La Cueva Girls End Cleveland's 3-year run in Class 6A

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

The story of the meet at the 4A/5A/6A New Mexico state high school track and field championships was the girls team from La Cueva, which took down powerhouse Cleveland, by a slim margin of 62.5 points to 60 to win the 6A state title at the University of New Mexico.

“Biggest upset in 20 years,” La Cueva coach Jim Ciccarello told abqjournal.com. 

La Cueva started off the meet winning the 4x100 relay in 48.50 seconds.

Other highlights from the two-day meet included senior Jericho Cleveland of Volcano Vista racing to victories in the 6A 800 (1:52.59), 1,600 (4:12.51) and 3,200 (9:45.16).

Senior Amanda Mayoral of Cleveland completed a Class 6A distance trifecta as well, winning the 800 (2:16.47), 1,600 (5:06.76) and 3, 200 (11:06.5). 

Manzano senior Jordan Byrd won his fourth straight 100 meters title, tying a 6A meet record by clocking 10.50. Byrd also won the 200 (22.21) and ran on the winning 4x100 and 4x200 relays.

Just a freshman, Adriana Tatum of Sandia won the 6A girls 100 (12.22) and 200 (25.38).

In 5A, Destiny Lawrence of Goddard won the 100 (12.46), 200 (25.65) and 400 (58.12).  

In the 4A sprints, Jonah Vigil of Taos impressed by winning the 100 (11.05), 200 (22.07) and 400 (47.59). Vigil added a title in the field, claiming the long jump with a leap of 23-2.75. 

Faith Powell, a junior at Taos, won the 4A long jump (18-5.50), high jump (5-4) and triple jump (37-11.5). 

In 5A pole vault action, Kiara Quezada of Farmington cleared 11-7 to break a 14-year-old state meet record. 

1A-3A

Breaking meet records became a theme at the two-day small schools meet, held May 4-5 at the University of New Mexico. According to the abqjournal.com, 15 records were broken and one was tied. 

Highlights included Nataley Mondragon, a sophomore from Melrose, collecting four wins, all state records. Mondragon won the Class 1A 100 (13.16), 200 (26.82), 400 (1:01.12) and tied the high jump record, clearing 5-2.

On the track, the 1A girls 4x400 record, 24 years old, went by the wayside as Tularoa's girls clocked 4:09.65. 

Junior Martin Flores of Hagerman swept the 2A 800, 1,600 and 3,200. 

RESULTS - CLASS 6A | CLASS 5A | CLASS 4A | CLASS 3A | CLASS 2A | CLASS 1A

Team Champions

6A -- Cleveland boys 89 points; La Cueva girls 62.5 points

5A -- Albuquerque Academy boys 83; Albuquerque Academy 79

4A -- Taos boys 81; Taos 71

3A -- Dexter boys 75; Santa Fe Prep girls 74

2A -- Fort Sumner boys 116; Cloudcroft girls 66

1A -- Reserve boys 78.5; Melrose girls 111