Photo by Jaren Brooks

Different squad same result for Cottonwood Classical entering the State Championships

Adding athletes or even taking away athletes from Cottonwood Classical hasn't hurt their winning formula just yet as they return to the 2021 Western Sky Community Care New Mexico State Cross Country Championships as the favorite once again. Sure they may not be quite the team they were this past spring that saw a 13 point victory with 1st, 3rd, 4th,5th, and 7th place performances from their starting five. Gone is Liza Cardinale, Alyx Mastor hasn't competed this season and even Aubrey Lozoya hasn't competed since Rio Rancho Jamboree in late September.  Still, they are just as competitive as ever with a convincing win in the girls' B race at Academy Extravaganza.  Meanwhile, it appears Santa Fe Prep is closest in contention led by their 8th grader Sophie Bair. They include potential top ten finishers Nya Griego and Helen Desmond among their scoring five. Cottonwood Classical will rely on Sophie Lopez and Ellie Merhege to match their low scorers in a race that could be the closest they've had to face in recent memory. Santa Fe Indian and Zuni are both back on the scene after missing out last season and are already among teams eyeing a trophy on Saturday. They will first have to surpass state runner-ups New Mexico Military Institute who were as close as a team could be to that "dream team" Cottonwood Classical had. 

Photo by Jaren Brooks

Individuals

Raylee Hunt will not have Alyx Mastor to push her on this time around as she did in March but that has not stopped her from distancing herself from the field early on and maintaining it throughout the season. Hunt has even taken her talents to the Desert Twilight Festival where she ran to a personal best of 18:02 with a 26th place finish. From there we can expect Sophie Bair close by to contend along with her teammates Nya Griego and Helen Desmond. Cottonwood Classical's Sophie Lopez and perhaps Aubrey Lozoya both will seek to run alongside Santa Fe Prep runners throughout the race ensuring a close finish. Sandia Prep's Sidney Harenberg is always among the front pack and could be finishing among the top five utilizing her track speed down the final 300m of this race. Bosque School's Kate Henderson is another young and talented runner from the class of 2025 that has top ten potential. NMMI's Tessa Walker and Eva Gerou round out a list of potential top ten finishers that we could see sprinting down the finish in the 3A girls' championship race.

State Qualifiers

Teams	Individual Qualifiers
Bosque School	Adrianna Casaus (Cuba)
Cobre	Kara Batie (East Mountain)
Cottonwood Classical	Jessie Leibold (East Mountain)
Crownpoint	Raylee Hunt ( St. Michaels)
Hot Springs	Sky Sessions ( Socorro)
Navajo Prep	Jacqueline Perez ( Socorro)
New Mexico Military Institute	Anastasia Zagrai (Socorro)
Robertson	Ellie Musolf ( St. Michaels)
Sandia Prep	Shanell Edsitty ( Thoreau)
Santa Fe Indian	Wynterrose Sheka (Tohatchi)
Santa Fe Prep	Zaylee Hernandez (West Las Vegas)
Zuni	Telicia Tom ( Wingate)