Maxwell’s Tristan Pierce was the defending NM State Class A champion in the 400, 800 and 1600 meter runs going into the 2023 NM State Track and Field Championships and the senior shrugged off the pressure and the competition to take the top step of the podium and win all three events again. Impressive in itself, but the senior took it over the top by setting three new records including shattering his own record in the 1600, by almost 9 seconds and logging a 433.71. Pierce’s 50.41 in the 400 shaved .21 off the old record and his 1:58.67 in the 800 meter was almost 2 seconds faster than anyone ever in the class A championships.
Pierce wasn’t the only one top top the podium from the North on May 5 and 6th in Albuquerque. Girls High jump champion Valeria Balderrama of Springer outjumped the field with a 4′ 10 inch effort and edged out Sylviana Baca of Roy with fewer misses. Northern NM jumpers earned 16 of the 22 points awarded in the event as Springer’s Abbigail Eppler finished fourth and Des Moines’ Cassidee Cruz was sixth, while Roy’s Dylan Clavel also competed in the finals finishing eighth. Balderrama also finished third in the Girls Triple Jump, just behind Cassidee Cruz from Des Moines, who was the runner-up with a jump of 32′ 8.75″. Cruz also competed in the Long Jump. Balderrama also finished a close second in the girls 400 meter finals which also saw Roy’s Natalie Smith and Maxwell’s D’Laney Petrini finish 6-7.
Freshman Ali Poling of Des Moines is the Class A State Pole Vault Champion at 8.0 feet and with fewer misses than four other vaulters from Melrose. Springer’s Olivia Burton earned he team a point with a sixth place finish and Cimarron’s Margarita Weir, an eighth grader, finished eight in the finals.
Running events for girls had Cimarron’s McKenna Sahd end her career with a win in the 3200 meter run with a 13:02.37 effort. Sahd also earned a second place medal in the girls 1600 meter run and a fourth place finish in the 800 meters. Springer’s Abigail Eppler finished 6th in the 800 meters and both Reagan Doherty of Mosquero and Freshman Olivia Burton of Springer have promising futures as Burton finished third in the 3200 m with a 13:09.98, and third in the 1600 meter while Doherty finished sixth in the 1600 meters.
Mosquero’s Tanna Crisp also ended her high school career with excellent efforts, finishing runner-up in both the 100 and 300 meter hurdles. She showed her speed by qualifying for both the 100 and 200 meter finals and her versatility also by finishing third in the Long Jump. Roy’s Sylviana Baca was 5th in the 100 meter hurdles and 3rd in the 300 meter hurdles.
The girls 4×800 relay team from Springer finished second in the finals with Ayanalisa Mendoza, Kyanna Rodriguez, Fatima Lovario and Valeria Balderrama passing the baton. Cimarron’s team of Aiyana Martinez, Elizabeth Ricklefs, Abigail Martinez and Elayna Cardenas just ahead of Des Moines team of Hayley Brown, Avery Taylor, Thalia Ortega and Angelica Cruz. Cruz is a sophomore, but is the veteran of the team as the other three are all 8th graders. The other Northern relay team was Cimarron’s 1600 Sprint Medley Team of Aiyana Martinez, Laraedo Martinez, Abigail Martinez and Elayna Cardenas which finished 5th.
Other qualifier/competitors from the North included Caitlyn Kenneke and Margarita Weir of Cimarron, Nora Crisp of Mosquero and Sophia DeHerrera from Roy.
In the Boys Class A results, sophomore Ayden Clavel of Roy won the Class A Javelin Throw with a heave of 156′ 11″. Cimarron’s Carlos Coca finished fourth.
In the Shot Put, Cimarron’s Angelo Guster was state runner-up with a 41′ 9″ effort.
Springer’s Devon Tafoya finished as runner-up in the 3200 meter run, while Cimarron teammates Joseph Gonzales and Max Gallegos finished in the top ten.
Cimarron’s John Grasmick finished second in the long Jump with a 20’7.25 “and qualifed for both the 100 and 200 meter finals, and was sixth in the Pole Vault, finishing just ahead of teammate Logan Sahd. Roy’s Jackson Fudge earned points by finishing fifth in the Long Jump while Caleb Sumpter of Des Moines was eighth.
