Teghan Copeland of Fort Sumner figured to be a force in all three distance events.
We reach the end of this series with 1A Girls. Which were the teams who, most likely, would have battled it out for a trophy at the state meet? And who were the seniors who would have led the charge for those teams as the final act of their high school athletic careers?
Those are the questions we'll try to sort out here. There are, of course, no definitive answers. The hope for that went out the window when the NMAA canceled the spring season. But we can still look back and take educated guesses.
Teams listed below are the best shots at leaving the state meet with a trophy in hand. Teams are listed in alphabetical order, not any order of projected finish.
Cimarron - The Rams aren't quite the same team, year in and year out, that they were a decade ago, but there is still good reason to be wary of this program. They still put out a solid program and stand tall all the way to the end of the season. Top senior threats for Cimarron this year figured to have been thrower Olivia Perryman and hurdler/javelin thrower Zoe Salazar. Salazar likely figured as the favorite to win the 100 hurdles and a possibility to sweep the hurdles. She was clearly in the running to win the javelin as well. Cimarron saw a lot of hopes and dreams come crashing down this spring.
Clovis Christian - They have figured out the jumps at Clovis Christian. That's what these Eagles do best. And while the DeGroot sisters (both underclassmen) are the school's top specialists, senior Sofia Garbarino figured to hold one of the keys to CC's final standing this spring with her triple jump.
Fort Sumner - You all know it. The Vixens are always in the hunt. This year would have been no different. Teghan Copeland and Samantha Kruckman formed a distance duo that probably made this school wonder why they didn't have a cross country team. Delaney Oberg wasn't a top favorite to score in the javelin, but she wasn't exactly out of the running, either. Other help figured to come from the younger classes, but these seniors would have had much to say about where Fort Sumner stood when all the dust had settled.
Gateway Christian - The Warriors figured to be led this spring by sprinter/jumper Kianna Conway. Conway was a legitimate threat to win the long jump this spring. Younger hands would have supplied the remaining scoring punch, meaning that this team figures to be a contender in 2021 as well.
Logan - The Longhorns won it all in 2019 and had a very good shot at repeating this year. Help from the senior class this year, however, appeared to be limited. It would have come down, likely, to the leadership of thrower Kesleah Shields and high jumper Jordan Hines. Naturally, this means Logan figures as a prominent threat as we survey the landscape for next year.
Melrose - The Buffaloes seem to be a perennial contender for 1A honors, which makes their appearance here not at all surprising. Teams with good tradition and coaching seem to keep bubbling back to at or near the top. Melrose is one of those teams. Seniors who figured to anchor the hopes for Melrose this spring included throwers Avette Sanchez and Deajha Downey. Sanchez was a threat to win the discus but may have had to deal with teammate Paitynn Nicholson (a freshman this spring) for honors there. Did we mention that Melrose is a dominant throws program? Expect them back next year, too.