NEW MEXICO STATE CROSS COUNTRY MEET

Cleveland Boys, Rio Rancho Girls Win 5A XC Titles

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Seniors Makua Harvey of Piedra Vista and Laurynn Sisneros of Eldorado won the 5A individual state championship races in New Mexico. 

Harvey won the boys race at Albuquerque Academy in 15:49.9 and Sisneros won the girls race in 18:35.8 under extraordinary circumstances due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

The country's first masked state cross country championships included runners who have persevered under some of the most strict mandates in the U.S. during the pandemic and they demonstrated grit and resolve to get through it. 

The Western Sky Community Care State Cross Country Championships were scaled back a bit from their usual fall celebration. Only 12 teams from each classification are entered this weeekend and teams will send five runners to the starting line and score the top four. 

The Cleveland boys (31 points) and Rio Rancho girls (35 points) won close team battles to emerge as champions in 5A.

In the 3A championship, Justin Howey of Cottonwood Classic Prep, the 2019 runner-up, ran far ahead of the field and won by more than a minute, in 15:59.28. Howey had teammates at fourth (Zachary Jeantete), sixth (Carter Swanson) and ninth (Alex Bergevin). 

Defending champion Zuni and the other four top-five teams from 2019 did not participate.

In the girls race, Cottonwood Classic Prep put all five of its runners in the top seven to successfully defend its title. Alyx Mastor won the individual title for CCP by running 18:37.20. She won by 49 seconds. 

Norissa Valdez led the Los Almos girls to the team title with 23 points. Valdez won the 4A girls race in 19:16.44, while Emma Patton of Academy was second in 19:25.29.

Rendon Kuykendall, a sophomore, led a 1-2-3 finish for Hope Christian, which won the 4A boys crown with 19 points. Kuykendall ran 15:17.84 and teammates Eric Scharton (15:28.37) and Cade Martin (15:43.19) were next across the finish line. 

Gilly Valdez of Penasco won the 2A/1A individual boys title in 17:04.78. Cloudcroft's boys put all four of its scorers in the top 14.

Vanessa Dominguez from Pecos won the small-school girls race in 20:00.01 and two of her teammates finished in the top eight. But ATC School went 2-3-9-10 on the way to 24 points and the team win. 

Team Champions - 

Class 5A - Cleveland boys 31 points, Rio Rancho girls 35 points - RESULTS

Class 4A - Hope Christian boys 18 points, Los Alamos girls 23 points - RESULTS

Class 3A - Cottonwood Classic Academy boys 14 points, Cottonwood Classic Academy girls 13 points - RESULTS

Class 2A - Cloudcroft boys 23 points, ATC School 24 points - RESULTS