When it comes to local Class 2A girls track and field, it’s all about the McCurdy 4×800-meter relay team.
The Bobcats have won the past two seasons, but have been dogged by a young Peñasco squad and an improving Texico group, both of which return all four runners from the quartets that were less than two seconds off the pace last year.
McCurdy does return three of its runners in senior Kaylee Martinez and juniors Marisol Serna and Avery Knight. And the Bobcats added a veteran transfer in junior Anika Calvert, who was at the Academy for Technology and the Classics and sat out last track season.
“The 4×800, the expectations are high,” McCurdy coach Carlos Martinez said. “They’ve been there in that spotlight. But they’ve got some competition and they know it. So there’s pressure, but one thing about these girls, they thrive on that, even if they don’t want to admit they do.”
What makes the four runners so special is they are nearly interchangeable on the oval.
“The thing about the 4×800 is, it’s hard to point to one who’s the ring leader,” Carlos Martinez said. “All of them bring something to the table. All of them are motivated.”
And that certainly makes his job just a bit easier.
“For me as a coach, it’s an awesome thing,” he said. “Out of those four, any of them could run the best time on that day. That’s the type of competition that those girls have.”
And talk about pressure, the Bobcats just might put the hammer down in the 3,200, where Serna, Knight and Calvert all could hit the podium and rack up some big points.
Serna, who finished third in the 1,600 last year, will push the pace for her teammates.
“Marisol is a very talented runner,” Carlos Martinez said. “She’s shown that from such a young age. She put up a fight this year and a lot was trying to find herself, searching for herself and how she can she challenge herself. She tried a little bit of everything and was successful. That shows you the type of runner she is. When she steps on the track, it’s a different type of competition and she wants it. She’s the workhorse.”
Since Serna also qualified for the medley relay in addition to the 800 and 1,600, Carlos Martinez will have some decisions to make as far as what events she will enter to gather the most team points.
And with the Bobcats also qualifying the 200 and the medley relays, McCurdy is venturing into new areas.
“I think for the medley to get out of the prelims and prove to everyone that they belong in the event is important,” Carlos Martinez said. “They’re determined to prove that they belong on that podium.”
And the 200, which is spearheaded by sophomore Gabriela Velasquez, who also qualified for the individual 100, is simply looking to get into Saturday’s finals.
“The 200 is a new one for us,” Carlos Martinez said. “I think that this group of girls is going to go out and lay it all out and see what happens with that one.”
It has the Bobcats hopeful of pushing for a top-five overall finish.
“Our girls team is small but mighty,” Carlos Martinez said. “We are excited to see what they will do at the state level. They all bring another level and are amazing to watch. They all have such big heart and determination.”
For Mesa Vista, the best shot at a top-three medal probably lies with senior Jaslene Torrez in the javelin or freshman Jordyn Serrano in the high jump.
“Top three is going to be hard, I’m not going to lie,” Trojans coach Evan Jaramillo said. “They both have been there and know what it’s like. And our whole relay team, they’ve been there, so they know what to expect.”
The relays were a real coup for Mesa Vista as all hit except the 4×400.
“We just hadn’t been at full strength for the relays,” Jaramillo said, adding that two mainstays, freshman Aaliyah Boies and sophomore Isabella Gallegos, have been dealing with leg issues, although they got plenty of rest leading up to the district meet. “They came back feeling a lot better and we were healthier than we had been throughout the year.”
Additionally, senior Valery Martinez qualified for the 100 hurdles and sophomore Alyssa Alire made it in the discus.
But the big thing is to not just show up, but compete, the coach said.
“Hopefully, we can get the girls to believe that we’re not going to go over there and get cooked,” Jaramillo said. “Workouts this week are going to be hard. We’ll work on hand offs and just be ready for the meet and hope they do their best.”
McCurdy
100, Gabriela Velasquez
800, Marisol Serna
1,600, Marisol Serna
3,200, Marisol Serna
3,200, Avery Knight
3,200, Anika Calvert
4×200 relay
4×800 relay
Medley relay
Coronado
100, Mia Gallegos
200, Mia Gallegos
400, Janelle Martinez
Long jump, Mia Gallegos
Discus, Melody Chacon
Javelin, Mia Gallegos
Shot put, Senaida Vialpando
4×100 relay
Mesa Vista
100 hurdles, Valery Martinez
High jump, Jordyn Serrano
Discus, Alyssa Alire
Javelin, Jaslene Torrez
4×100 relay
4×200 relay
4×800 relay
Medley relay
Escalante
400, AnnLee Robinson
4×400 relay
Dulce
400, Amari Castleberry
Long jump, Alya Rivas
4×800 relay
Medley relay