The 2022 State Champion Hilltopper Girls Track & Field Team! Photo by Blake Wood

Junior Zorah Fullop completes the handoff to senior Norissa Valdez in the 4×800 m relay, which set a new state record. Photo by Blake Wood

Senior Holly Sanchez completes the handoff to sophomore Meredith Brown in the state champion 4×100 m relay. Photo by Blake Wood

By BLAKE WOOD
Hilltopper T&F

The Hilltopper Girls Track & Field team dominated the 2022 New Mexico State Championship Friday and Saturday, May 13-14, winning every individual running event, every relay, and placing highly in the several of the jumping and throwing events.

They accumulated 165 points to runner-up Albuquerque Academy’s 63 points. The ‘Topper Boys were also State Champions – see accompanying article.

Rather than run up the score even higher, Head Coach Ernest Martinez appeared to favor keeping some of his athletes fresh enough to attack several state and school records. In this, he was very successful: the team of Nyla Lee, Syana Sanchez, Allie Holland, and Angelina Passalacqua broke the 4×200 relay state record in the prelims on Friday, and then broke it again in the finals on Saturday, with a time of 1:43.44.

The team of Hailey McDowell, Zorah Fullop, Norissa Valdez, and Emma Montoya set a new 4×800 relay state record with a time of 9:58.95.  Finally, the team of Allie Holland, Norissa Valdez, Anna Wetteland, and Angelina Passalacqua broke the LAHS school record in the 4×400 relay, with a time of 4:01.16.

Sophomore Angelina Passalacqua was honored as Class 4A high point athlete, accumulating 23 points by winning the 100 m hurdles, 300 m hurdles, placing 3rd in the long jump, and anchoring the winning 4×200 and 4×400 relay teams. 

It is a testament to the ‘Topper Girls domination of the meet that the high point runner-up was freshman Allie Holland who accumulated 22 points by winning the long jump, placing 2nd in the 100 m and 200 m, and running in the winning 4×200 and 4×400 relays. Close behind was junior Nyla Lee, who won the 100 m and 200 m, and ran in the winning 4×100 and 4×200 m relays.

Individual State Champions included:

Nyla Lee, 100 m and 200 m.

Anna Wetteland, 400 m.

Delany Ulrich, 800 m and 3200 m.

Emma Montoya, 1600 m.

Angelina Passalacqua, 100 m hurdles and 300 m hurdles.

Allie Holland, long jump.

Relay team State Champions included:

4×100 m:  Kayli Lincoln (prelim), Syana Sanchez (final), Holly Sanchez, Meredith Brown, and Nyla Lee.

4×200 m: Nyla Lee, Syana Sanchez, Allie Holland, and Angelina Passalacqua. New State Record.

4×400 m: Norissa Valdez, Colette Bibeault (prelim), Allie Holland (final), Anna Wetteland, and Angelina Passalacqua. New LAHS School Record.

4×800 m: Hailey McDowell, Zorah Fullop, Norissa Valdez, and Emma Montoya.  New State Record.

1600 sprint medley relay: Kayli Lincoln, Carley Holland, Jorda Tucker, Hailey McDowell (prelim), and Delany Ulrich (final).

In addition, Colette Bibeault placed 2nd in the pole vault, Kayli Lincoln placed 2nd in the triple jump, and Sara Tompkins placed 3rd in the discus.

Full results can be found at https://www.nmact.org/file/2022_4A5A_Track_Results.pdf 

Freshman Colette Bibeault placed 2nd in the pole vault with a leap of 10′. Photo by Blake Wood

Junior Emma Montoya finishes narrowly ahead of Albuquerque Academy’s Katie Patton to win the 1600 m in a time of 5:19.47. Photo by Blake Wood

Senior Jorda Tucker runs the 400 m leg of the state champion 1600 m sprint medley relay. Photo by Blake Wood

Sophomore Anna Wetteland runs in the state champion 4×400 m relay, which set a new LAHS school record. Anna was also individual state champion in the 400 m, in a time of 58.50 seconds. Photo by Blake Wood