And off she went at the Saturday state cross country championships

Raylee Hunt was so intent on crossing the line first this time, she was off and running once the starter’s gun sounded. Across the field and to the goal posts at the other end, she was first on the main course and that’s where she stayed.

Last year’s runner-up in the shortened season coronavirus pandemic run for the initial time at the Albuquerque Academy, this time her goal was to show her heels all the way to the finish and win 3A comfortably

in 19:12.18.

Once the St. Michael’s freshmen reached the track that led to the finish, she was all alone, and when they were announcing the leaders during the 5-killometer race at the Chargers course, she was the only name heard in her group.

She sped to the front quickly and had very little company as she dominated the field and left second place Albuquerque Cottonwood Classical Prep senior Aubrey Lozoya a distance behind in 20:14.11. It was one of the few times at state Saturday that the leader had the track all to herself.

Among the girls, there were other stretch runs with a rush of harriers onto to the track and around the final turn.

An example was in the girls A-2A where Academy of Technology and The Classics senior Josette Gurule ran her best state final and stayed a few steps ahead of second place Gallup Rehoboth Christian junior Emily Garcia to emerge victorious in 20:33.82, some nine seconds ahead of Garcia.

“This was great,” said Gurule, “I had never done as well at state, and now I managed to win it.”

The Phoenix even came close to winning the team title, but Penasco slipped in by two points (83-81) in the closest team finish of the day.

In the girls 4A final dominated by Los Alamos, which, like its boys, swept the first five places at districts, it was Hilltoppers sophomore Delaney Ulrich running her first state championship and looking good when she  entered the track, alongside her came senior teammate Kelly Wettleland to make for an exciting stretch run that Ulrich won by a step or two in 18:56.33 while Wetteland clocked 18:57.54 in the two fastest girls times.

In the girls 5A, the winner, sophomore Ellary Battle of Alamogordo took the top spot in 18:53.47, and held off the two challengers from the host school, with defending champion junior Leah Futey of Rio Rancho Cleveland running fourth, but it was Battle’s race.

Also in 5A, Santa Fe High’s leading harrier, 8th-grader Mia Schleman, took 35th in 22:01.86, and the Demonettes took 11th with

345 points in a field of 15 schools.

Now for Hunt. She ran so well, she had no company. The rest of the field followed her, but no one threatened. She ran poised and confident. Before the race, her dad, Lee Hunt, confirmed that his talented daughter was going to have a big race, that she was more than ready.

How true he was. Raylee said later she would have liked to go under 19 minutes, but also explained she had no true competition and even slowed down slightly on the way to the finish.

“It was a good course,” she said, “and I had run it last year. Not many hills, and the weather was good. Yes, most likely I could have run a faster time, but it was just wonderful to win state. I’m thankful for that.”

Did she hear her name being constantly announced by the PA, she smiled and nodded her head. Other races had one leader, two leaders, and sometimes more than that, so those names were many, but in 3A it was all Hunt.

Now she’s ready for track and field, where she intends to run the 800, 1,600, 3,200 and the 300-meter hurdles. And she will have company at all the meets when her sister Logan, a Lady Horsemen junior, will join race the 400 and probably the relays. Logan has come off a season spent with the school’s girls soccer team.

This time, she sat alongside her dad cheering for her younger sister, which made for plenty of cheers, especially every time Raylee’s name was announced as the leader. In last year’s final, Raylee was timed in 19:26.39.

She had but one teammate in the event, as 8th-grader Ellie Musolf also qualified from the districts, ran 23:11.57 and came across the line in 31st, one place and nine seconds ahead of Santa Fe Prep senior Sophie Addison.