Hope Christian’s Rendon Kuykendall finishes the race in the elite boys’ class more than eight seconds ahead of the runner-up. Kuykendall is the prohibitive Class 4A favorite at the upcoming state meeting. (Mike Sandoval / For the diary)
By the time everyone gets back to this venue in three weeks and lines up again, Sandia High School’s Steven West should be the favorite to win the Class 5A state cross-country championship.
But he won’t have to deal with Rendon Kuykendall anymore.
“It’s a cool thing to be first, but man it’s a pleasure to run with him,” West said of Kuykendall, the Hope Christian Junior. “I’m happy to get the best of both worlds.”
Kuykendall, the reigning 4A state champion and undoubtedly New Mexico’s best runner, beat West by more than eight seconds on a chilly Saturday morning at the Albuquerque Academy Extravaganza, the largest regular season meeting on New Mexico’s prep calendar.
The November 6th state meeting will run the same 3.1 mile route as the athletes on Saturday.
About 100 schools from all five classifications came to the academy. Los Alamos was the most noticeable absentee.
Kuykendall and Volcano Vista newcomer Carysa Marquez were the individual champions in the “A” race, in which most of the elite teams of the big school were to be found. The Academy Girls and the Volcano Vista Boys also won.
West was slightly ahead of Kuykendall halfway through the race. These two were 1-2 a week earlier at the Albuquerque Metro Championships, where Kuykendall defeated West by a wide margin.
It was about half a mile on Saturday and Kuykendall had made up his mind.
“We were right there. I heard that he was breathing a bit, so I thought it was time to get moving, ”said Kuykendall after his third win of the season.
He won with a time of 15 minutes, 20.64 seconds. West crossed the finish line in 15: 29.02 minutes and was 36 seconds ahead of third-placed Dawson Gunn from Rio Rancho.
“My legs are a little tired,” said Kuykendall. “I did two 70-mile weeks in a row in one race.”
He’ll be running the district race on the Academy track in two weeks’ time before moving on.
As for the Volcano Vista boys, the Hawks had their best performance of the season and their 72 points was a nice number in such a deep field. Senior Aiden Davis finished sixth for Volcano Vista.
“We stopped some of the guys for a variety of reasons,” said Hawks trainer Elena Schrader. “Most of them were here today and they were just really settled and had a goal in mind and they were pursuing it and doing their race plan the way they wanted to. They did well as a pack and Aiden had a fantastic day. “
The two rivals from District 1 of Volcano, Rio Rancho and Cleveland, finished second and third respectively.
The Academy girls scored 62 points, beating Rio Rancho by 20 points. Vulkan Vista (98) came third. Emma Patton was the best charger with fifth place.
Volcano Vista newcomer Carysa Marquez finishes her individual victory in Saturday’s elite girl “A” race at the Albuquerque Academy Extravaganza. About 100 schools sent teams to the meeting. (Mike Sandoval / For the diary)
Marquez, the formidable ninth grader, pulled away from La Cuevas Ariana Thiel-Hadjilambrinos when they entered Richard Harper Memorial Field for the final 400 meters. Marquez’s winning time was 18: 27.35; Albuquerque High newcomer Dani Figueroa (18: 35.62), last week’s underground champion, overtook Thiel-Hadjilambrinos in the last few meters and secured second place.
“I was just making sure to save something and let it all out in the last 400,” said the soft-spoken Marquez after the biggest win of her young college career. She lit up as she absorbed the significance of that victory.
“It means the world,” she said. “I’ve worked for it all season and I’m so excited.”
DIVISIONS “B” AND “C”: Cottonwood Classical Prep won the boys and girls team titles in Division “B”, with Maximo Brito of the Coyotes (16: 55.85) and Aisha Ramone of Kirtland Central (19; 27, 46) won individually.
Section “C” was mainly intended for the smallest of the schools. The boys from Pecos and the girls from Santa Fe Indian took first place together with Gilbert Valdez from Peñasco (the national champion of Class 1A-2A from the spring season) and Vanessa Gallegos from Lovington.
Volcano Vista’s Carysa Marquez leads a number of runners during Saturday’s meeting at the Albuuquerque Academy. (Mike Sandoval for the )
CROSS AREA
Albuquerque Academy Extravaganza
Saturday – in the ABQ Academy
BOYS “A”
Team: Volcano Vista 72, Rio Rancho 109, Cleveland 135, Eldorado 159, Organ Mountain 161, Sandia 178, Albuquerque Academy 192, Alamogordo 236, Centennial 284, Hobbs 289, La Cueva 313, Albuquerque High 342, Christian Hope 382, Santa Fe 410, Gallup 418, Piedra Vista 427, Los Lunas 435, Atrisco Heritage 465, Farmington 484, Clovis 496, Las Cruces 551, Manzano 559, Roswell 613, Taos 651, Rio Grande 696.
Individual: 1, Rendon Kuykendall, Hope Christian, 15:20, 64; 2, Steven West, Sandia, 15:29.02; 3, Dawson Gunn, Rio Rancho, 4:05:28 pm; 4, Brett Bybee, Orgelberg, 16:15:33; 5, Celso Garcia, Alamogordo, 16:18.21; 6, Aiden Davis, Vista Volcano, 16:18:45; 7, Bahozhoni Church, Albuquerque High, 16:19:10; 8, Isaac Tucker Scott, Sandia, 16:19, 16; 9, Joaquin Deprez, Albuquerque Academy, 16:28:02; 10, Naseem Dhaouadi, Eldorado, 16: 30.01.
