Pojoaque's Megan Herrera laid claim to second at last year's state meet. The sights may be set higher this year. Photo by Alan Versaw.
The 3A girls state team title came down to a very close contest last year between Shiprock and Sandia Prep, with but four points separating the eventual top two teams. And, both St. Michael's and Pojoaque Valley finished within shouting distance.
MileSplit New Mexico 3A State Meet 2012 Coverage
And, truth is, each of these four teams could be back the hunt once again this year, though two of the four have a lot more rebuilding from graduation to do than the other two.
The Shiprock team won it all last year and are once again nicely positioned to be a force to contend with this fall. It was depth that got it done last year, and depth that brings them into this season with good reason for high hopes. Lead runner Cassandra Peters is back, but that's only a part of the news. All seven of the state runners, to include Shania Harry, Megan Johnson, Melanie Secody, Shundiin Yessilith, Kairai George, and Taylor Henderson should be back. Winning a second title is almost always more difficult than winning the first, but this is a team with the pieces in place to do it if the will is there. The competition during the invitational season should be good enough for Shiprock to be nicely prepared for state kind of competition.
St. Michael's brings back key runners Jordyn Romero and Mackenzie Serrao. The Horsemen came into last year's state meet as one of the favorites and then stumbled just a little out of the gate. Things like that have a way of sticking in your memory and providing motivation over the entire period from one state meet to the next. Like Shiprock, St. Michael's is deep in talent and not a team to be taken lightly.
If you're looking for safe, easy, and obvious picks for this fall's title, either of these two teams seems to fit the bill nicely.
Sandia Prep and Pojoaque Valley don't figure to be too far out of the hunt either, however.
Megan Herrera was a standout 8th grader for Pojoaque last fall and nearly ended up with a state individual title. She likely reigns as the clear and present threat to challenge Rachel Fleddermann for the individual title, though Herrera's track season this spring was spent at mostly 400 and 800 meters, whereas Fleddermann went longer.
Team-wise, however, Sandia Prep will have to find a way to replace the services of Mari Yepa, who added some serious punch to the Sundevil's front three last fall. Through three runners, Sandia Prep was way ahead of the field at last year's state meet, but it was Shiprock's depth that ultimately turned the tables. Kalei Yepa is the most obvious candidate to step up and fill a spot up front alongside Fleddermann and Hanna Grober, but questions surround the makeup of the rest of the cast.
For Pojoaque to enter close contention for the title, girls like Miranda Grasmick and Catherine Jiron must take their 20-something places from state this year and shave 10 or so points off. With a solid summer of work, the Elkettes could be right there among the classification's best.
Taos, led by Haley Rach and Hannah Gunther, is fresh off a state track title and figures to be aiming to make trouble in cross country as well if only they can add some depth to the highly talented front end of their roster.
Silver, which had a disappointing state meet last fall, could be a contending team as well. The Colts return Taylor Jones and Angelica Vega, their top two finishers from state last year, and train at high enough altitude that the state course should not be a major issue for them. They will need to find someone upward motivation in the 7th-place finish from last year.
If the eventual winner comes from outside this group of seven, it's going to take some serious changes from what we saw either last for or in track this spring. Robertson's Anabella Miller, however, made some serious strides in track this spring. So, do keep a mental sticky note on Robertson through the first few meets of the season and see what the news is out of Las Vegas.