3A Girls
This spring in 3A, there will be a lot of attention focused on Sandia Prep. And rightfully so. The Sundevils are loaded and, honestly, are going to be very difficult to beat this spring.
It is about that simple. But it's not a done deal.
Top athletes figure to by Skylar Gee at 400, 800, and 1600, and Sydney Pyles in the pole vault. But, there are question marks. Gee had an abbreviated cross country question that left some questions on the table. Pyles vaulted 9-6 at the Great Southwest Indoor which seems to validate last season's marks, but also suggest she could possibly be caught if someone else is ready to step up in the event. Of course, the #2 ranked returning pole vaulter in 3A is Pyles' teammate, Mia Chiavetta. Maybe things are looking just fine at the pole vault pit. Well, at least for Sandia Prep...
Sidney Harenberg is another distance type who enjoyed a strong spring last year, but struggled to see similar kinds of success in cross country in the fall.
Sevilla Duran has nice sprint speed, but her best events are the hurdles. Maria Merritt isn't too far behind in the hurdles. Carissa Martinez adds sprint and long jump strength to the roster.
All told that's a lot of positive indicators for a 3A program, where depth typically becomes something of an issue.
The best single athlete in 3A, however, belongs to Santa Fe Prep. That's Hayden Colfax. Like last year, Colfax is going to have to pick between event possibilities a little, but she's a threat to take state in each of the 100, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump, high jump, and triple jump.
The trouble for Santa Fe Prep is that, aside from Colfax, the only established state scoring threat they have is triple jumper Isabel Voinescu. That's going to make it difficult to keep pace with Sandia Prep.
East Mountain may have had some state title dreams until Amelia Johnson packed her bags and moved away. Kaylee Baker and Marissa Case are also top returning athletes, but things are getting a little thin right now for the Timberwolves.
St. Michael's has a good cross section of talent that figures to get to state. Scoring at state, however, will be more difficult. At this point, the only ones who look like a high probability to score at state is high jumper Olivia Farrar and triple jumper Julie Kastendieck. If several more can step up just a bit, St. Michael's becomes a team of much greater concern.
Lastly, we'll consider the case of Cottonwood Classical Prep. It's hard to miss that the Coyotes captured the 3A Girls cross country title in the fall, putting three finishers in the top 10. Sophia Lopez and Aubrey Lozoya figure as the top ones to watch there. There definitely could be room to move up in the spring, so it's worth keeping an eye on the Coyotes.
Sprinter Zora Molina is also a major piece of the puzzle for Cottonwood Classical. She should be. She's the top 3A returner at 100 and 200 meters. Both times, however, come from the same meet and may suggest a bit of an assist from an overly ambitious wind. That happens. Molina was third in state in both events last spring.
For the time being, things look like a battle for second between St. Michael's, Santa Fe Prep, and Cottonwood Classical. But, it's not a foregone conclusion that things end up that way.