MANY MULTIPLE WINNERS ON MONDAY AT THE TRACK
Don’t know the name Jonah Vigil yet? You will by May. The Taos runner burned up the track at the Marilyn Sepulveda meet on Monday at the University of New Mexico track. The event is a meet involving kids of all classes. Vigil posted a meet record time of 46.99 in the 400m event. “That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen,” recalled track veteran Curtis Williams. Vigil was also the boys long jump winner with a leap of 22’10”.
Vigil wasn’t the only multiple event winner on Monday. Manzano’s Jordan Byrd swept the sprints winning the 100m (10.80) and 200m (22.29).
“It felt good,” said Byrd. “My start wasn’t too great, but it felt good to come out here and run because I didn’t run last week.”
Goddard’s Destiny Lawrence looked like she was out to prove something in the sprints as well taking first in the 100m (12.42) and 200m (26.09). Haley Rizek of St. Pius X proved she is one of the top track athletes in the state in any class. Rizek swept the hurdle events taking the 100m hurdles (15.02) and 300m hurdles (46.24). Rio Rancho’s Noah Fay also swept the hurdles with times of 14.90 in the 110m event and 39.56 in the 300m. Ciara Mackey of Hobbs won the long jump (17’10.5”) and the triple jump (37’2.25”).
“I feel like I’m getting better every day, but I’m not hitting that plateau and I’m getting better,” said Fay following his win.
One of the most exciting finishes of the meet was the girls 1600m race. Academy’s Zoe Hunter led most of the way but Miyamura’s Ashley Thomas overtook Hunter in the final 50 meters to cross the line first in a photo finish with a time of 5:19.78, edging out Hunter by a mere .08 seconds.
A finish not many people expected was the girls 800m race. Nicole Lawrence of Cibola passed Albuquerque High’s Alicia Meraz-Fishbein down the stretch to win the event clocking in at 2:15.27. Also out of the unexpected category, Cottonwood Classical’s Tyler Gibson took on all comers and beat them in the 800m race with a time of 1:58.75.
“It’s big, it’s scary,” explained Gibson after going up against 6A competitors. “It’s good competition and I love it. You just can’t shy away, you gotta go for it.”
Other girls winners include: Volcano Vista’s Jayln Mitchell in the 400m dash (58.24), Arianna Martinez of St. Pius X won the girls high jump (5’8”), Silver’s Aysia Salas took first in the shot put at just over 40 feet, Rebecca Green of Los Alamos is the discus winner (128’10”), Bailey Beene of Goddard took first in the javelin (132’9”), Farmington sophomore Kiara Quezada won the pole vault (10’6”) and Eldorado sophomore Jasmine Turtle-Morales ended the day with a victory in the 3200m race (11:46.77).
Other boys winners include: Jackson Kinney of Hobbs took first in the high jump (6’6”), Burgin Foster of Clovis went up and over 14 feet in the pole vault, Miguel Coca of West Las Vegas won the 1600m race (4:24,54), Academy’s Luca Jepsen won the triple jump (45’11”), the shot put title went to Michael Honigmann of Hobbs (52’7.25”), while the discus went to his teammate Dallin Moody (158’), Academy sophomore Teagun Glenn won the javelin by almost 14 feet (189’5”), and Patrick Colborn of Hobbs won the 3200m (9:56.58) crossing the finish line almost 15 seconds faster than anyone else.
