Madison Northrup had state meet experience for ATC and figured to contend for discus points at state.
In this article, we take a look at the top 2A Girls teams in New Mexico--or at least what we reasonably could have expected to have been the top teams going into the season.
From there, we take a closer look at the senior girls who largely shaped the championship hopes and aspirations of those teams. These are the girls who lost their final shot at directing their efforts toward a team trophy at state.
Teams are addressed in alphabetical order, not in projected order of strength.
Academy for Tech and Classics - The Phoenix came into the season with justifiably high hopes. The pieces were there that could have fueled not just a trophy run, but a state title run. There's no guarantee of that, of course, but this team definitely should have been on your short list of state title contenders. The one senior who most likely could happed set the tone for a state outcome for ATC was thrower Madison Northrup. Most of the rest of the state scoring potential for ATC resided in the lower classes, meaning we can count on this team being back in the hunt next year.
Cloudcroft - Like ATC, the Bears had a legitimate shot of winning it all this spring. Like ATC, Cloudcroft figures to be back next year. They'll be back, however, without the useful services of thrower Britney Hickman. Hickman was a likely state scorer in the javelin and discus, and had an outside shot of scoring in the shot put as well.
Estancia - The Estancia version of the Bears probably didn't figure for a state title, but a state trophy was definitely not out of reach for this crew. Sprinter/hurdler/jumper Priscilla Padilla was the top senior hope for Estancia. Padilla figured to be in the hunt to win both hurdle events. Pole vaulter Reagan Walker also figured as a possibility for points at state.
Jal - The Panthers figured to come to state largely pinning hopes on a big weekend for sprinter/jumper Karina Nieto. Nieto's top event hopes at state, and a win was possible in both, figured to be the 100 and 200. Speed is never a bad thing to have on your roster.
Loving - The Falcons brought Bianca Solano to the table this spring as the centerpiece of their case for leaving with a state trophy. Solano may have had an event decision or two to make, but sprinter, jumping, and pole vaulting were all in the mix. She figured to have a solid shot at winning the state 400. Like ATC and Cloudcroft, this team had a legitimate shot at winning it all this spring.
Pecos - Stay tuned and watch for this team next year. The state points the Panthers figured to score this year were all coming from underclassmen.
