State track: Cleveland boys, Ram girls defend titles

PHOTOS: 2025 NMAA State Track and Field Championships

May 23, 2025

ALBUQUERQUE — High school track and field teams from across the state descended to the University of New Mexico track and field complex to fight for the 2025 NMAA Track and Field title May 16-17.

At the conclusion of the two-day event, the Cleveland High School boys and Rio Rancho High School girls reigned supreme and secured the highly coveted blue trophy.

The Cleveland boys won their ninth straight championship (12th in school history), while the Rio Rancho girls have won in back-to-back years.

Cleveland Storm boys“It feels awesome, all the hard work we’ve put in all season. Our coaches are great. This is just a product of what Cleveland breeds,” sprinter Jacob Maldonado said.

In the male division, the Storm won by scoring 73 points. In second place was Organ Mountain with 64 points, and La Cueva finished in third place with 60 points.

“It doesn’t get old at all because each season is a new challenge,” Storm head coach Kenny Henry said.

The Cleveland boys were sporting donut necklaces on the podium, which were to honor the school’s 12th championship.

“I can say the thing I am most proud of every year is our guys’ willingness to buy into what’s best for the team,” Henry said. “We just have so many kids that are selfless and that love being a part of the Cleveland Storm family.”

Henry also credited the success of the program to his coaching staff and the school’s administration.

“I know that within our coaching staff are some guys who are beyond passionate about what they do,” Henry said. “Our principal, Scott Affentranger, is like a dream come true for a coach. The guy is so supportive. He bends over backwards to try to give every program at our school — academic, athlete, whatever — what they need to be successful.”

So, how was the ninth won? While it was a collective effort, it didn’t hurt that Cleveland’s Collin Joyner and Moses Sparks each contributed 11 points. Sparks was the state champion in the shot put, and Joyner was the runner-up in the 110-meter hurdles.

Junior Lucas Espinosa competed in both the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs; he came in third place in the 1,600-meter run, which amounted to four points for the Storm.

“I’m feeling great; I’m feeling fantastic — third place against some of the best guys in the nation. I’m really ecstatic,” Espinosa said.

The Storm’s 4x200-meter relay team took care of business, posting a time of 1:27.54 and landing them on top of the podium.

“We weren’t supposed to win this one, but we made it to the finals and ended up winning,” sprinter Julian Ortega said.

The team of speedsters consisted of senior Juan Munoz, junior Jacob Maldonado, senior Julian Ortega and sophomore Lincoln Jones.

“It’s good to come out on top on this one,” Munoz said.

Racking up valuable points in the throwing events was senior Gabriel “Sharkey” Marquez, who threw 50 feet, 2 inches in the shot put, and sophomore Giovanni Mollica who took third place in the javelin with a throw of 171 feet, 5 inches.

Rounding out the sprinting events was senior Michael Haynes, who took fourth place in the 400-meter dash (48.79), Munoz who took third in the 100-meter dash (11.04), and the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay team, which took second place (3:34.19).The medley team included Jake Maldonado, Julian Ortega, Angel Gallegos, and Vince Madalena. During the preliminary round, Lincoln Jones, and Patrick Miranda ran legs.

“We’ve been working so hard during practices. This is truly unbelievable,” Jones said.

Rio Rancho Ram girls“We did what we needed to do, and I am just so happy,” sprinter Idaly Rodarte said.

The Rio Rancho Rams edged Eldorado for the blue trophy after sharing the title with them last year and came in first place by scoring 56 points; Eldorado scored 52. Finishing in third place was La Cueva with 46 points.

“The Rio Rancho High School Girl’s Track and Field team fought and earned another State Championship. All of our athletes were well prepared, disciplined, and performed how they expected or even exceeded expectations. This group of young ladies also trusted their event coaches which further contributed to the team’s success. Many of these ladies will remember the determination and hard work they had to put in to experience success.,” head coach Michael Gonzales said.

A big X-factor for the Rams was the successful duo of senior Abigail Beam and freshman Mariah Galbraith. The distance runners scored 10 points apiece.

In the 3,200-meter run, Galbraith took second place (11:14.13) while Beam took third (11:16.53).

“It just feels refreshing. It’s just such a great feeling,” sprinter Adisen Ly said.

In the 1,600-meter run, Beam took third place (5:14.14) while Galbraith finished less than a second behind her (5:14.30).

A big win for the Rams came during the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay, when the Rams finished in first place by posting a time of 4:15.9.

“This is my first year doing track, so this is my first gold medal,” sprinter Sophia Smith said after claiming gold.

The team consisted of senior Ana Zarate-Aguilar, freshman Adisen Ly, freshman Sophia Smith and sophomore Idaly Rodarte. In the preliminary round, freshman Shelby Brooks and eighth grader Danae Lee ran legs for the medley.

“Last year we got second place, so this feels really good,” Zarate-Aguilar said, who also found herself on the podium for the 800-meter run.

During the 800-meter race, Zarate-Aguilar had a nice kick to overtake some runners and finished in second place (2:19.73).

Another point of success came from the Ram throwers, who scored in all three events.

Freshman Anni Presser placed third in the shot put with a throw of 38 feet, 10 1/4 inches. Sophomore Sarah Martinez took fifth place in the discus (108 feet, 1 inch), and senior Aubrey Pino took sixth in the javelin with a launch of 107 feet, 8 inches.

All season, the RRHS throwers have done their job and then some. Presser and Martinez will be blue chippers for years to come while Pino will take her talents to Silver City (she recently committed to Western New Mexico University).

