Streaks grow and records shatter at state track and field championships

There was a fair bit of team suspense near the end of Saturday’s Class 5A/4A state track and field meet.

Consider the Rio Rancho girls, who trailed Eldorado by two points entering the meet’s final event, the 4x400-meter relay, at the University of New Mexico complex. The Rams placed third, the Eagles hadn’t qualified for the final, and Rio Rancho overtook Eldorado (these two tied for first a year ago) to win the Class 5A championship by scant four points, 56-52.

There was also the incredibly bizarre sight of Albuquerque Academy’s boys rooting FOR rival Los Alamos in the 4x400.

Artesia trailed the Chargers by 7½ points, and if the Bulldogs had placed second or better in the 4x400, Academy — which was DQ’d in this event Friday in prelims — would have fallen by a single point. So the Academy athletes and fans were rooting hard for Los Alamos to overtake Artesia (which was briefly running second) down the stretch. The Hilltoppers did exactly that, and the Bulldogs finished fourth in the event.

Thus, the Chargers’ 74½ points earned them a blue trophy, with Artesia (71) second overall.

Cleveland’s boys, as much a juggernaut as any boys or girls team in the state, won an unprecedented ninth straight state title in this sport. This one was fairly close; the Storm won it with 73 points, with Organ Mountain — led by force-of-nature distance runner Corbin Coombs — second with 64 points.

The Los Alamos girls scored 111 points to win 4A, with Academy nine points behind.

Individually, there were a few state records established, from athletes near and far.

Arguably the most impressive individual performance of the day came from Portales senior Manny Chavez, who set New Mexico’s overall state record in the javelin with a magnificent throw — his final attempt of the event — of 211 feet, 10 inches. None of his other throws Saturday had even reached 200 feet.

“My last throw of my high school career. I just let it go,” Chavez said. “I didn’t think it was gonna go that far.”

The overall state record was 207-6, set in 2005 by Highland’s Anthony Fairbanks.

Grant Vlaun of La Cueva captivated the crowd with his attempt to break the state’s overall pole vault record, 17-1½ by Bloomfield’s Mario Sategna in 1991. Vlaun didn’t quite make that, but he did set the 5A record by finishing at 16-6, matching his best mark from the regular season.

“I’m very proud, very happy, all my teammates as well, we all progressed a foot or two since we started this season,” he said.

Coombs completed the distance sweep on Saturday, outdueling Rio Rancho’s Charlie Vause in first the 800 and then later the 1,600, with Coombs’ incredible last-lap kick serving him well in both races. He also won the 3,200 on Friday.

Coombs, headed to Wake Forest, broke the state record in the 800, finishing in 1:50.33. Vause (1:52.53) also was lower than the existing state record. Coombs ran 4:13.76 to win the 1,600, with BYU-bound Vause next (4:15.24).

Senior Kaselle Davis of Las Cruces High, perhaps 5A’s most versatile girls track and field athlete, and who has already signed to compete for Indiana, scored more points (26) than any girl in the 5A meet. She won the high jump (5-6) and also the 400 (56.07) and 200 (25.37), and she was a close second in the 100, where Hobbs’ Faith Vine let out a scream as she hit the finish line just ahead of Davis (12.28-12.40).

“I just wanted to go out with a bang, and win some state titles,” Davis said. “I finished my senior year off strong and now I’m ready for the next level.”

Albuquerque Academy’s gifted sophomore, Grace Erinle, who was the high-point female athlete at both her home Harper meet and also the Albuquerque metros, had another terrific meet. Pretty much a perfect 4A meet, in fact. She won the long jump Friday, then added first-place finishes Saturday in the triple jump (38-3½), plus the 100 and 200 (25.21). With her leg in the winning 4x100-meter relay, Erinle compiled a meet-best 30.5 points. Her Saturday included a state record time of 12.00 seconds in the 100.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” she said of her overall meet, smiling. “I just worked really hard for this. … It just shows my progress. I’ve come out really strong at the end.”

La Cueva’s Tanner Montaño, fresh off his state record-tying long jump efforts on Friday, added plenty more points Saturday and was the 5A high-point athlete with 22 points.

In a thrilling duel in the 5A 100, Montaño out-leaned Santa Fe’s speedster Bryce Melton to win 10.77-10.80. Earlier, it was Melton who edged Montaño in the final leg of the 4x100 relay, a race the Demons won. Montaño also placed third in the open 200.

Grants’ Laila Martinez took the 800-meter title in 4A with a state record time of 2:13.65. Runner-up Addison Julian of Academy also broke the record; she was second in 2:14.14.

Academy’s Nicholas Ponte, who captured the 3,200-meter crown Friday, added the 1,600 on Saturday, a time of 4:24.38.

Colette Bibeault of Los Alamos had a great Saturday; she won the 4A pole vault (11-7) and 300-meter intermediate hurdles (44.37), and she ran a very close second to Artesia’s Hattie Harrison in a terrific finish to the 100-meter high hurdles final in which both broke the existing state record. Harrison finished in 14.77 seconds, Bibeault in 14.84. Bibeault also was runner-up to Erinle in the triple jump.

Cleveland’s Morgan James, as she has been all spring, was the top hurdler in 5A. She swept the 100- (14.91) and 300-meter hurdles (44.39).

Valin Wittenburg of Santa Fe, who set a state record in the 400 in prelims on Friday, cruised to victory in the final on Saturday; his 46.42 seconds was another state record.

In 4A, Bryan Thomas of St. Pius was the 400-meter champion (47.82), the 200-meter champion (22.19) and he ran second to Sartans teammate Hershul Olloway Jr. in the 100-meter final, which Olloway won in 10.96 seconds.

“I’m feeling really good,” said Thomas, who was the 4A boys high-point athlete with 21.5 points. “I’m super happy with my performance.”

From the metro area, other individual event winners on Saturday were Adelyn Harper of Albuquerque High in the 800 (2:17.81), Breylon Williams of Hope Christian in the 4A 300 hurdles (38.58), Brennan Nelson of Volcano Vista in the 5A javelin (172-10), Elliott Hickey of Academy in the 800 (1:58.60), Sophia Cox of Belen in the girls’ 400 (57.01), and Presley Edwards of Moriarty in the 4A girls javelin (128-4).

Gianna Rahmer of Eldorado had another monster showing as she won the 1,600 (4:55.17) in the last individual race of the meet. Anna Hastings of Academy won the 4A 1,600.

One of the shocks of the day was the fate of Albuquerque High 110-meter hurdles specialist Kaden Andrus, who has been dominating his rivals this season. Andrus clipped a hurdle late in the race, which appeared to throw off his timing, and in fact he ended up pushing over the final hurdle with his hands, which resulted in an automatic disqualification. He covered his face with his hands in disappointment after the race.

4A/5A State Track and Field Championships: Photos