GIRL “A”
Team: Albuquerque Academy 63, Rio Rancho 83, Volcano Vista 98, Eldorado 118, Albuquerque High 151, Cleveland 167, La Cueva 202, Alamogordo 227, Hobbs 242, Farmington 326, Taos 332, Gallup 371, Organ Mountain 374, Sandia 411, Santa Fe 413, Piedra Vista 428, Los Lunas 460, Hope Christian 470, Clovis 494, Mayfield 537, Las Cruces 561, Roswell 564.
Individual: 1, Carysa Marquez, Volcano Vista, 18:27:35; 2, Dani Figueroa, Albuquerque High, 18: 35.62; 3, Ariana Thiel-Hadjilambrinos, La Cueva, 18: 36.59; 4, Ellary Battle, Alamogordo, 18:46, 67; 5, Emma Patton, Albuquerque Academy, 7:03:31 pm; 6, Ellie Suo-Anttila, Eldorado, 19:23:03; 7, Janae Shaklee, Alamogordo, 19:26, 72; 8, Katie Patton, Albuquerque Academy, 7:27 pm; 9, Angela Korte, Volcano Vista, 19:47, 66; 10, Addison Julian, Albuquerque Academy, 19: 48.22.
BOYS “B”
Team: Cottonwood Classical Prep 102, Shiprock 127, Miyamura 170, Kirtland Central 185, Ruidoso 202, Santa Fe Prep 216, Moriarty 219, Del Norte 242, Sandia Prep 261, Pojoaque Valley 272, Crownpoint 298, St. Michael’s 303, Aztec 354 , Raton 356, Silver 357, Belen 378, Española Valley 380, Bloomfield 385, Highland 426, Portales 433, Robertson 519, Artesia 580, East Mountain 615, Valley 619, Cobre 684.
Individual: 1, Maximo Brito, Cottonwood Classical Prep, 16:55.85; 2, Orye Franklin, Shiprock, 17: 08.81; 3, Logan Pioche, Shiprock, 17:14.84; 4, Zachary Jeantete, Cottonwood Classical Prep, 17:16, 77; 5, Michael Riess, Portales, 17:18.23; 6, Israel Garcia, Del Norte, 17:19:20; 7, Chase Kamp, Raton, 17:20.99; 8, Dathan Esson, Kirtland Central, 5:30 pm-10; 9, Herman Archibeque, Moriarty, 17: 45.47; 10, Coleton Rogers, silver, 17: 47.10.
GIRL “B”
Team: Cottonwood Classical Prep 92, Pojoaque Valley 130, Santa Fe Prep 131, Kirtland Central 135, Belen 142, Robertson 160, Miyamura 243, Bosque School 247, East Mountain 254, Moriarty 277, Highland 296, St. Michael’s 322, Crownpoint 327 , Shiprock 334, Grants 335, Cuba 368, Española Valley 375, Silver 393, Cobre 556.
Individual: 1, Aisha Ramone, Kirtland Central, 19:27.46; 2, Raylee Hunt, St. Michael, 19:42.55; 3, Lorianna Piestewa, Miyamura, 20:16:01; 4, Sophie Bair, Santa Fe Prep, 20:22-21; 5, Lisette Sanchez, Belen, 20: 22.47; 6, Nya Griego, Santa Fe Prep, 20:28.87; 7, Sophia Lopez, Cottonwood Classical Prep, 20:30.81; 8, Sidney Harenberg, Sandia Prep, 20:32, 47; 9, Kate Henderson, Bosque School, 20:39, 91; 10, Aelea Thomas, Highland, 21:06:39.
BOYS “C”
Team: Pecos 106, Oak Grove Classical Academy 133, Lovington 139, Tohatchi 146, Hagerman 155, Navajo Prep 176, Peñasco 184, Newcomb 211, Santa Fe Indian 241, Laguna-Acoma 265, Rehoboth Christian 292, Quemado 295, Wingate 369, Thoreau 370, Maxwell 392, Dulce 450, Capitan 461, Legacy Academy 486, Santa Rosa 495, Mesa Vista 529, Mora 540, Academy for Technology and the Classics 572, Coronado 614, Navajo Pine 645, Socorro 674.
Individual: 1, Gilbert Valdez, Peñasco, 16:27, 16; 2, Melvin Scott, Tohatchi, 16:56, 96; 3, Derick Castellanos, Lovington, 16:56, 98; 4, Devin Lansing, Navajo Prep, 17:18:05; 5, Gerardo Mendoza, Hagerman, 17:31.03; 6, Isaiah Reval, Dulce, 17:42, 44; 7, Noah Bugayong, Quemado, 17: 52.73; 8, Joshua Marquez, Oak Grove Classical Academy, 17:55.34; 9, Alex Villasenior, Lovington, 17:55, 79; 10, Aidan Holton, Pecos, 17: 57.57.
GIRL “C”
Team: Santa Fe Indian 68, Gateway Christian 97, Navajo Prep 123, Peñasco 154, Pecos 196, Wingate 204, Capitan 216, Lovington 219, Rehoboth Christian 235, Academy for Technology and the Classics 241, Thoreau 248, Ramah 257, McCurdy 282 , Santa Rosa 311, Natve American Community Academy 327, Newcomb 369.
Individual: 1, Vanessa Gallegos, Lovington, 20: 48.82; 2, Nicole Tsosie, Navajo Prep, 21:05:29; 3, Destiny Marquez, Santa Fe Indians, 21:06:09; 4, Kairi Etsitty, Pine Hill, 21: 29.40; 5, Destiny Chino, Santa Fe Indians, 21:32.05; 6, Emily Garcia, Rehoboth Christian, 21:44, 16; 7, Maleah Golden, Oak Grove Classical Academy, 21:52:45; 8, Evelyn Daugherty, Capitan, 22:06:34; 9, Josette Gurule, Academy for Technology and Classics, 22: 07.83; 10, Rochelle Lopez, Peñasco, 22: 11.05.
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