SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
For last Saturday’s state cross country championships, St. Michael’s only qualified four runners out of District 2, but head coach Lenny Gurule will gladly accept that.
While most other schools entered full squads and competed for both individual and team honors over the 5-kilometer course at Albuquerque Academy, Gurule concluded his 19th season as coach of his alma mater, where as a student harrier he won the state 880-yard run.
As a XC coach, he’s also done well by winning four girls state championships and having the likes of Nate Norskog win four times and Irena Ossola, and the latest, freshman Raylee Hunt, the 2001 3A winner. With the boys cross country, his Horsemen have won twice, but have never had an individual champion. A runner-up or two, but never a first place.
Now, he had a full squad of boys for last year’s shortened coronavirus pandemic, but as has been the problem in recent years, he was short of girls. Two years ago, senior London Trudell was the only Lady Horsemen who qualified for state. The previous season, there were three who qualified, but two that didn’t also experienced a fine campaign, but no state.
But this time, it was a quartet of underclassmen cashing in, with those left out also underclassmen who are on the rise, but not yet.
So, Hunt comes off last year’s second place as an 8th-grader to dominate the field from start to finish in the time of 19:12.14. As the starter’s gun fired, she sped across the field leading the pack, and after passing the goal posts, just took over and owned the main course, with her name being heard over the PA as the leader with each step.
Her teammate was even younger. It was 8th-grader Ellie Musolf in her biggest race running 31st in 23:11.57. Now Gurule only hopes the two will continue to strive in cross country and, in the case of Hunt, win three more times to become the sixth girl to achieve this.
Now that would place Hunt alongside Norskog (2006, 2008-2010) and Ossela
(2003-2005).
It was much the same for the two St. Michael’s boys except that freshman Jaden Perea turned in an impressive 12th place in the time of 17:59.03. and the other Horseman, 8th-grader Jeremiah Rodriguez, crossed the finish line in 24th and clocked 18:14.89.
That’s it, just four, two in each title run, and Gurule had something to be happy of. Along with victorious Hunt, the other three also have potential and proved it at districts and state.
The other underclassmen who did well over the course now in its second year after taking over for Rio Rancho High, was the boy’s sophomore Daniel Sanchez, Espanola Valley’s lone qualifier, finishing eighth in a tight stretch run over the track, and he timed 16:56.75.
“I was only the only one from my school to make it here,” he said, “but some of my teammates are here along with family members that included my mom and dad, my aunt and uncle, and my grandparents, so that made my day. It was a good course, not that many hills, and my first time at state, and probably my best time.”
Then there were freshmen Jeremiah Chavez of Santa Fe Indian School and Eddie Gartz of the 4A team-champion Los Alamos, which as the girls did, dominated both races. Gartz was the only non-junior or non-senior on the squad, and brought in a 14th place and raced 19:29.43.
Chavez has been the Indian School leader all season. This time, he raced against a strong field and came in 35th in 19:02.26.
“This was the toughest of all the races I’d run,” he said, “but it was a great experience, and I just want to get better. I liked both the course and the weather, and had a good time out there.”
On the girls side, there were a quartet of 8th-graders, a trio of freshmen, and a 4A sophomore champion from team-winner Los Alamos was Delaney Ulrich in her initial state final, and who held off a fast-closing senior teammate in Kelly Wetteland, who dashed from the course onto the track and ran alongside Ulrich before being outrun in the final meters.
“I was happy with my race,” Ulrich said. “I was on the team last year but didn’t run at states. I tried to pace myself and thought I was going to finish by myself when just like that, there was Kelly racing with me. I still had plenty left and was able to bring my time down in the unexpected race to the finish.”
Ulriich’s 4A time was 18:46.33, and Wetteland was a step or two behind. Hilltoppers senior Norissa Valdez had won this at Rio Rancho as a freshman and sophomore, but this time she ran fifth.
Indian School junior Destiny Marquez again led her team and ran seventh in 21:08.06, and right behind her was 8th-grader teammate Destiny Chino in 21:10.04. There were also 8th-graders Mia Schleman of Santa Fe High and Sophie Bair of Santa Fe Prep.
Bair had finished second to Hunt in two other races, but this time the Griffins’ top harrier all season, saw freshmen teammate Ny Griego slip by and into four place in 20:33.29, while she herself placed eighth in 21:42.32, and Helen Desmond, another Prep freshman, ran 11th in 23:11.57.
The young Demonette, Schleman, showed why she was her team’s front runner all season by hanging in there in a tough 5A field and taking 35th in 22:01.86. She and these others underclassmen are runners on the rise.
Said Gurule: “It was a real good day for my two 8th-graders and two freshmen. It was also a great experience for them, and I’m already looking forward to next year, but all four figure to do real well now n track and field.”
Other girls who have won state XC four times are Caroline Kaufman of East Mountain, Felica Guilford of Gallup, Amy Swier of Aztec, and Elizabeth Gonzales of Penasco.
Los Alamos has won the most girls team titles, 23, with its biggest runs coming seven years in a row from 2009-2015. It won its initial championship in 1981.
Santa Fe’s girls were one of the early winners, taking team honors six times from 1979 to 1986. Most consecutive girls champions were Gallup 10 straight times from 1996-2005.
And this past Saturday, it was the underclassmen who made statements.