In the boys Class A Relays: Boys 4×200 Meter Relay A
1 Logan High School 1:35.65 10
2 Fort Sumner High School 1:36.89 8
3 Melrose High School 1:37.77 6
4 Animas High School 1:40.09 4
5 Des Moines High School 1:40.40 – 1) Destry Sumpter 9 2) Kayle Roark 11 3) Calder Green 11 4) Caleb Sumpter 11.
Boys 4×400 Meter Relay A
1 Magdalena High School 3:34.56 10
2 Legacy Academy 3:37.46 8
3 Logan High School 3:39.69 6
4 Melrose High School 3:40.66 4
5 Fort Sumner High School 3:44.74 2
6 Cimarron High School 3:47.05 1
1) Joaquin Alcon 11- 2) Logan Sahd 9 – 3) Carlos Coca 10- 4) John Grassmick 12
Boys 4×800 Meter Relay A
1 Oak Grove Classical Academy 8:46.60 10
2 Cimarron High School 9:11.17 8
1) Max Gallegos 11 2) Joaquin Alcon 11
3) Joseph Gonzales 12 4) Carlos Coca 10
3 Legacy Academy 9:13.41 6
4 Fort Sumner High School 9:14.96 4
5 Logan High School 9:18.86 2
10 Maxwell High School 9:48.57
1) Kadan Criswell 11 2) Colten Lopez 10
3) Terrance Gallegos 9 4) Orren Floyd 12
11 Cliff High School 10:16.87
12 Gateway Christian High School 10:21.76
13 Des Moines High School 11:32.75
1) Zach Redd 9 2) Bradin Mangelsdorf 8
3) Joshua VanBuskirk 8 4) Cash Green 8
Boys 1600 Sprint Medley A
1 Logan High School 3:56.60 10
2 Fort Sumner High School 3:57.68 8
3 Melrose High School 3:58.43 6
4 Legacy Academy 4:00.10 4
5 Cliff High School 4:00.11 2
6 Mountainair High School 4:02.28 1
7 Magdalena High School 4:02.99ra 10
8 Maxwell High School 4:10.30
1) Kadan Criswell 11 2) Colten Lopez 10
3) Terrance Gallegos 9 4) Orren Floyd 12
Raton Track and Field qualified three for the AAA Championships and
Boys High Jump 3A
1 Cole Sandoval 10 St. Michael’ 5-10.00
2 Anderson Weese 12 Raton High School 5-08.00
Girls 100 Meter Dash 3A
1 Rebekah Bagwell 11 St. Michael’ 12.91
2 Bayler Pritchett 10 Ruidoso High School 12.96
3 Tamra Fowler 11 Socorro High School 13.11
4 Reyna Marquez 11 Raton High School 13.17
Girls 200 Meter Dash 3A
1 Rebekah Bagwell 11 St. Michael’ 26.45
2 Reyna Marquez 11 Raton High School 27.23
3 Bayler Pritchett 10 Ruidoso High School 27.35
Girls 1600 Meter Run 3A
1 Raylee Hunt 10 St. Michael’ 5:12.33 7
2 Kate Henderson 10 Sandia Prep 5:17.71 5
3 Shania Chavez 12 Zuni High School 5:34.14 4
4 Nicole Tsosie 11 Navajo Prep 5:39.14 3
5 Savannah Bingham 8 Cottonwood C 5:40.49 2
6 Sophie Bair 9 Santa Fe Prep 5:45.49 1
7 Sophia Lopez 12 Cottonwood C 5:49.39
8 Isabel Fernandez 10 Sandia Prep 5:53.43
9 Ellie Musolf 9 St. Michael’ 6:03.23
10 Kalynn Salazar 8 Raton High School 6:06.47
2023 NMAA State Track & Field Championships
Class A, Girls
UNM Track & Field Complex
Team Rankings – Through Event 122
Female Team Scores – 1 A Division
Pos School Points Pos School Points
1 Melrose High School 95 – 2 Logan High School 61
3 Legacy Academy 53 – 4 Springer High School 37
5 Fort Sumner High School 36 – 6 Gateway Christian High Sc 32
7 Chesterton Academy 23 – 8 Mountainair High School 22
9 Cimarron High School 17 -10 Jemez Valley High School 15
10 Mosquero High School 15 – 12 Roy High School 13
12 Des Moines High School 13 – 14 Dora High School 12
15 Elida High School 7 15 Quemado High School 7
15 Carrizozo High School 7 18 Animas High School 6
19 Oak Grove Classical Acade 4 19 Ramah High School 4
21 Santa Fe Waldorf School 3 22 Magdalena High School 2
23 Cliff High School 1
2023 NMAA State Track & Field Championships
Class A, Boys
UNM Track & Field Complex
Team Rankings – Through Event 122
Male Team Scores – 1 A Division
Pos School Points Pos School Points
1 Logan High School 93 – 2 Melrose High School 74.50
3 Fort Sumner High School 62 – 4 Magdalena High School 54
5 Oak Grove Classical Acade 40 – 6 Cimarron High School 33
7 Legacy Academy 28 – 8 Maxwell High School 21
9 Cliff High School 14 -10 Animas High School 10
10 Springer High School 10 – 12 Roy High School 9
13 Des Moines High School 8.50 – 14 NM School for the Deaf 6
14 Dora High School 6 – 16 Floyd High School 4
17 Reserve High School 3 -18 House High School 2
18 Elida High School 2 – 18 Hozho Academy 2
21 Mountainair High School 1 – 21 Carrizozo High School 1
21 Pine Hill High School 1