Rounding out the rest of the point total was junior Clara Hawkins, who took fourth place in the pole vault (9 feet, 6 inches), the 4x800-meter relay team took second place (9:41.56), the 4x400-meter relay team took third place (4:07.45), and the 4x100-meter relay team took sixth place (49.98).

The 4x800-meter relay team consisted of Galbraith, Beam, Zarate-Aguilar, and junior Valentina Martinez. The 4x100 meter relay team consisted of Smith, Brooks, Rodarte, and freshman Aaliyna Gallegos. Running on the 4x400-meter relay team was Ly, Smith, Lee, and freshman Mikayla Coraci.

“These ladies realized the strength of their character when having to make sacrifices and competing for something bigger than themselves. Furthermore, we saw a lot of selflessness, support, and unity within the team, which I believe makes more of an impact on a person than winning titles. Our coaching staff did an incredible job and facilitated tremendous success to the athletes they personally worked with,” Gonzales said. “Track and Field is an amazing team sport that offers so many life lessons and opportunities for athletes to grow in character, and I am grateful that this season will make a positive impact to all of the athletes’ lives as they continue this journey that we call life.”

Cleveland Storm girlsThe Cleveland Storm girls had plenty of memorable moments throughout the contest and finished in seventh place with 32 points.

“You can achieve anything if you have faith, believe and have confidence,” head coach Clyde Rachal said.

A standout cementing her place as “one of the best in the business” was junior Morgan James ,who was the state champion in two events, scoring 14 points for the Storm, the third most by a female.

“I feel great. It was a great season, a great way to end my season, but I’m not done yet,” James said.

James took first in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.91, and first in the 300-meter hurdles with a time (44.39). She now has three championship titles under her belt.

“This isn’t where I want to be timewise ... so I am going to work super hard this offseason, and I’ll come back with faster times,” James said. “Never give up on yourself. Last year was my first year hurdling, and I didn’t think I was going to be a state champion.”

Distance runner Shahad Akasha also capped her senior year with two gritty performances in the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs. Akasha took fifth place in both events, with a time of 5:16.72 in the 1,600-meter run and 11:38.61 in the 3,200-meter run.

Another senior capping off a brilliant career was thrower Mariana Delgado-Ortega, who placed fourth in the discus with a throw of 108 feet, 1 inch.

The 4x800-meter relay team showed off some endurance with a time 9:54.72, which landed them the bronze. The team consisted of senior Sarah Romero, senior Naomi St. Clair, junior Marisel Yepa, and sophomore Alina Trujillo-Sando.

Rounding out the rest of the events was senior Malia Hunter-Garcia, who came in sixth in the 100-meter hurdles (16.87); the 4x100-meter relay team, which took fifth place (49:29); and the 1,600-meter sprint medley team that took fifth place (4:22.62).

The 4x100 meter relay team consisted of senior Affinity Archuleta, senior Taylor Williamson, sophomore Jennica Montejano, and freshman Samaya Fashola. The 1600 meter medley group consisted of Archuleta, Fashola, Yepa, and sophomore Karissa WIlliams; in the preliminary round, Romero ran a leg.

Rio Rancho Ram boys“Sometimes you’re going to have bad races, sometimes good; either way just keep going ,man,” sprinter Kenneth Graves said.

The Rio Rancho boys team found themselves on the podium in several events and finished the championships in fifth place, scoring 39 points.

“I’m really proud of the way the guys competed this year. It’s amazing to watch the kids develop and become confident in themselves. We had big goals this year and we came up a little short but I am extremely proud of these guys,” head coach Harvey Carreathers said.

RRHS legend Charlie Vause scored 15 points, which was the third most for a male.

Vause came in second place in the 800-meter run (1:52.53), the 1,600-meter run (4:15.24) and the 3,200-meter run (8:59.85).

Vause and Organ Mountain’s Corbin Coombs battled it out in all three open distance events and had everyone in the stands on their feet come the final lap. Vause will run for BYU next season, while Coombs will run for Wake Forest after the conclusion of his mission in Salem, Oregon. After each race, Vause and Coombs were talking, laughing and recapping with each other.

Other Ram distance runners finding a spot on the podium were seniors Xavier Martinez, who placed fifth place in the 3,200-meter run (9:36.83), and Cody Sullivan took fifth place in the 1,600-meter run (4:26.60).

During the 4x800-meter relay race, sophomore Alejandro Casaus had a nice final lap and edged Cleveland for a second-place finish (7:59.80).

Graves, a junior, had a nice showing in the 200-meter dash, and in the final stretch of the race he found himself among some of the fastest athletes in the state, including La Cueva’s Tanner Montano and Santa Fe’s Bryce Melton.

“We got a lot of dudes on this team, and I am proud to be a Ram,” Graves said.

Graves left UNM with a medal around his neck, coming in fourth place with a time of 22.40.

“It really means a lot ... this is awesome,” he said.

Senior Zachai Bradford had a busy day, too, finishing with three medals around his neck, including a third-place finish in the 100-meter dash (10.96).

“It’s just a blessing. Not everyone is gifted athletically. Just do what you can and use your abilities to grind,” Bradford said.

The Rams rounded the point total with sixth-place finish in the 4x100-meter relay (42.25), and their 4x200-meter relay team came in fifth place (1:28.57). The 4x100 meter relay team consisted of Bradford, Graves, junior Parker Miller, and sophomore Marcus Briggs while the 4x200-meter relay team consisted of Bradford, Miller, Briggs, and sophomore Julian Marquez.