Vause, Coombs partner up at the Great Southwest

ALBUQUERQUE — They spent the better part of the last two years as rivals.

On this Friday night, the swan song for Charlie Vause and Corbin Coombs as New Mexico prep athletes had them joining forces as teammates.

“I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” said Vause, a recent graduate of Rio Rancho High School. “It is so worth it. I think it is so fitting that the last time both of us run in New Mexico is on the same team.”

The state’s two distance titans combined to form half of New Mexico’s “A” entry in the 4x800-meter relay at the University of New Mexico Track and Field Complex on the second day of the Great Southwest Track and Field Classic.

That duo, who staged repeated battles both on the cross-country courses of the fall and the tracks in the spring the last two seasons, combined with Elliot Hickey of Albuquerque Academy and Tagoya Pedro of Laguna-Acoma to win the event.

“I was just sick of racing against him,” Vause said, smiling in a nod to Coombs who was standing next to him. “I wanted to race with him. I think we bring out the best in each other.”

They chased the meet record, but came up a couple of seconds short, in 7 minutes, 36.37 seconds. It went from Hickey to Vause to Pedro to Coombs.

It was impressive that Coombs and Vause even appeared at the Great Southwest, seeing as how both were in St. Louis, Missouri, on Thursday night, competing at the HOKA Festival of Miles.

The rivals competed against one another in the Championship-level high school mile event. Coombs from Organ Mountain — who just recently broke the magical 4-minute mile threshold at an outdoor meet in Alabama — finished ninth in 4 minutes, 3.29 seconds. Vause (4:04.02) placed 10th. (The Rahmer sisters, Gianna and Isla, both competed in St. Louis on Thursday, as well).

Coombs and Vause both very much wanted to add the Great Southwest to their tight schedules.

“I have a lot of respect for this guy,” Coombs said about Vause. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”

Coombs added: “When he moved in (to New Mexico from Ohio), I felt very motivated to rise to the level of the competition. I always wanted to be the top New Mexico guy.”

Neither probably had their best stuff Friday night, since their mile race Thursday in Missouri was also in the evening. Vause said he only arrived at UNM about an hour before their scheduled race.

“I felt a little flat,” Coombs admitted.

Coombs and Vause ran 1-2 at each of the three distances at last month’s Class 5A state meet. Coombs’ schedule doesn’t let up; he is scheduled to run another prominent meet on Sunday in Seattle.