Peerman's Power Rankings: 10 best things in New Mexico sports this month (July 2024)

Welcome to Peerman's Power Rankings (PPR), the 10 athletes, teams and story lines that have Journal sports editor Lucas Peerman's attention. Have a suggestion, complaint or compliment? Email lpeerman@abqjournal.com or find me on X, @LucasPeerman.

PPR, normally published weekly, will be transitioning to once a month during the summer. Look for the next PPR near the last week in August.

10. MLB prospects

Right-handed pitchers Aiden May and Jacob Kmatz were teammates in high school (Sandia) in Albuquerque and in college (Oregon State) but will not be wearing the same uniform as they start their professional careers. On July 16, the Miami Marlins chose May with the 70th pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, while Kmatz was taken by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 157th pick. May, who was 7-1 with a 3.05 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 73.2 innings for the Beavers last season, signed a $900,000 deal. Kmatz inked for $397,500 after posting a 7-3 record with a 3.38 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 88 innings for Oregon State. Former St. Pius High standout Grant Smith, who was an outstanding defensive shortstop for the Kentucky Wildcats, wasn't selected in the draft but did sign a free agent deal with the Chicago White Sox.

9. Jaelen House

The former standout guard for UNM's basketball team earned an invitation to play with the Boston Celtics summer league team this July. He didn't play the first game. In the team's second game, he was on the court for a little over three minutes and picked up a technical foul. “I was just fired up,” he told the Celtics Blog. “Played good defense, and I wanted to let him know about it.” Yep, sounds like Jaelen. House's minutes steadily increased throughout summer league and he averaged 10.8 points per game and 4.3 assists per game, but shot only 26.7 percent from the three-point line. If House can start hitting the three more consistently, he'll find a lot more invitations coming his way.

8. Rob Vanderslice and Joseph "Blast" Leyba

The Albuquerque Isotopes, aka Mariachis de Nuevo Mexico, have embraced lowrider culture with a themed evening out at the ballpark. This year's Lowrider Night, on July 13, drew more than 10,000 to Isotopes Park with fans starting to wait in line at 5 a.m. for the lowrider bobblehead giveaway to first 3,000 fans. Rob Vanderslice and Joseph “Blast” Leyba have designed both bobbleheads, last year's 1959 impala and this year's 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline. “We needed to top last year’s,” Vanderslice said. “You don’t want to go downhill. The ‘59 would be like the grandpa and then you have the great-grandpa which would be the ‘48, it would be like a little more seniority.” Let's pencil in a 1936 Packard for 2025, shall we?

7. New Mexico United

New Mexico United has still not lost a United Soccer League Championship match at home this season and at 12-2-4 maintains first place in the USLC Western Conference. This July, the Black and Yellow defeated Orange County SC 2-1, tied with Birmingham Legion FC 1-1 at home and on Saturday traveled a few hours south to beat rival El Paso Locomotive FC 2-1. Sandwiched between, NM United chartered a couple planes to Los Angeles, with 400 of their closest friends, for a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match. Though Los Angeles FC — a top MLS squad — won 3-1, United proved it's a tough out — no matter the competition.

6. Rylee Salome

The No. 1-ranked girls junior golf player in New Mexico is having another summer to remember. Salome, the three-time state champion from Belen High School, finished tied for 35th in the IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championship this July. Not bad for a competition featuring 130 of the top teen girl golfers in the world. Salome was 4-over for the three-day tournament, 15 strokes behind the leader. Three other New Mexican girls competed: Amara Montoya, from Jarrales (5-over), Callia Ward from Albuquerque (14-over) and Olivia Zamarripa from Albuquerque (missed cut at 8-over).

5. Malie Satete

The West Las Vegas eighth-grader hit 24 home runs for the Dons to become New Mexico’s softball single-season home run champion and in July she was selected to the MaxPreps Underclass All-American Team. That means she was one of the top 30 sophomores, freshmen and eighth-graders in the country. Satete was also invited to take part in the MLB Home Run Derby X at Isotopes Park in August, though not as a competitor. We're excited to witness what Satete will accomplish next season, when she's actually in high school.

4. Francesca Benavidez

What does a state champion swimmer do for an encore? Win a national archery competition, of course. Benavidez, who graduated from Eldorado this spring, claimed the girls 500-meter freestyle title at the state swimming tournament in February and helped the Eagles to a second-place finish in the team competition. In mid-July, Benavidez won the women's barebow under-21 division at the Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) Target Nationals and JOAD U.S. Open at Balloon Fiesta Park, beating her competition 6-0, 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, respectively. With the win, Benavidez also unlocked a new life achievement: The Katniss Ledecky award.

3. Sarah Souza

One of the top jiujitsu competitors in the world lives and trains in the Albuquerque metro area. Sarah Sophia Carrillo (aka Sarah Souza), just won the Teen 3 Heavyweight championship at the Pan Kids IBJFF Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Orlando, Florida. This comes on the heels of the 14-year-old Rio Rancho resident winning two divisions at the 2024 International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation American Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada at the end of June. Keep at it Sarah — we get a kick out of all these medals coming back to the Land of Enchantment.

2. Harper, Bella and Sydney

New Mexico is home to three of the top girls basketball recruits in the nation, and each proved they belong a national stage this July. Corona's 6-foot-6 incoming sophomore post Harper Dunn plays for club team MOKAN U15, which lost the EYCL national title game by a single point. Dunn's performance earned her numerous Division I offers. Former Eldorado standout Bella Hines, who is committed to play for LSU starting in fall 2025, won the EYBL national championship with her club team, CyFair Elite. And Sandia rising senior Sydney Benally, who holds numerous D-I offers, won the MVP and championship in the Native American Basketball Invitational in Phoenix.

1. Olympic athletes

At least 16 athletes competing at the Paris Olympics have a connection to New Mexico. Two were born here: Chase Jackson, shot put, from Los Alamos; and Mariah Duran, street skateboard, from Albuquerque. One grew up in New Mexico: Anicka Newell, pole vault, a Highland High graduate who represents Canada. Four were track and field athletes at UNM: Weini Kelati, 10,000 meters, USA; Fiona O'Keeffe, marathon, USA; Calli Thackery, marathon, Great Britian; Josh Kerr, 1,500m, Great Britain. One was a track and field coach at UNM and still lives and trains in Albuquerque: Alicja Konieczek, 3,000m steeplechase, Poland; two were track and field athletes at New Mexico Junior College: Tapiwanashe (Carlie) Makarawu, 200m, Zimbabwe; LaCarthea Cooper, 400m relay, Bahamas. One was a football player at New Mexico Highlands: Kevon Williams, rugby sevens, USA. Three were golfers at UNM: Victor Perez, golf, France; Gavin Green, golf, Malaysia; Manon de Roey, golf, Belgium. Aand two were golfers at NMSU: Alena Sharp, golf, Canada; Ursula Wikstrom, golf, Finland. Congrats and bonne chance to all!

Meet the sports editor

Albuquerque Journal Assistant Managing Editor for Sports and Features (Sports Editor) Lucas Peerman will be visiting a different coffee house the last Wednesday of every month to meet with community members. This is an opportunity to discuss in person what you’d like to see in a sports section, or to just talk sports. This month, meet Lucas at Satellite Coffee, 1642 Alameda Blvd. NW, from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 31. Look for the little guy.