ALBUQUERQUE – A total of 140 high school athletes from San Juan County schools will take part this weekend at the UNM Track Complex for the Class 4A & 5A state track and field championships starting Friday morning.
State individual champions Jake Roberts, Andrew Himes and Avery Sandefer will make their return to the UNM track complex this weekend looking to add to their impressive resumes.
Roberts, a sophomore from Aztec High, enters this weekend’s pole vault competition as the clear favorite to repeat, leading a competitive 14-man flight with a field-best seed mark of 14 feet.
Roberts secured the state title as a freshman with a 13 foot, 6 inch and has already improved his personal best this season. Roberts holds a 6-inch advantage over his nearest competitors, Caleb McCraken of Albuquerque Academy and Creed Covington of Kirtland Central, both of whom enter with marks of 13-6.
Kirtland Central boasts a strong presence in the vertical jumps, with Brody Decker joining Covington near the top of the leaderboard with a 13-foot entry. Bloomfield’s Jordan Meador and Artesia’s Colt Moziejko also sit at the 13-foot mark, creating a tight race for the podium spots behind Roberts.
Bloomfield High School looks to make a major impact in the 4A classification. The Bobcat boys feature 11 athletes, with seniors Trace Estrada, Andrew Himes, and Donavin Mickas providing the veteran presence.
The girls’ team is even deeper with 14 competitors, including seniors Evani Velasquez and Tiana Williamson, and a heavy infusion of young talent like eighth-grader Bailey Alee Himes.
Bloomfield’s girls team also features a pair of 300-meter hurdle specialists each looking for a chance to compete for a state title. Sophomore Ryli Heckman enters this weekend’s state preliminaries with the fastest seed time in the field.
Heckman, competing in the second of two heats, holds a personal-best time of 47.11 seconds. She will be the heavy favorite in her flight, though she faces stiff competition from Taos sophomore Raziah Ko (47.89) and Goddard’s Izabella Zapata (48.22).
Joining Heckman is junior teammate Renee Himes, who will look to punch her ticket to the finals out of the first heat. Himes enters with a seed time of 50.01, placing her squarely in the mix for an at-large qualifying spot. The top two finishers in each heat, followed by the next four fastest times, will advance to the eight-runner final.
The Bobcat duo face formidable challenges from Albuquerque Academy’s Kate Lenhart (47.49) and Los Alamos junior Raina Passalacqua (47.52), who headline the first heat.
The current state record of 43.67, set by Albuquerque Academy’s Abby Hoover, has stood since 1993.
Local competitors from Kirtland Central will also be represented by freshman Lilly Wargo, who carries a sub-50 second seed time (49.94) into the first prelim.
Kirtland Central High School will be well-represented by 18 boys and 13 girls. The Bronco boys are led by a massive senior class including Angel Acosta, Gavin Mulnix, and Terrell Tanner.
The girls’ roster is highlighted by senior Bahazhoni Crosby and a large group of juniors such as Kyra Begay and Aaliyah Johnson.
Aztec High School travels to Albuquerque with a focused group. The Tiger boys are led by senior Edgar Hinojos-Perez and juniors Fernando Amador and Silas Robison.
The Aztec girls feature 13 athletes, anchored by seniors Kamber Martin, Alisia Valerio, and Autumn Villanueva.
Shiprock High School brings a veteran-heavy boys’ team of eight athletes, including seniors Tillson Begaye and Jayden Dooline. The Chieftain girls will look to senior Bailey Yazzie and juniors Taylor Charleston and Milykah Hosteen to lead their five-athlete squad.
Shiprock junior Kaden Lapahie is prepared for a grueling weekend, having qualified to compete in all three individual distance events.
Lapahie enters the meet with his highest ranking in the 800-meter run. His seed time of 2 minutes, 0.40 seconds places him eighth in a fast field led by Silver High’s Kaleb Paquette (1:53.98). Lapahie will look to break the two-minute barrier to climb onto the podium.
The junior standout is also a top-10 contender in the 1,600-meter run. With a seed time of 4:29.93, Lapahie occupies the No. 8 spot in a race headlined by Albuquerque Academy’s Elliot Hickey (4:16.34) and Nicholas Ponte (4:16.67).
Lapahie will round out his distance triple in the 3,200-meter run, where he is seeded 15th with a time of 10:13.23. The eight-lap event is expected to be a historic showdown; top-seeded Ponte (8:52.94) and Taos’ Billy Romero (9:05.10) have already posted times well under the 1996 state record of 9:17.18.
Lapahie is joined in the distance events by other local competitors, including Kirtland Central’s Damien Henry in the 1,600 (4:39.25) and Tyler Harrison in the 3,200 (10:22.05).
Farmington High brings a balanced contingent to the state meet. The boys’ squad features 18 athletes, led by seniors Leighton Webb, James Rogers, and Cash Garrett. They are supported by a strong junior core including Daniel Austin and Wacey Cathey.
On the girls’ side, the Scorpions rely on veteran leadership from seniors Miquelyn Allred and Logan Webb, alongside promising underclassmen like freshman Chloe Huff and returning state champion sophomore Avery Sandefer.
Last year, Sandefer took home gold in the triple jump competition with a mark of 35 feet, 8 inches. She enters this weekend’s Class 5A finals as the top seed, carrying the weight of a program with a storied history in the event.
Sandefer is the only athlete in the 16-jumper field to reach the 36-foot mark this season. Her seed mark of 36-feet gives her a 3-inch cushion over her closest competitor, Cassie Bielstein of Carlsbad.
The Scorpions have long been a force in the triple jump; the current state record of 38-feet, 2.25 inches was set by Farmington’s Katie Pettigrew in 2001. Sandefer will look to inch closer to that mark while fending off a competitive chase pack that includes Gadsden’s Melanie Gaytan (35-06.50) and Volcano Vista’s Jocelyn Crespin (35-04.00).
Sandefer is also schduled to take part in the prelims for the girls 100-meter dash, where she will compete against teammate Huff.
Sandefer will compete in the first of three heats for the 100-meter dash. Her seed time of 12.62 seconds places her in a competitive flight headlined by Clovis freshman Syrianna Raphiel, whose blistering 11.76 is the fastest entry in the state and nears the 2019 state record of 11.69.
Huff, who carries the fourth-fastest overall seed time into the third heat at 12.29 seconds, puts her in a prime position to secure one of the eight qualifying spots for the finals. To advance, runners must finish in the top two of their respective heats or hold one of the next two fastest times.
Joining the Farmington duo in the 100-meter field is Piedra Vista sophomore Emmerson Schnell, who will run in the third heat with a seed time of 12.66.
Piedra Vista High School enters the weekend with depth in several classes. The boys’ roster of 14 includes seniors Trey Cundick, Robert Hess, and Isaac Lacey. The Panther girls are powered by senior Danica Krakow and a solid group of juniors, including Aalysa Estrada and Sara James.