On the lengthy list of people you need to watch for in 5A girls this fall, make sure you've left room for Cibola's Kim Chapman. Photo by Alan Versaw.
I'll go not very far out on a short limb and drop a hint that 5A girls just might be a fair piece more competitive this year than last. Read on, and I think you'll see the reasons why.
We'll start with a rundown of last year's top ten:
1. Malia Gonzales, Cleveland - Graduated
2. Mason Swanson, La Cueva - The La Cueva freshman caught a lot of people off guard at last year's state meet, but she won't be hiding in many crowds this year. Number one, that's hard to do when you're tall. Number two. the combination of her state cross country run and 58.91/2:26/5:29 speed is kind of difficult to ignore. Worse still, her track times at 800 and 1600 probably reflect some attention diverted to events like the high jump and 400.
3. Cassey Amberg, Eldorado - Cassey Amberg came on in a big way last cross country season and then continued that development through track season. She has run well at 800 (2:19), 1600 (5:26), and 3200 (11:49). She finished second in the 5A 800 at state.
4. Crissey Amberg, Eldorado - As you might expect with twins, the story isn't much different here. Crissey won the state 800 at 2:18 and owns 1600 and 3200 PRs of 5:21 and 11:55. The differences in talents here are subtle, but Cassey may be just a little bit more of the go-long type. In any case, both will be aiming at high finishes again this year.
5. Kylie Disch, Sandia - Graduated
6. Meghan Aguilera, Onate - Aguilera was another freshman last fall and did a lot to review hope that someone from Las Cruces can mix it up with the best of the Albuquerque area at the state meet. Aguilera's best meets likely came early in the season, but look for her to be stronger and wiser this fall. Her track PRs of 2:22/5:20/11:28 scream that she's ready to take on the field in cross country.
7. Brittany Collins, Clovis - Graduated
8. Kim Chapman, Cibola - Chapman's track season was highlighted with 6th-place finishes at state in the 800 and 1600. Her 2:22 and 5:22 PRs fit nicely within this group, indicating she should be in the mix for her senior season.
9. Rebecca Castillo, Volcano Vista - Castillo ran a best time of 12:03 in the 3200 this season and tended to run 1600s in the 5:30s. She should get plenty of opportunities early to see how she measures up against most of the best competition in 5A this fall. That's both the curse and the beauty of competing for a school in Albuquerque.
10. Toni-Marie Gonzales, Valley - Although Gonzales' PRs aren't among the top in this group, there's no hiding from the fact that she finished third in the 5A state 3200 and fifth in the 1600. A lot of girls with better PRs didn't do that well. If you like dark horses, Gonzales could be your candidate to move up in the finish this fall. Like a couple of others on this list, Gonzales was only a freshman last fall and a year of experience just might pay big dividends.
So, that is last year's top ten. Scary as it is, what's even scarier is who wasn't in last year's top ten:
Jessie Hix, Eldorado - Hix didn't run cross country last fall. But you never would have known that from how she ran track in the spring. Hix figures to be mixing it up with the very best of 5A this fall based on how easy she made the sweep of the 1600 and 3200 look. And it wasn't just how it looked--PRs of 5:08 and 11:02 rank with New Mexico's all-time best marks, and especially so for freshmen.
Melia Macias, Eldorado - Macias also wasn't in the cross country picture for Eldorado last fall. Yet, she showed up for track and ended up with an 11:45 3200 PR. You can't be a cross country coach and not like that (well, at least the second part of it, anyway).
Nicolette Pacheco, Cleveland - Pacheco was well back in 19th at the state cross country meet, but track tells a different story. Before her season met with an early ending, Pacheco ran 11:58 for 3200 at Clovis. That, and Cleveland's reputation for developing the talent that passes through the door, is enough to give you a little pause.
Kellie Stroupe, La Cueva - Like Toni-Marie Gonzales (above), it's not Stroupe's PRs that get your attention so much as it is that fifth-place finish in the state 3200. Up until that point, Stroupe may have been flying under the radar a little, but expectations should be a little higher for the fall on account of that state run.
Samantha Meza, Clovis - When a freshman comes up from lower-elevation Clovis and runs eighth in the state 3200, you should be taking notice. There's more than one hint in her season of a budding star ready to make a move up in the 5A ranks (and well up from her 41st-place finish of last fall).
What makes all of this so very interesting is the Jessie Hix factor. On one hand, it appears Hix should have run of the place this fall. On the other hand, there's nothing quite like one person raising the bar to get others to see the possibilities. Hix is no longer an unknown quantity, and there's plenty of time over the summer to play catch-up if you have the sort of competitive bent that can't stand to see Hix that far out in front of everyone else. My forecast would be for a very competitive season in 5A girls.