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Santa Fe Indian School senior Michael Tenorio, state 4A cross country champion, decides on attending Bacone College in Muskogee, Okla., after five years of running for the Braves
He will be out to add another state title at the track and field championships run at UNM May 12-13
By Arnie Leshin | May 5, 2017
Some things you don’t forget.
It was a sunny Saturday morning in October 3rd of 2013 at the John Grimley Cross Country Memorial hosted by Santa Fe Indian School at Cohiti. It was the finish of the boy’s run and it looked like a neat story when Myron Tenorio ran fifth and Michael Tenorio sixth as the Braves’ first runners.
What looked like a brother versus brother story didn’t happen. Myron was a senior, Michael a freshman, and they weren’t related, just shared the same family name and the same height of 5-feet-5.
Heard that from Myron. So I figured the younger Tenorio still deserved some space.
Michael was in his second season running XC. He spoke of how he wanted to someday be state champion, how he loved to run, and how much he wanted to do the same in college.
Well, that time has come. He was state 4A champion for the first time back in November. And now as he heads into the stretch run of track and field and in quest of yet another title, he has made his choice of college after several schools recruited him.
Founded in 1880 as Indian University, he will take his talents to Bacone College, a four-year private Division I NAIA liberal arts school in Muskogee, Okla. It’s pronounced “Bacon”.
“I’m happy for my decision,” he said. “I know the head coach, Clay Mays, from when he was in this area, and, even though I’ve yet to visit the school, I look forward to it.”
He will see familiar faces there. On the current roster is sophomore Levi Shawnvan who ran for Shiprock High, and freshman Keenan Nez, who ran for Navajo Pine. Tenorio ran against both of them.
“I thought about the other schools that recruited me,” he said, “one of which was Adams State, but I decided that I’d be better off at Bacone. It has a good record in track and field and cross country and I hope to add to it.”
Injuries have hurt Tenorio through the years, but at the past XC campaign, he came on real strong in the meets preceding the state championships at Rio Rancho High. He was taking the lead early to avoid crowds that once slowed him down, and finishing with a burst to leave the field on his heels.
It worked there, it worked at state. He entered the stadium all alone, winning by the length of it, and was finally able to celebrate after years of coming in behind tough fields. But this one belonged to him.
Now he sets his sights on the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 at the state championships run at the University of New Mexico on May 12-13.
He’s coming back from a knee cap injury that limited his running. In Monday’s Santa Fe Indian School Invite, he ran the 1,600 for the first time in about a month. He won with a late kick, but was happy to finally compete.
“I tightened up in the last lap,” he said, “but found enough to get past the runner from Espanola (Daylon Garcia) after a close race. Now I have to loosen up for the relays.”
So he became the anchor leg for the 4 x 400 and 1,600 sprint medley, with the sprint quartet taking first and the 4 x 400 second.
“He’s my best 400 runner,” said Braves’ head coach Joe Calabaza, “and we’re still trying to qualify for state in both relays, so I’m glad he’s running again.”
Tenorio figures his best shot at winning state would be in the 1,600. He said it’s quite a difference running over hills and running on a track, so you can’t compare being stronger in cross country.
It’s been five years of high school competition winding down, and he now has a chance to continue on in college, something he has thought of since that day in 2013 as a freshman.
At Bacone, he will be wearing the red and blue colors of the Warriors, and the Braves will be losing a true warrior.
As for “Bacon”, his favorite is macaroni and cheese, which they’re sure to have in Oklahoma.
