Seth Drop of Los Alamos figures to be among those contending for the pole vault title on Friday. Photo by Blake Wood.
If you're looking for the highest-octane, longest-standing meet of reputation in New Mexico, look no farther. You can find it Friday and Saturday, comfortably nested on a cozy little setting set on the track among the tall trees in the center of the Albuquerque Academy campus. For two days, it will provide you all the track and field your heart could ever desire.
Teams that will be taking the track include Eldorado, La Cueva, Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Cleveland, Rio Rancho, Piedra Vista and Volcano Vista. You know the schools, you know the names on the rosters, and you know what kind of track and field they promise to bring to the showdown.
The meet records read like a Who's Who of New Mexico track and field history:
Richard Harper Invitational Boys Records
100 meter
2007 Adrian Baca SR Rio Grande 10.33 hand
2013 Zach Johnson SR Piedra Vista 10.67 FAT
200 meter
2013 Zach Johnson SR Piedra Vista 21.65 FAT
400 meter
2003 Mike Garcia SR Santa Fe 48.25 hand
2013 Assad Rivzi SR La Cueva 49.11 FAT
800 meter
2005 Cody Harper SR Albuquerque Academy 01:52.9 hand
2013 Randy Dias SR La Cueva 01:56.6 FAT
1600 meter
2013 Luis Martinez SR Cleveland 04:17.41 FAT
3200 meter
2012 Luis Martinez JR Cleveland 09:13.2 FAT
110 hurdles
1991 Justin Sofaley Los Alamos 13.92 hand
2013 Mustafa Mudada SR Highland 14.24 FAT
300 hurdles
2010 Rolando Trammel SR Highland 37.72 hand
2012 Cheyne Dorsey SR Cleveland 38.59 FAT
4x100m Relay
2013 Chavez, Lawrence, Jones, Munoz Cleveland 41.82 FAT
4x200m Relay
2013 Lawrence, Jones, Chavez, Munoz Cleveland 01:26.9 FAT
4x400m Relay
2013 Lawrence, Davis, Chavez, Santacroce Cleveland 03:21.7 FAT
Sprint Medley Relay
2009 Esparza, Nygren, Murray, Beach Albuquerque Academy 03:27.9 hand
2012 McKnight, Pattyn, Rizvi, Dias La Cueva 03:32.4 FAT
High Jump
1988 Rich Wooten SR Highland 7' 0"
Pole Vault
2008 Daniel Gooris SR Cibola 16' 4"
Long Jump
1997 Bobby Newcomb SR Highland 23' 7"
Triple Jump
2010 Warrick Campbell SR Highland 45' 10.25"
Shot Put
2005 Aaron Lewis SR La Cueva 59'11"
Discus
1983 Fred Mady SR Sandia 184' 3"
Javelin
2005 Anthony Fairbanks SR Highland 201' 3"
Richard Harper Invitational Girls Records
100 meter
2008 Skye Barnett SR Cibola 11.72 hand *
2012 Chase Ealey SR Los Alamos 12.21 FAT
200 meter
2013 Zhianna Flores JR Piedra Vista 25.24 FAT
400 meter
2012 Krista Armstead SR Sandia Prep 56.84 FAT
800 meter
2013 Jessie Hix FR Eldorado 02:14.2 FAT
1600 meter
2008 Paige Throckmorton SR Albuquerque Academy 05:09.1 hand
2013 Hattie Schunk SR La Cueva 05:18.7 FAT
3200 meter
2012 Jennalee Thurman JR Del Norte 10:42.2 FAT
100 hurldes
2012 Regina Okoye SR Eldorado 14.84 FAT
300 m hurdles
2010 Krista Armstead SO Sandia Prep 43.71 hand
2012 Jessica Scherrer JR Del Norte 45.14 FAT
4x100m Relay
2012 Moody, Lafave, Jenrette, Chavez Los Lunas 48.71 FAT
4x200m Relay
2008 Cibola 01:44.1 hand
2013 Eddings, Ihlefeld, Browning, Riley La Cueva 01:46.0 FAT
4x400m Relay
2013 Martinez, Mohns, Amberg, Hix Eldorado 04:04.6 FAT
Sprint Medley Relay
2009 Mathew, Clapp, Joles, Foster Albuquerque Academy 04:15.0 hand
2012 McGee, Howell, Jaramillo, Amberg Eldorado 04:18.8 FAT
High Jump
2012 Nicole Jenrette SR Los Lunas 5' 8"
Pole Vault
2013 Lauren Martinez SO Eldorado 12' 2"
Long Jump
2007 Alexandra Darling SR La Cueva 17' 11.25"
Triple Jump
2009 Korina Chapman JR Cibola 39' 8.5"
Shot Put
2011 Chase Ealey SR Los Alamos 44' 8.5"
Discus
2013 Akuadasuo Ezenyilimba SR La Cueva 138' 4"
Javelin
2010 Alexandra Nichols SR Los Alamos 135' 1"
* Only FAT record is kept when faster than preceding hand timed record.
