On this occasion, it becomes the Hunt quintet as they reverse roles

You are 5-foot-7 freshman phenom Raylee Hunt, a bundle of versatility who attends St. Michael’s High in Santa Fe.

You are energetic, wise, on the go. You sport a remarkable 4.40 academic GPA. You are a gifted track and field athlete. You are also on the swim team. As an 8th-grader at the 2021 state track and field championships at the University of New Mexico track/soccer complex, you entered four events and won one, the hectic 300 hurdles in 49:05. You took second in the 1,600 in 5:43.51, 3rd in the 800 in 2:24.40, and also third in the 3,200 in 12:16.11.

It was not a day for exerting yourself. It was a scorching hot Saturday, very humid and with temperatures reaching into the 90s. It was totally uncomfortable for the athletes, coaches, spectators and officials. But that was the scheduled date for state, and suffering brought ice applied to bodies, water gulped down, sweating, looking for shade, and trying to compete against the chili-hot, miserable climate.

But for Hunt, it was just another day on the field of play, whether stepping out on the track or just trying to remain alert and relaxed despite the conditions. Her sister, Logan, then a Lady Horsemen sophomore, was also there and ran a few events after playing with the state soccer championship team as a freshman and as the runner-up as a sophomore. She and Raylee didn’t complaint much about the sweaty, uncomfortable day it was, but probably wished there was a pool around to jump into.

But in dry and humid Arizona, it was certainly good weather and a good time for Raylee in the prestigious annual Desert Twilight Festival held there. It was the biggest event of her young life, and she did very well against some of the best distance runners in the country. St. Michael’s head coach Joey Fernandez had her entered in the premiere race, the Steeplechase that was billed as the championship run of all the 5 kilometers and was the spotlight race of the festival that began at 5 p.m., and in comfortable weather with just a slight breeze drowned out by the cheering.

Raylee flew there with her mom, Kristi, who became her biggest out-of-state fan, and said that on race night she was somewhat nervous but eager to hear the starting gun. She ran well, clocked a personal-best 18:02 and right on the heels of harriers ahead of her as she settled for 26th place in a field of 44.

Then came the state 3A track and field championship at Albuquerque Academy, and Raylee was more than ready after finishing second behind Alyx Masters of Albuquerque’s Cottonwood Classic at the previous state XC. This time, she sprinted from the starting gun to the left of the huge field, and after getting past the crossbars and the oval, she stepped on to the course, took the lead for good and was one of the few to stay in front from start to finish. She crossed the finish line in 20:19, with the runner-up about two minutes behind, and was the only girl to run under 20 minutes.

But soon after she finished Raylee’s concern was for Santa Fe Prep 8th-grader Sophie Bair, a relative who had tumbled a few steps from the finish onto the grass ground and was no doubt in pain, and so Raylee rushed to her aid and helped comfort her. Bair, on the young Griffin team that finished second in the team scoring, placed 8th, and teammates Nya Griego, also a 9th-grader, and freshman Helen Desmond, came in 4th and 11th, respectively. Desmond’s mom, Liz, is an assistant track coach at Santa Fe Prep and while Helen was on the rise, was outstanding in the triathlon while coaching at Desert Academy.

As for Hunt, she qualified for the Nike Southwest 5K Regional Championship and ran 41st against a strong field.

Then came her biggest individual award, the 37th annual Gatorade State Athlete of the Year voted upon by the Gatorade Selection Committee, which fit right in as her mother, Kristi Hartley Hunt, had won the New Mexico state Gatorade Basketball Player of the year in 1994-95 at Roy High School.

Along with Logan, there’s also St. Michael’s 8th-grader Ryan, as the third member of the Hunt trio who has been out for middle school track and field and having fun in the field events, plus he is also a stellar baseball player who Horsemen head coach Augustin Ruiz is anxious to have.

But the happy Hunts are a quintet, not just a trio. On Monday mom Kristi and dad Lee will be running the Boston Marathon, 26 miles 385 yards, and for Raylee it will be her weekend off from her own competition and she will be there with Logan and Ryan to cheer for mom and dad.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Lee said.

Right, it will be like “Hail, hail, the gang’s all here.”

And Raylee has her activities. She has several, and they include a program focused on service to the community, as well as multiple services that she does through her church youth group, and as a volunteer coach with the St. Michael’s Student Wellness Action Team. On the go, always on the go, which could be why she spreads out her track and field events from the sprints, to the hurdles, to the mid and long distances, and pieces together field events after a long deep breath.

No doubt she has matured into her talents, with her wisdom and confidence catching up with her athletic abilities. Now if it was legal, Raylee would be probably adding more events to her list. Among some of her top times and jumps, she’s done 28.50 in the 200; 1:02.66 in the 400; 2:23.26 in the 800; 5:33.14 in the 1,600; 11:59.94 in the 3,200; 49:05 in the 300 hurdles; 14-8 in the long jump, and 31-4 in the triple jump.

Then there’s mom and dad, trial lawyers. They are both sports fans, they do some distance running together, as they will do in Boston Monday. They maybe shoot some hoops, and certainly are the biggest fans of their talented trio of Raylee, Logan and Ryan, and vis-à-vista.

A happy, fun family now, there’s more as long as the three children are still at St. Michael’s. From there, most likely college but still calling the City Different home.

But good luck in Bean Town.