SUN Staff Report
9/10/09
The Pojoaque Elks boys cross country team came in ninth out of 26 teams Sept. 5 at the University of New Mexico Invitational in Albuquerque.
It was a good showing for the Elks, a Class AAA team, considering the field included the top Class AAAAA and AAAA teams from across New Mexico. The Elks scored 271 points, easily the best finish among the five Class AAA teams, including St. Michaels, the defending Class AAA state champion, which finished 15th with 413 points.
Albuquerque Academy, a Class AAAA school, was the overall winner with 50 points.
James Viarrial led the pack for the Elks, coming in 27th overall with a time of 17:13. Sam Roybal was just 12 seconds back in 36th place, while Dominic Martinez and Daniel Santistevan were 54th and 56th and within 30 seconds of Viarrial’s time. Brandon Jaramillo came in 99th and was the fifth runner to score for Pojoaque.
In the girls race, Pojoaque’s Sophia Torres had a fine run and finished 10th overall with a time of 20:03, less than a second behind St. Michaels’ Kate Norskog, the defending defending Class AAA state champion, who was ninth.
The Elkettes finished 18th with 444 points. Chaparral High School, of Parker, Colo., won the girls’ meet with 83 points.