Saturday’s state 3A Track and Field championships at the University of New Mexico complex will have a cast of quality athletes

With all due respects to the St. Michael’s and Santa Fe Prep boys competing in Saturday’s state 3A track and field championships at the University of New Mexico complex, there are four gifted girls from both schools who will be there.

Not only will they be there, but three of them have qualified for five events not including the relays, and one who qualified in four events.

The one is up-and-coming Prep freshman Emery Kurth, the daughter of the school’s athletic director, Todd Kurth, who is in her initial time in this sport.

She might not win any of them on this day, but the way she had been performing so well and having fun, she will be collecting many medals. In her first state meet, she has qualified for the long jump, the triple jump, the high jump, and the 300 meter hurdles. She doesn’t have the best of times or jumps, but she will learn by these appearances.

Then there’s her junior teammate, Isabel Voinescu coming off winning the recent state single tennis championship, and a threat in four of her events. She has the fastest qualifying times in the 100 of 12.97, in the triple jump with a best of 33-11.50, a second-fastest of 27.15 in the 200,  No. 2 by going 16-08 in the long jump, and In the javelin, she’s among the top seven, plus she will also race in the relays.

She’s no double a bundle of versatility with the sprints, jumps and throws.

From St. Michael’s, there’s junior Jacque Gorman, who arrives at state following a splendid outdoor season. She has qualified as second-best in the triple jump at 33-09, No. 2 in the 100 meter hurdles with a best time of 17.54, and tied for third-best in the high jump at 5-feet, and in the pole vault by going up and over at 8-feet. In the 300 meter hurdles, she’s among the top six.

In the triple jump, she has Voinescu to contend with, in the shorter hurdles, she goes against Socorro junior Kilee Monoyo, in the high jump there’s two others who have gone over at 5-2, and in the pole vault, Dexter junior Nameli Cobos has gone up and over at 10-feet, and in the 200 meters, Cobos also the fastest time of 26.84 that Voinescu will have to deal with.

Last but certainly not least is the youngest of the four, Lady Horsemen 8th-grader, 14-year-old Raylee Hunt, who has already proven her skills in running middle distances, long distances, the triple jump, and the longer hurdles.

After winning three-straight cross country races against quality competition, she finished with the second-best time at state in placing behind Cottonwood Classical Prep junior Alyx Mastor in the cross country final. Now she goes against Mastor again, for both have qualified for the 800, 1,600 and 3,200.

In the 800, Hunt has the fastest qualifying time of 2:23.26, and the same in the 1,600 by turning in a time of 5:23.30, with Mastor second-best in both, but in the 3,200, her clocking of 11:55.21 is tops of the qualifiers, with Hunt second fastest in 11:58.94. In the 300 hurdles, Hunt has run a fourth-best 52.34.

Her sophomore sister, Logan, has also qualified in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 in her return to running after playing with with the state-championship soccer team.

Of the boys, Griffins’ junior Finn Coles is favored in the high jump after going over at 6-4, and he also goes in the long jump. Then there is sophomore teammate Nathan Asher having qualified in the 100, 200 and 400. And another sophomore, GB Davis, will race the 100 and 200 meters.

As for the St. Michael’s boys, junior Isaiah Salazar has qualified in the 110 hurdles, the 300 hurdles, and the triple jump. Fellow junior Daymon Lujan goes in the 110 hurdles, the 300, and throws the javelin. There’s also senior Lucas Montoya who has qualified for four events, and is expected to run the 400 and compete in the triple jump, long jump and high jump, and no doubt that’s a tough chore.

Both the girls and boys teams from each school are scheduled to pass the baton in the 4 x 100, 4 x 200, 4 x 400, 4 x 800, and sprint medley relay.

With the events limited for all, the final decisions will be made by the athletes and coaches on Saturday.

All the state championships are on separate days, 1A Thursday, 2A Friday and 3A Saturday. Next week, it will be Friday for 4A and Saturday for 5A.

The schedule will remain the same for all classes. The field events will start at 11 a.m. with Sessions 1, 2 and 3, and the running events will begin at 1 p.m. with pair of 15-minute breaks.

     The Qualifiers:

ST. MICHAEL’S GIRLS — 100 Meters, Senior GRACE SANDOVAL

                                          200 Meters. Senior MILENA KEENE

                                          400 Meters,  OLIVIA FARRAR

                                          800 Meters, 8th-Grader RAYLEE HUNT

                                         1,600 Meters, RAYLEE HUNT

                                         3,200 Meters, RAYLEE HUNT

                                         100 Meter Hurdles, Junior JACQUE GORMAN

                                         Long Jump, Junior CLAIRE PATTEN

                  The Relays, 4 x 100, 4 x 200, 4 x 400, 4 x 800, Sprint Medley

                       —————————————————————————–

SANTA FE PREP GIRLS — 100 Meters, 8th-Grader DAHLIA REYES,-                                                                                                      NEWELL

                                             100 Meters, Junior ISABEL VOINESCU

                                             400 Meters, KATHERINE BLAIR

                                             800 Meters, 8th-Grader HELEN DESMOND

                                            1,600 Meters, HELEN DESMOND

                                        300 Meter Hurdles, Freshman EMERY KURTH

 ST. MICHAEL’S BOYS — 100 Meters, Junior DIEGO ATMENDARIZ

                                          100 Meters, Senior ROBBI CHIANESE

                                          100 Meters, Sophomore DANIEL KUPCHO

                                          200 Meters, ROBBIE CHIANESE

                                          800 Meters, RYAN KUHN

                                          800 Meters, Senior DILLON GOODWIN

                                          Long Jump, ROBBIE CHIANESE

                                         Triple Jump, Junior DEVIN FLORES

                                          High Jump, LUCAS MONTOYA

                                          High Jump, Junior LUCAS CORIZ

                                          Shot Put, Senior SANTIAGO MARTINEZ

                                                          Shot Put, Sophomore ANDY DANG

                                          Discus, SANTIAGO MARTINEZ

SANTA FE PREP BOYS —  100 Meters, Sophomore GB DAVIS

                                              100 Meters, Sophomore NATHAN ASHER

                                             100 Meters, Junior HAKAN GULER-HATCH

                                              200 Meters, GB DAVIS

                                              200 Meters,  NATHAN ASHER

                                              Long Jump, Junior HARRY BROWNING

                                              High Jump, HARRY BROWNING

                         Relays, 4 x 100, 4 x 200, 4 x 400, 4 x 800, Sprint Medley