Versatile Santa Fe Prep junior Hayden Colfax is already off to the races, qualifying for the 3A state championships in four events at the Jemez Valley Warrior Invitational

By Arnie Leshin 

It didn’t take long for Santa Fe Prep junior Hayden Colfax and senior Sam Sparks to qualify for the state 3A track and field championships.

 

And not just one event, but four for Colfax and a pair for Sparks at the Jemez Valley Warrior Invitational. So it was no surprise that both were named the meet’s respective high point athletes, with Colfax picking up 28 points based on first places.

 

Both are no doubt versatile, and both have tested the waters before this. Colfax first competed at state while in the 8th grade and picked up points in the 100 and 300 hurdles, as well as placing in the triple jump and high jump.

 

As a freshman, she won her initial state championship by finishing first in the 100 meter hurdles in 16:48. She was runner-up in the high jump and long jump, fourth in the 300 hurdles, and ran second leg on the third place 4 x 400 relay team. The Griffins scored 54 points for second place.

 

But last year, Colfax and company led Prep to the team title with 74 points. Hayden’s contribution was a first in the triple jump at 34-11, a first in the 100 hurdles in 15.76, a third in the 300 hurdles in 47.40, and a fourth in the high jump at 4-10.HH​

 

So, at this point, and still with two more state championships, she has stood a-top the podium in the triple jump and the 100 hurdles. She’s placed second in the high jump, long jump, and third in the 300 hurdles.

 

At this early meet at Jemez Valley, she qualified for state by winning the triple jump, the high jump, and the 100 and 300 hurdles. Her time of 15.54 in the 100 hurdles was a school record.

 

The other winner for the Griffins was Blake Trevisani in the long jump, while Sophie Addison and Taylor Lincoln ran second in the 3,200 and 100 dash, respectively, the 4 x 200 relay quartet was also runner-up, and fifth place went to Fionnuala Moore.