Prep notes: State wrestling, swimming/diving begin Friday

The first two of the winter high school championships get underway on Friday.

The state wrestling tournament runs Friday and Saturday at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

There are two sessions each day; Friday’s first round and quarterfinals are scheduled at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.

The semifinals are 10 a.m. Saturday in Class 5A boys, 1A-4A boys and the overall girls division.

The individual finals begin at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Volcano Vista (5A) and Bloomfield (1A-4A) are out to defend their 2024 championships. Cleveland’s girls also won state last February.

A day pass, which includes re-entry, is $17. Adult passes are $12, with no re-entry. Student, seniors and military tickets are $7, with no re-entry. Tickets can only be purchased online at GoFan.co.

The Albuquerque Academy Natatorium is hosting the state swimming and diving championships, which also are Friday and Saturday.

Swimming prelims begin at 3 p.m. Friday; the finals, including diving, begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

Albuquerque Academy and Cottonwood Classical Prep (small school division) are the defending girls state champions. Eldorado and CCP were the 2024 boys team champions.

Adult tickets are $12, with students, seniors and military tickets at $7. Fans must purchase tickets online at GoFan.co.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL: An effort has been underway for several years to get boys volleyball elevated to activity status in New Mexico.

The latest effort failed earlier this week.

At Wednesday’s New Mexico Activities Association latest board of directors meeting, the board, in a rare move, did not even vote on whether to make it an activity.

The NMAA Commission earlier had narrowly voted in favor of making boys volleyball an activity, by a 9-6 vote, and that did not bode well for those who have been attempting to get it closer to becoming a sport by having the board of directors vote to move forward. Boys volleyball would have to succeed as an activity, and likely gain a few new teams, before it could potentially become a new official sport.

Greg Villareal, the boys coach at Sandia, said the push would continue. The new season begins after basketball season ends.

Last season, there were 18 schools who had boys volleyball teams, a dozen of them in the metro area alone. The NMAA requires 10 percent of its schools (there are 160 member schools) to be participating in order for it to be eligible to gain status as an activity.

Villareal said it was not known how many teams would play this upcoming season in light of Thursday’s no-vote by the NMAA board.