The LAHS Boys Track & Field 2023 New Mexico State Champion Team! Photo by Blake Wood
By BLAKE WOOD
Assistant Coach
LAHS Track & Field
The LAHS Boys Track & Field team won their third straight Class 4A State Championship at UNM, Friday and Saturday, May 12-13! The Hilltopper Girls team were also State Champions for the third year in a row – see separate article for their results.
In a hard-fought battle with runner-up Albuquerque Academy, the Hilltoppers were behind for all of the first day of the two-day meet, taking the lead only mid-way through Saturday’s competition. In the end, the ‘Toppers accumulated 91 points to AA’s 73, with wins in the final three events.
Hilltopper junior Melaki Gutierrez was Class 4A Boys high point athlete of the meet, accumulating 23 points with wins in the 100 m and 200 m, the latter in a new LAHS school record time of 21.31 seconds. Gutierrez also took 2nd in the long jump and anchored the winning 4×200 relay (with teammates Daniel Kim, Julian Singell, and Lyas Eidenbenz) and the 3rd place 4×100 relay (with teammates Alex Pasulka, Singell, and Eidenbenz).
Other standout performers included junior Grafton Urbatsch, who won the 800 m in a time of 1:58.8 and anchored both the winning 1600 medley relay (with teammates Haiden Jorgenson, Rocco Quintana, and Eidenbenz) and the winning 4×400 relay (with teammates Pasulka, Kim, and Eidenbenz). Besides his service in the relays, junior Alex Pasulka placed 4th in the 400 m with a time of 49.00 seconds, the #2 all-time LAHS performance in that event, and was part of the 3rd place 4×800 relay with teammates Eddie Gartz, Andy Enriquez, and Beck Ellis, which posted the #4 all-time LAHS performance. Likewise, in addition to his relays, junior Daniel Kim placed 2nd in the 300 m hurdles and 4th in the 110 m hurdles. Sophomore Benjamin Sanchez placed 3rd in the 3200 m.
Junior Melaki Gutierrez wins the 200 m in an LAHS school record time of 21.13 seconds. Gutierrez also won the 100 m, placed 2nd in the long jump, and anchored the winning 4×200 relay and 3rd place 4×100 relay. With these performances, Gutierrez accumulated 23 points, becoming the Class 4A Boys high point athlete of the championship. Photo by Blake Wood
Junior Alex Pasulka completes the handoff to junior Daniel Kim in the winning 4×400 relay. Pasulka also posted the #2 all-time LAHS 400 m performance of 49.00 seconds and ran in the 3rd place 4×100 relay and 3rd place 4×800 m relay. Kim placed 2nd in the 300 m hurdles, 4th in the 110 m hurdles, and lead off the winning 4×200 m relay. Photo by Blake Wood
Junior Grafton Urbatsch anchors the winning 4×400 m relay. Urbatsch also won the 800 m and ran the 800 m anchor leg of the 1600 m sprint medley relay. Photo by Blake Wood