Storm run away from the field at their own relays

The Storm girls amassed 128 points, 25 more than runner-up La Cueva. Los Alamos (61) was third and Rio Rancho (51) was fourth in the 10-team meet.

The Storm boys, winning 11 of 15 events, accumulated 149 points, more than runner-up La Cueva (77) and third-place Rio Rancho (61) combined.

The meet featured the usual and a couple of novelty relays on the track and a mixture of combined times, distances or heights to comprise a relay team score in field events and the 1,600-, 3,200- and 300-meter hurdles race.

The only race not scored as a relay was the 100-meter dash, in which each team was allotted one entry.

The Storm girls were led by eight first-place finishes out of 16 events:

• The 4×400 relay team — Audrey Martinez, Erin DeBee, Larimar Rodriguez and Elicia Gallegos — ran 4:00.05 state-qualifying time, bettering their previous best time;

• The triple-jump tandem (Alina Armstead, Savannah Peyton and Alex Williams) placed first with a combined distance of 97-1;

• The shot-put team (Alex Winebark, Erin Carrica and Mikayla Brownell) won with a total distance of 99-10.5;

• The discus threesome (Winebark, Williams and Pearl Isaia) won with 325-6;

• The 4×200 relay team (Martinez, Nia Powdrell, Rodriguez and Gallegos) won in 1:45.14, a new state-qualifying time, as did the same quartet in the 4×100 (49.44; also a better state-qualifying time);

• The long-jump group (Rodriguez, Galllegos and Powdrell) combined for 45-10; and

• Powdrell in the open 100-meter dash in a state-qualifying time of 12.37.

Second-place finishers for the Storm were the 3,200-meter relay team (Nicolette Pacheco, Erika Griswold and  Malia Gonzales; Gonzales qualified for state as individual in 12:01.35); the 4×100 shuttle hurdles relay (Cassy McClintock, Alexis Aguirre, Kennedy Vote and Cassandra Brownell); the 300-meter hurdles trio (Vote, McClintock and Aguirre); and the 3×1,600 team (Gonzales, Natalie Medina and Griswold).

Finishing third for the Storm girls was the high jump team (Iahlayah Wolfe, Kechelle Holmes and Kimber Morales.

“This was a lot of fun for the girls and the fans,” coach Tim Flores said. “We got a lot of positive feedback from the visiting coaches.”

“I am super-happy with how our boys performed,” said CHS boys coach Kenny Henry, whose team won 11 of 15 events. “With the exception of just a couple of guys, nearly everyone on the team had their best performance(s) of the season, which is exactly what we are trying to do as a team: have everyone perform well on the same day.

“Winning an event is not easy to do, especially against the teams represented in this meet, so to win 11 says a lot about what our boys accomplished today,” Henry said. “In addition to the events we won, we had nine state qualifiers.”

The Storm’s latest state-qualifiers are Levi Van Bastian (discus), Parker Jones (high jump), the 4×200 relay and Brandon Leitch (javelin). Improving their previous state-qualifying marks were Luis Martinez (1,600 and 3,200), the 4×100 relay, the 4×400 relay and Jones in the 100.

Winning for the Storm were:

• The 4×400 meter relay team (Brandon Lawrence, Camden Davis, Tyler Chavez and Nathan Muñoz);

• The shuttle hurdle relay team (Jones, Keaton Frieberg, Tyler Caldwell and Chris Wall);

• Jones (100-meter dash);

• The 4×800 meter relay team (Jared Mayoral, Matt Smith, Quadry Escalada and Dustin Enyeart);

• The 4×200 meter relay team (Lawrence, Davis, Chavez and Muñoz);

• The 300-hurdles relay team (Frieberg, Caldwell and Caleb Kofchur);

• The 1,600 meter relay team (Martinez, Enyeart and Aaron Flores);

• The 4×100 meter relay team (Muñoz, Jones, Lawrence and Chavez);

• The long-jump relay team (Davis, Nainoa Biggs and Caldwell);

• The triple-jump relay team (Biggs, Caldwell and Kyle Petrey);

The high-jump relay team (Jo• nes, Nate Barnes and Jacob Earnest); and

• The discus relay team (Van Bastian, Jacob Anderson and Mike Roseborough).

Finishing second for CHS were the 3×3,200 meter relay team (Martinez, Flores and Mayoral) and the javelin relay team (Leitch, Kian Homme and Jeremy Harris).

The Rams girls won the javelin (Nicole Pendley, Ally Salata and Krista Savela) and Leilani Baker was second in the 100 (12.76).

A second-place finish for the Rams boys came in the long jump (C.J. Williams, Matthew Jackson and Michael Littman).

The CHS track and field etams competed at the Los Alamos Classic Friday; the RRHS teams hosted the Rio Rancho Invitational at the UNM track complex Friday and Saturday.