Three of Mikayla Calabaza’s older siblings at Pojoaque Valley have not quite gotten a gold medal at the New Mexico state track and field championships, not even her brother, Elks coach Terrell Calabaza.
But Mikayla Calabaza has a good chance to end the family’s drought at the Class 4A-5A state meet this weekend at The University of New Mexico Track and Soccer Complex.
A senior, she is coming off a standout performance in the invitation-only Marilyn Sepulveda Meet that draws competitors from all classifications across the state, finishing second in the discus and third in the shot put.
“I expect to really show up for myself,” she said. “Hopefully get first in both of my events.”
She has been throwing for nearly five years.
“I just decided go try it one day,” Mikayla Calabaza said. “And then I was good at it and started to improve more and more.”
Her progression as measured by her finishes at the state meet, has been steady. She finished second in discus last season and fourth in shot. The year before, she was fifth in shot, but did not medal in discus and she failed to medal in either as a freshman.
Mikayla Calabaza said her favorite event is discus, “but it depends on the day,” then adding, “I just like being able to see how far I can throw it and I like watching the other competition throw.”
Her brother said he’s looking forward to watching what she can accomplish.
“All of us in our family, all four siblings, did track and field and none of us got first,” Terrell Calabaza said. “So it’s going to be a show on Friday and Saturday.”
For the boys, senior Steven Dolcine is coming into the meet seeded third in both the 200- and 400-meter dashes and fourth in the long jump, and he also qualified in the 100, so he has a chance to collect quite bit of hardware.
“It’s his second year going to the state tournament, so he has a feel for what it’s like,” Terrell Calabaza said.
For Española Valley, all-around senior athlete Victor Parra has qualified in the 200 and long jump, as well as the medley relay,
“If he performs to his ability, he should medal in both of them,” Sundevils coach Loren Martinez said. “He’s very versatile.”
And Parra had to push himself through several events back-to-back-to-back at the district meet, most importantly helping his teammates reach state in the relay.
“It means everything,” he said of qualifying for state. “I told myself when I was feeling dehydrated and my body cramped, ‘This is your time to be doing this, go out with a bang.’ And I had to finish it. It’s a big thing for me as a senior to qualify in three events my last year and try to do it the right way.”
Junior Averi Schultz qualified for the girls 200 and long jump, while senior Hailey Renteria, who has already run cross country and track at New Mexico Highlands, landed a spot in the 800 and both helped the medley qualify. Junior Neveah Cachora, who has been dealing with injuries most of the season, is rounding into shape and could surprise in the 3200.
“A lot of my team saw what it takes and the reward at the end,” Martinez said. “The ones who made it to state are juniors and seniors. The young guys and girls can see what takes. Taos, Moriarty, Los Alamos, they all have great track programs. They have the depth and quality. That just makes us want to work harder. They see what we’re up against.”
Qualifiers
Española Valley
Boys
200-meter run, Victor Parra
Medley relay
Long jump, Parra
Girls
200, Averi Schultz
800, Hailey Renteria
3200, Neveah Cachora
Medley relay
Pojoaque Valley
Boys
100, Steve Dulcine
200, Dulcine
400, Dulcine
Triple jump, Ezequiel Villegas
Long jump, Dulcine
Discus, Alan Padilla
Javelin, Padilla
Girls
Discus, Mikayla Calabaza
Shot put, Mikayla Calabaza
1600, Avery Knight