ALBUQUERQUE – San Juan County field event standouts and hurdle specialists powered their way onto the podium at the NMAA Class 4A/5A State Track and Field Championships this weekend at the UNM Track & Field Complex.
Led by spectacular performances over the hurdles and along the jumps runways, local competitors battled Albuquerque-area powerhouses to make their mark on the premier weekend of New Mexico track.
The Piedra Vista boys squad leaned heavily on its elite field athletes to capture 12 team points and finish 11th overall in the state standings.
Panthers sophomore Greysen Keiser provided the top local highlight in Class 5A, securing a second-place state medal in the high jump. Keiser cleared 6 feet, 4 inches, finishing as the state runner-up to event champion Adrian Mora of Hobbs, who topped out at 6-9.
On the infield, Piedra Vista junior Kael Farley earned his spot on the podium in the shot put. Farley launched a throw of 50-11.75 to place third in New Mexico.
Farmington High brought a balanced attack, placing seventh on the boys’ side with 29 points and 17th in the girls’ division with 6 points.
The Scorpion boys made their biggest splash on Saturday afternoon on the track, where the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay team of Daniel Austin, Marcus Peters, Dayton Bizzell, and Cache Webb captured a state title. The quartet crossed the finish line in a blistering 3:32.24, edging out Cleveland High to claim the gold.
Farmington’s deep pole vaulting core also made plenty of noise. Senior Gilberto Quezada cleared 15 feet to capture third place on a tiebreaker behind La Cueva’s Jhett Kinghorn.
Senior teammate Cash Garrett chipped in a ninth-place finish by clearing 12 feet. Garrett also advanced through tough prelims to secure a sixth-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles final with a time of 15.85 seconds.
In individual distance events, Leighton Webb took fourth in a highly competitive 800-meter run with a time of 1:57.21. Daniel Austin added a bronze medal in the triple jump, hitting a mark of 42-10.75.
For the Farmington girls, sophomore Avery Sandefer took sixth in the long jump with a leap of 16-06.50 and placed sixth in the triple jump by hitting 34-05.
Piedra Vista sophomore Honor Robinson also fought her way into the girls’ 400-meter dash final, clocking a 59.27 to finish seventh in the state.
Bloomfield High sophomore Ryli Heckman proved untouchable in the 100-meter hurdles, capturing the individual state championship in 14.97 seconds. Heckman’s dominant weekend also included a first-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles final, where she blew away the field with a time of 46.67 seconds, anchoring the Bobcat girls to a sixth-place finish in the team standings with 24 points.
Bloomfield senior Evani Velasquez also made the individual finals in the 100-meter dash, placing fifth in the state at 12.95 seconds.
The pole vault runway belonged to San Juan County in the Class 4A boys final. Kirtland Central sophomore Brody Decker cleared 13-6 to finish third in the state, matching height with Aztec sophomore Jake Roberts, who took fourth on misses.
Decker’s teammate, sophomore Creed Covington, secured sixth place by clearing 12-06 to round out a massive points haul for area vaulting.
Kirtland Central senior Bahazhoni Crosby added a silver-medal performance in the discus throw, placing second with a mark of 109 feet, 9 inches. Her teammate, junior Kamryn Kee, placed eighth in the same flight with a throw of 96-06. The Bronco boys finished tied for 13th with 6 points, while the girls finished 16th with 5 points. Kirtland Central senior Gavin Mulnix also qualified for the 110-meter hurdle finals, taking seventh in 16.41 seconds.
Aztec High School relied on field event consistency to land 11 points in the girls’ division and an additional 6 points on the boys’ side. Junior Alaina Grover secured a tie for eighth place in the high jump after clearing 4-10. Senior Alisia Valerio added depth by finishing sixth in the long jump with a mark of 16-08.50 and third in the triple jump with a leap of 35-05. On the boys’ side, Edgar Hinojos-Perez claimed fifth in the high jump by clearing 6-00.
Shiprock junior Kaden Lapahie battled his way to a pair of top-ten distance finishes, placing sixth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:59.39 and eighth in the 1,600-meter run at 4:35.45 to secure a team point for the Chieftains.
Albuquerque Academy swept the Class 4A team championships, dominating the girls’ division with 127 points and taking the boys’ title with 91 points.
In Class 5A, Rio Rancho took home the girls’ state crown with 81 points, while Sue Cleveland claimed the boys’ team title with 90 points.