Española Valley and Pojoaque Valley both had a limited number of representatives at the 4A State Track and Field Meet in Albuquerque May 17-18. But they were not the only local representatives.
The Los Alamos teams were littered with Rio Arriba locals who helped the Hilltoppers on their way to another dominant state championship for both boys and girls. Here are just a few of them:
Leading the way was senior Melaki Gutierrez of Chili, who was the boys high-point scorer after winning both the 100-meter and 200-meter open sprints. Gutierrez also anchored 4×100 and 4×200-meter teams to record-smashing times.
“It means a lot to me, and it means a lot to all the other guys, too,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez said he went to school at Los Alamos as that is where his parents work
Gutierrez is now signed to attend the University of New Mexico for both football and track.
Colette Bibeault, of Medanales, was the girls high-point scorer in 4A with two individual state championships.
Though she did not quite reach her goal of setting a state record in the pole vault, she won the event at 11 feet. She also won first place in the 300-meter hurdles.
Bibeault placed third in the 100-meter hurdles, and was fourth in the high jump, though she tied for the best jump of the event at 5 feet, 2 inches.
Benjamin Sanchez, another local, won second place in the 3200 meters and third in the 1600 meters.
Gutierrez also mentioned Rocco Quintana, a fellow relay member who placed fourth in the long jump and fifth in the 100 as a fellow local. And Alexander Pasulka, the second-place finisher in the 400, is from Pojoaque.
Meredith Brown, the niece of McCurdy track coach Cecilia Brown, was part of Los Alamos relay teams that won first place in the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400-meter races, breaking a 30-year-old state record in the third.