By Don Eskins
The Cavemen and Cavegirl cross country teams recently returned from the Class 5A state tournament on November 9 in Albuquerque. Both teams placed 13th at the event.
The Boys’ Division state champion was Rio Rancho, with second place going to Organ Mt. and third to Cleveland High.
In the Girls’ Division, Eldorado claimed this year’s state title. Second place went to Rio Rancho, with Cleveland High finishing third. The Cavemen were paced by sophomore Dany Hernandez, the Cavegirls by sophomore Alyssa Balencia. Hernandez, with a time of 17:44, placed 65th, while Balencia, with a time of 21:28.50, placed 47th.
“Dany is really learning to run with confidence in himself, and you can see it based off of his results at District and State,” said CHS head coach Michael Sims. “He has the potential to do very well over the next couple of years.
“Alyssa also turned in a good performance for us at State. She’s been consistent all year; it’s her biggest strength,” he said. “Being so consistent has helped her to build a good foundation for cross country. Down the road, it’s going to pay off big for her.”
Based on the efforts he saw from his kids at the state’s Big Dance, the CHS coach said he feels his program should benefit greatly.“Running at State was a great experience for all of our kids. They got to run against some of the top cross country programs in the state,” said coach Sims. “Now, they all have a pretty good idea of just how much we need to raise our bar in order to be competitive with them next year.
“Watching our young kids compete on the biggest stage in New Mexico was encouraging,” he said. “They all have a lot of potential, and I’m looking forward to watching them grow over the next few years.”CHS had just three seniors competing this year: Caveman Isaac Williamson and Cavegirls Aubrey Veloz and Kaitlyn Robertson.
Boys’ Team State Results: Cavemen 13th
Cavemen Individual Results: 65. Dany Hernandez, sophomore, 17:44; 73. Rex Reynolds, freshman, 18:00.20; 81. Isaac Williamson, senior, 18:18.20; 89. Jose Medrano, freshman, 18:41.30; 105. Kaleb Vasquez, sophomore, 19:21.70; 110. Judah Wittmayer, junior, 19:44.50; 116. Kleyvin Hernandez, eighth, 22:11.40.
Girls Team State Results: Cavegirls 13th
Cavegirl Individual Results: 47. Alyssa Balencia, sophomore, 21:28.50; 74. Aubrey Veloz, senior, 22:37.60; 79. Alessandra Aguilar, freshman, 22:57.20; 86. Kaitlyn Robertson, senior, 23:37; 90. Jocelyn Baca, freshman, 23:49.30; 95. Rainelle Ruiz, eighth, 24:05.70.
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