BLOOMFIELD – A dozen teams from across New Mexico converged Saturday at Bloomfield High School for the 21st annual Harry Hayes Invite, where local athletes delivered state-qualifying marks and standout performances.
Piedra Vista High School swept the team titles behind dominant efforts in the sprints and relays. The Panther girls surged to first place with 94 points, powered by two relay wins and a victory in the 400 meters from Honor Robinson.
On the boys’ side, the Panthers tallied six first-place finishes. Reuban Marquez accounted for four of those wins, taking the 100- and 200-meter dashes individually and contributing to two relay victories. Robert Hess added two wins of his own, including a rare tie with teammate Marquez in the 100 at 11.20 seconds.
Adding to the Panthers’ depth, Kael Farley claimed first in the shot put with a state-qualifying throw of 49 feet.
“Everybody has bought into the program,” Piedra Vista coach Richard Gonzales said. “We’ve got some great kids and some of the best athletes in the school running track. It’s a testament to the coaching staff and kids putting in the work.”
Host Bloomfield saw Renee Himes anchor the Bobcats with wins in the 100-meter hurdles (17.39) and the pole vault (8-0). D’Ante Morgan took first in the boys 400 (51.86) and contributed to a win in the 1,600 sprint medley relay (3:48.89). Teammate Andrew Himes won the 110 hurdles in 15.01 while also running on the winning sprint medley team.
Bloomfield head coach Steve Gutierrez said the invite marked Andrew Himes’ third meet of the season as he returns from a shoulder injury.
“He’s hard on himself and wants to have faster times, but we show him the times compared to where he was last year and he’s actually ahead of schedule,” Gutierrez said.
In the field, Aztec’s Jake Roberts, the defending Class 4A state champion in the pole vault, set a personal record with a winning clearance of 13-7. The mark surpassed his state-winning vault of 13-6 from last season.
“State is definitely on his mind,” Aztec pole vault coach Brian Roberts said. “I kept him out a couple more weeks of competition just to make sure he was healed. I think that’s his main goal.”
Aztec’s Alisia Valerio helped her team to a second-place finish with 79 points, winning the long jump (15-10.25) and the triple jump (34-6.5).
Kirtland Central’s Xavier Horsechief helped the Broncos boys take second place with 84 points. Horsechief contributed to the winning 4×400 relay team, which finished in 3:48.72.
The meet featured several wire-to-wire finishes. In the girls 200, Espanola Valley’s Averi Schultz took first in 27.77, followed closely by Bloomfield’s Makaire Childress (28.60) and Aztec’s Camilla Dominguez (28.67).
For complete results, visit nm.milesplit.com.