Santa Fe High junior Judith Allison continues her step forward in winning the 300 hurdles Saturday

Santa Fe High junior Judith Allison continues her step forward in winning the 300 hurdles Saturday at the annual Capital City Track and Field Invitational in nasty weather at Santa Fe High. Despite the elements, 16 schools took to the oval, the  jumps, and the throws, to offset the cold, windy weather

By Arnie Leshin 

The weather was nasty, temperatures were in the 40s and the wind felt like it was raising a storm.

That was bad, but not bad enough to disappoint the 16 schools that showed up at Santa Fe High Saturday for the annual Capital City track and field Invitational.

Elements aside, it was a neat event put together by the athletes, coaches and officials. The show went on and there were quite a number of impressive performances by both the girls and boys in what was the last of the three-straight track and field meets in Santa Fe this season.

Ladies first, and Santa Fe High junior Judith Allison is one of the brightest stars on the track this season.

She has improved so much that she’s won back-to-back 300 hurdles, last week at the Jaguar Invitational at Capital over Santa Fe Prep sophomore Hayden Colfax, and Saturday ahead of St. Michael’s junior Claire Lee, and Allison’s time of 48.99 is thisclose to the state qualifying standard of 49 seconds.

Twice, last week and this week, she settled for second place in the 100 hurdles, runner-up to Colfax at the Jaguar, and the same on this day versus Taos junior Abigail Guenther. The Tiger ran 18:14 and Allison 18:41. Her two older sisters, and one older brother, ran for Santa Fe High, and her sister, Rue, a senior, is on this team. It’s always been a running family.

St. Michael’s senior Lauren Chafins, whose top race is the 400, dashed only the 100 and 200, winning the 200 in 27:36 and bettering the state qualifying mark of 27:60, while Capital senior Skylar Madrid sped second in 27:80.

Chafins ran third in the 100 in 13:30, losing the second spot after a photo finish, and junior Taylor Lincoln of Prep was next in 13:46. The qualifying standard in 4A is 13:20 for the century.

Demonettes senior Daisy Gephart, one of several daises competing here, came in fifth in the both the 1,600 and 3,200, and it is difficult to run both on the same day.  

The Lady Horsemen, who finished third in the team scoring, also picked up a victory from sophomore Daisy Smith in the 800. She clocked 2:30.66. And they also won the 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 relays. The 4 x 400 went to Santa Fe High and the sprint medley to Santa Fe Prep.

The Demonettes’ quartet was made up Judith Allison, freshman Amber Lujan, sophomore Maya Holder, and senior Rue Allison. The Griffins ran with Taylor Lincoln, senior Samantha Wilson, Hayden Colfax, and freshman Chelsea Criscom.