Taking down any one of those records will involve a serious effort, but there are athletes in this year's field capable to picking a mark or two off of the list. There are no boys in the field who currently hold a meet record. Among the girls, Zhianna Flores, Lauren Martinez, and Jessie Hix each could be coming back to enhance their current meet records--or add to their list of meet records.
So that you know where to be and when, here is the list of events and times for the weekend:
FRIDAY'S FIELD EVENTS:
10:30 Girls: High Jump - Starting height @ 4’6”
10:30 Boys Triple Jump & Girls Triple Jump Minimum measurement distance is 35’0” boys & 28’0” girls
10:30 Boys: Pole Vault – Starting height @ 10’0”
10:30 Girls Discus - Minimum measurement distance is 80’0”
10:30 Boys Shot Put – Minimum measurement distance is 38’0”
12:30 Boys High Jump – Starting height @ 5’6”
12:30 Girls Long Jump & Boys Long Jump Minimum measurement distance is 18’0” boys & 14’0” girls
12:30 Girls Pole Vault – Starting height @ 7’9”
12:30 Girls Shot Put – Minimum measurement distance is 28’0”
12:30 Boys Discus - Minimum measurement distance is 110’0”
FRIDAY'S TRACK EVENTS: Preliminaries (eight fastest qualify to finals)
1:00 Girls 3200 Meter Run (Final)
1:30 Boys 3200 Meter Run (Final)
2:00 - 2:20 Open Track
2:30 Girls 400 Relay
2:40 Boys 400 Relay
2:50 Girls 800 Run (Final)
3:05 Boys 800 Run (Final)
3:30 Girls 100 Meter Hurdles
3:45 Boys 110 Meter Hurdles
4:00 Girls 100 Meter Dash
4:15 Boys 100 Meter Dash
4:40 Girls 400 Meter Dash
4:55 Boys 400 Meter Dash
5:20 Girls 300 Meter Hurdles
5:35 Boys 300 Meter Hurdles
5:55 Girls 200 Meter Dash
6:10 Boys 200 Meter Dash
SATURDAY'S FIELD EVENTS
9:00 Boys Javelin - Minimum measurement distance is 125’0”
10:30 Girls Javelin - Minimum measurement distance is 80’0”
SATURDAY'S RUNNING EVENTS
9:45 Girls 400 Meter Relay
9:50 Boys 400 Meter Relay
10:00 Girls 100 Meter Hurdles
10:10 Boys 110 Meter Hurdles
10:15 Girls 100 Meter Dash
10:20 Boys 100 Meter Dash
10:25 Girls 1600 Meter Run (Final)
10:40 Boys 1600 Meter Run (Final)
10:55 Girls 800 Meter Relay
11:05 Boys 800 Meter Relay
11:15 Girls 400 Meter Dash
11:20 Boys 400 Meter Dash
11:30 Girls 300 Meter Hurdles
11:35 Boys 300 Meter Hurdles
11:45 Girls 1600 Meter Medley Relay
12:00 Boys 1600 Meter Medley Relay
12:15 Girls 200 Meter Dash
12:20 Boys 200 Meter Dash
12:25 Girls 1600 Meter Relay
12:40 Boys 1600 Meter Relay