Elisabeth McNiff and Emmeline Keller-Moore finished 1st and 3rd in the 800 m at Bernalillo. Elisabeth’s time of 2:27.18 qualified her for the state championship in this event. Photo by Blake Wood
Arianna Galvez vaulted 9’6″ at Bernalillo to qualify for the state championship. She finished 2nd in this event. Photo by Blake Wood
By BLAKE WOOD
Assistant Coach
LAHS Track and Field
The LAHS Track & Field Varsity teams traveled to Chandler, Ariz., to compete in the competitive Brooks Chandler Rotary Invitational on Friday and Saturday, March 20-21, and were not disappointed (well, maybe disappointed with the weather – it was 105F!)
Despite the heat, Boys came home with many season bests, PR’s, and new state championship qualifying marks. Kaj Maupin and Koen Christensen both qualified for state in the 3200m with times of 9:52.5 and 10:00.7, respectively. Gus Ovaska qualified for state in both the 400m and 800m with times of 51.01 and 2:00.25, respectively. Pat Montoya qualified for state in the high jump with a current Class 4A leading jump of 6’2”. Cole Luscher ran career PRs in the 1600m (4:39.92) and the 3200m (10:15.98). Connor Lattimore ran the 300m hurdles in 41.62 seconds, currently the leading class 4A performance.
The Girls also excelled in Chandler. State qualifying performances were achieved by Evangelina Gutierrez in the 100m (12.70), Jayden Burns in both the 200m (26.27) and 400m (58.73), Elisabeth McNiff in both the 1600m (5:25.60) and 3200m (11:29.21, the #9 all-time LAHS performance!), Ensley Jorgenson in both the 1600m (5:26.57) and 3200m (11:38.12), and Iris Purtzer in the high jump (5’1″).
On Thursday, March 26, the ‘Topper runners, jumpers, and throwers competed in the Bernalillo Relays. The Girls won the meet with 120.7 points, over Rio Rancho (94.2 points) and Class 4A rival Albuquerque Academy (89.9 points). The Boys finished in 3rd place, behind Rio Rancho and Academy.
State qualifying performances included Evangelina Gutierrez in the 100m (12.40), Jayden Burns in the 400m (57.61, 1st place and the #3 LAHS all-time performance!), Elisabeth McNiff in the 800m (1st place, 2:27.18), Raina Passalacqua in the 100m hurdles (16.37), Arianna Galvez in the pole vault (9’6″), Iris Purtzer in the high jump (a 5-way tie for 1st at 5′), Sarah Martis in the discus (1st place, 112’1″), the 4x100m relay team of Raina Passalacqua, Jayden Burns, Chloe Coffey, and Evangelina Gutierrez (49.25), the 4x200m relay team of Margaret Steinkamp, Zoe Romero, Chloe Coffey, and Evangelina Gutierrez (1:46.15), and the 4x400m relay team of Zoe Romero, Margaret Steinkamp, Chloe Coffey, and Jayden Burns (1st place, 4:04.87).
For the Boys, Rylee Gramer won three events: the 100m (11.26, just 0.01 shy of state qualifying), the 200m (23.35), and the triple jump (40’10.5″). The 4x800m relay team of Kaj Maupin, Cole Luscher, William Hudlemeyer, and Gus Ovaska not only won the event (the first time they have competed it this season), but achieved a state qualifying time of 8:32.15. Jacob Hilderbrand won the 400m with a time of 52.92.
Next, the Hilltopper Varsity athletes compete in the Cleveland Storm Relays on Friday, April 10, followed by Marilyn Sepulveda Meet of Champions at UNM on Monday, April 13.
Tyven Beaux, right, and Colton Berg finished 3rd and 5th, respectively, in the 110m hurdles at Bernalillo. Photo by Blake Wood
Rylee Gramer won the triple jump at Bernalillo with a leap of 40’10.5″. Photo by Blake Wood
Sarah Martis won the discus at Bernalillo with a state qualifying throw of 112’1″. Photo by Blake Wood
William Gartz and Andres Torres-Quintana ran 54.45 and 56.87, respectively, in the 400m. Photo by Blake Wood