SOCORRO – The 2026 Class 4A Golf Championships concluded Tuesday afternoon at the New Mexico Tech Golf Course in Socorro with Artesia taking the boys’ blue trophy and Albuquerque Academy claiming the girls’ title.
For Artesia’s boys team, it’s their first state crown since 2017, snapping a two-year run as Class 4A champs by Albuquerque Academy, which finished second overall.
Amidst the top-tier competition, Kirtland Central and Aztec athletes carved out significant placements on the final leaderboard.
Kirtland Central’s girls squad took home a fourth-place team finish, posting a two-day total of 747. The team demonstrated resilience, improving their second-day score to a 370 after an opening-round 377.
Hayden Dan led the charge for Kirtland Central, finishing as the state runner-up. She carded rounds of 80 and 81 for a 161 (+17) total to take second place individually. Makayla Manus broke into the top 15, finishing 13th with a total of 178. Dallas Dan finished 20th overall, contributing a 189 to the team score.
The Albuquerque Academy girls team took home their sixth straight team state title, putting the Chargers team in the mix with exclusive company with Goddard, Deming and Socorro, who have each won seven straight state titles.
The Kirtland Central roster was rounded out by Haylee Nocki (219) and Kyndal Wheeler (239).
The Aztec boys squad finished in eighth place with an overall score of 736. The Tigers found their stride on the second day, shaving 12 strokes off their Round 1 performance to finish with a 362. Nathan Kennedy was the top performer for Aztec, finishing in a tie for 36th with a two-day 181.
Tyler Ray provided a massive second-round boost; after an opening 101, he fired an 86 on day two to finish at 187. Dylan Thompson followed closely with a 189 total. Braylon Phelps (190) and Delano Black (194) completed the scoring for the Tigers.
The Class 5A finals took place at the New Mexico State University Golf Course in Las Cruces, with La Cueva taking the boys’ team title and Organ Mountain securing the girls’ trophy.
This is the first state championship for Organ Mountain in girls golf. They ended a two-year run atop the 5A classification by Piedra Vista.
Amid the competitive field, individual standouts from Farmington and Piedra Vista delivered strong performances to climb the final leaderboards.
Piedra Vista’s Burke Allen led the local contingent in the boys’ division, finishing third overall. Allen displayed remarkable consistency over the two-day tournament, carding identical rounds of 74 for a total of 148.
In the girls’ field, the Panthers saw two golfers crack the top 30: Mercedes Sanborn finished in a tie for 20th with a two-day total of 179. Bryztal Cline secured 30th place, posting a total of 191.
The Farmington boys were led by Conner Neff, who finished in a five-way tie for sixth place. Neff improved his standing on the second day by firing a 73, bringing his tournament total to 151.
Teammate Lincoln Blue Eyes also made a significant move on day two; after an opening-round 84, he shot an impressive even-par 72 to finish 19th with a 156 total. On the girls’ side, Olivia Silentman represented the Scorpions well, finishing in a tie for 13th. Silentman showed a nine-stroke improvement in her second round, carding an 81 for a 171 total.
La Cueva’s boys team has now brought home the blue trophy 11 times, their first as a team since 2023. The Bears now trail only Socorro (15), Goddard and Albuquerque Academy (12) for most boys golf championships in state history.