The Robertson Invitational at Milne Stadium. March 24, 2012. Remember the date. Remember the meet. It was the kind of day that athletes, coaches and spectators alike will remember for seasons to come. Not because of what happened on the track, the runways, and the rings (although there were certainly memorable athletic performances) – but because of the weather. It’s been said that you can only count on three things: death, taxes, and wind at track meets in Albuquerque. So the most amazing spectacle of the day may have been the flag at the south end of the stadium, which hung motionless for the entirety of the meet.
The date coincided with another major revolution in Albuquerque T&F, or at least a major revolution for meets hosted by the Albuquerque Public School (APS) system. The meet marked the first of several planned instances this season, where an APS meet will utilize fully automated timing. As amazing as it may sound, it was just 10 months ago that APS coaches last met for a classic seeding meeting, where they literally used scissors and scotch tape to determine heats, lanes, and flights.
The inception of FAT timing was a positive experience for everyone involved, save for those who hoped to enjoy the sunshine for a few hours longer. Meet results were quicker to be finalized and more easily accessible online (they’re already posted on both DirectAthletics.com as well as included in the Milesplit NM database). Additionally, the order of events moved at a swift pace that most New Mexican T&F aficionados aren’t used to.
Predictably, the team competition was all about Sue Cleveland High School. The Storm dominated both sides of the meet, winning the girls’ title by a final margin of 154-108 over second-place Eldorado, and blowing the boys’ competition out of the water to the tune of a 165.5 point shellacking of the field. Albuquerque Academy narrowly edged Cibola High School for second 64.5–64. Anyone dreaming of a 5A State title in 2012 will need to weather the Storm, and early results indicate that Sue Cleveland’s greatest threats will come either from La Cueva High School (who swept the Wilson Stadium edition of the Robertson Invite) or from the southern half of the state.
Two of the morning’s brightest stars were Sue Cleveland senior hurdlers Cheyne Dorsey and Victoria Lyons, who easily won the boys’ 110’s and the girls 100’s, respectively. As easy as the duo made that look, they were even more impressive in winning their respective 300m events, with Dorsey beating his teammate Reece White (in another heat) by over two seconds (39.07 to 41.41). Lyons topped that, winning her 300’s by over three seconds over Eldorado’s Mary Stevens (48.04 to 51.54).
Cibola High School appears to be the place to look for pole vaulters. Cougar Senior Bailey Lindsey cleared 10-0 to easily win the girls vault while fellow CHS seniors Evan Schwartz and James Chavez tied for the boys title with 13-0 clearances.
Luis Martinez of Sue Cleveland continued his assault on the long distance events, going unchallenged in the 1600 (ten second margin of victory) and 3200 (33 second win).