The Class 4A State Runner-Up Hilltopper Girls Track & Field Team and coaches! Courtesy photo

Sarah Martis was State Champion in the discus, with a throw of 126′ 3″. Photo by Blake Wood

By BLAKE WOOD
Assistant Coach
LAHS Track and Field

Carried by many excellent individual and relay performances, the Hilltopper Girls Track & Field team finished in the runner-up position at the Class 4A State Championship at the UNM track on Friday and Saturday, May 15-16.  The Girls competition was dominated by a strong Albuquerque Academy team which accumulated 127 points to the ‘Topper’s 90 points. 

The Hilltopper Boys team came oh-so-close to getting onto the podium, finishing with 59 points, a single point behind Silver (60), with Albuquerque Academy (91) and Artesia (74.5) taking the top two trophies.  However, like the Girls, the Boys produced some spectacular individual and relay marks.

Individual State Champions included Hilltoppers Sarah Martis, who threw the discus 126’3″, Patrick Montoya, who leaped 6’2″ in the high jump, and Jens Wald-Hopkins, who ran the 400 m in a new LAHS School Record of 47.84 seconds.

Winning Hilltopper Girls relay teams included 4×200 m team of Margaret Steinkamp, Chloe Coffey, Jayden Burns, and Evangelina Gutierrez, who set a new State Meet Record of 1:41.44, and the 4×800 m team of Grace Montoya, Ensley Jorgenson, Emmeline Keller-Moore, and Elisabeth McNiff, who set a new State Meet Record of 9:40.86, a time which was also the #2 all-time LAHS mark.  The team of Zoe Romero, Maliyah Vigil, Chloe Coffey, and Jayden Burns won the 4×400 m relay in a time of 4:01.13, which was the #2 all-time LAHS mark.

The Boys 4×800 m relay team of Kaj Maupin, Koen Christensen, Cole Luscher, and Gus Ovaska placed 3rd, setting a new LAHS School Record with their time of 8:06.06.

Runners-up included Elisabeth McNiff in the 1600 m (5:10.68, a new LAHS Freshman School Record and #3 all-time LAHS mark), Iris Purtzer in the high jump (5’4″), Jayden Burns in the 400 m (57.49), the Girls 4×100 m relay team of Margaret Steinkamp, Jayden Burns, Chloe Coffey, and Evangelina Gutierrez (48.13, #5 all-time LAHS mark), the Girls 1600 medley relay team of Jayden Krupp, Iris Purtzer, Zoe Romero, and Grace Montoya (4:15.88, #4 all-time LAHS mark), the Boys 4×100 m relay team of Chris Teague, Rylee Gramer, Jacob Hilderbrand, and Ewan Arnold (42.30, #3 all-time LAHS mark), and the Boys 1600 medley relay team of Ewan Arnold, Chris Teague, Jacob Hilderbrand, and Gus Ovaska (3:36.03, #7 all-time LAHS mark).

Additional Hilltopper athletes getting onto the award podium included Evangelina Gutierrez in the 100 m (3rd) and 200 m (3rd), Gus Ovaska in the 400 m (3rd), Raina Passalacqua in the 100 m hurdles (3rd) and 300 m hurdles (4th), Jens Wald-Hopkins and Rylee Gramer in the 100 m (4th and 5th) and in the 200 m (3rd and 6th), Elisabeth McNiff and Grace Montoya in the 3200 m (4th and 5th), Koen Christensen in the 1600 m (6th) and 3200 m (5th), Connor Lattimore in the 110 m hurdles (6th) and 300 m hurdles (6th), Ensley Jorgenson in the 1600 m (6th), Ariana Galvez in the pole vault (6th), and the Boys 4×400 relay team of Patrick Montoya, Jacob Hilderbrand, Ewan Arnold, and Jens Wald-Hopkins (4th), 

The Hilltopper Track & Field teams are coached by Head Coaches Steven Montoya (Boys) and Ernest Martinez (Girls), and Assistant Coaches Daniel Dunning (sprints), Amber Coffey (sprints), Lindsey Montoya (distance), Grant Martin (distance), Blake Wood (distance), Christie Kelly (high jump), Adam Paz (horizontal jumps), Andrew Marshall (throws), Michael Brown (throws), and Terrell Calabaza (throws).

Patrick Montoya was State Champion in the high jump, clearing 6′ 2″. Photo by Blake Wood

Elisabeth McNiff leads teammate Emmeline Keller-Moore in the 1600 m.  McNiff placed 2nd in the event in a new LAHS Freshman Record of 5:10.68, also the #3 all-time LAHS performance.  Keller-Moore placed 7th in a time of 5:31.94. Photo by Blake Wood

Jens Wald-Hopkins was State Champion in the 400 m in a new LAHS School Record of 47.84 seconds. Photo by Blake Wood

Chloe Coffey hands the baton to Jayden Burns in the 4×200 m relay.  With teammates Margaret Steinkamp and Evangelina Gutierrez, the Hilltoppers set a new Class 4A State Meet Record of 1:41.44. Photo by Blake Wood

Chris Teague completes the handoff to Rylee Gramer in the 4×100 m relay.  With teammates Jacob Hilderbrand and Ewan Arnold, the Hilltoppers placed 2nd in a time of 42.30, the #3 all-time LAHS mark in this event. Photo by Blake Wood