great fitness and tenacity. He involvement in the 800m relay and 1600m relay helped score crucial points for a tough Eagles team. Hix anchored the 1600m relay to a new state record of 3:55.37.
Hattie Schunk (La Cueva): Considered to be the only true test for Eldorado’s Hix, Schunk valiantly battled Hix in the 3200m, only to succumb from exhaustion and collapse in the final homestretch. An evening of doctor tests proved she was healthy, and Schunk battled back with impressive 3rd place finishes in the 800m and 1600m races, securing 8 crucial points to help the La Cueva Bears.
Stephanie Brener (La Cueva): The hurdle queen finished an undefeated season with her championship performance in the 100m hurdles. She was challenged through the first five hurdles, but ultimately prevailed to win. Brener also placed 3rd in both the 300m hurdles and 1600m Medley Relay.
Kyra Mohns (Eldorado): State champion 300m hurdler (44.63), 2nd place long jumper, state record setting 4x400m relay member. This do it all MVP didn’t score the most points for the Eagles, but her abundance of talent was evident as the integral piece that made the Eagles soar.
Elicia Gallegos (Cleveland): 400m State Champion (57.79), Gallegos was the star sprinter for the Storm’s individual and relay events. Her anchor performance on the 4x400 was erased due to disqualification, but was nonetheless amazing and provided one of the highlight moments to the state championships.
Marissa Alcon (Bloomfield): State Record in the 3A Pole Vault, with a winning clearance of 10-3.