NMAA State Cross Country Championship Preview: A/2A Girls

Maggie Rittmeyer (photo by Jaren Brooks)

One of the best matchups in the state is back

Academy for Tech and the Classics will be looking to defend its state championship against a competitive Pecos squad on Friday. This should come as no surprise with these two teams scoring under 40 points as the 3rd place Penasco came in with 116 points. Rehoboth Christian will seek a solid finish. We haven't been able to see much from these teams as the majority of schools didn't begin competition until a week prior to district meets but using what we know from 2019, it's likely to be plenty of opportunities as some teams either did not qualify or had opted out completely. Notable teams not competing include Maxwell, McCurdy NACA, Jemez Valley, and Laguna Acoma. 

Individuals 

Well to see someone other than an ATC or Pecos uniform would be surprising, to say the least as eight of the top ten finishers in 2019 hailed from one of those schools. Maggie Rittmeyer is the defending individual champion while Vanessa Dominquez and little sister Lily Rittmeyer are just as capable of taking over the race. Notably missing from the district meet roster were ATC's Kamyrn Hoehne and Noelani Van Loon who were the 4 and 5 finishers last championship. Pecos' Savanna Ortiz is in the mix and if you're looking for the first girl, not from either one of those schools, Capitan's Kalynn Bowser was 7th and could break through this pack of talented girls from A/2A.

A/2A State Entries

Teams	Individual Qualifiers
Academy for Tech and the Classics	Jayde Perea Estancia
Capitan	Mariana Perea Estancia
Cloudcroft	Amaris McClain Legacy Academy
Gateway Christian	Mckayla McCann Menaul
Jal	Teddileigh Chavez Mescalero
Mora	Danae Grant Mescalero
Pecos	Julene Valdez Mescalero
Ramah	Charnelle Gonzales Penasco
Santa Rosa	Tylaine Edsitty Pine Hill
	Kiari Etsitty Pine Hill
	Emily Garcia Rehoboth Christian