Valdez, Perez closest to scoring in Aztec

Senior Chrystianne Valdez had one of Ignacio’s top individual results at the 2016 B&B/Aztec (N.M.) Tiger Invitational, but after using more attempts than 4A Durango’s Danielle Lee to clear the bar in the race for sixth place, her successful 8’0” in the pole vault matched Lee’s, but unluckily gained IHS no team point.

And so it went for the Lady Bobcats inside Fred Cook Memorial Stadium at the April 22-23 gathering:

Close, but not close enough. And blanked in the team standings, headed by the hosting Lady Tigers’ 100, Durango’s 71 and 4A Bloomfield, New Mexico’s 52. 5A’s Gallup (N.M.) Miyamura and Farmington rounded out the top five with 50, and 46 points respectively.

After running 28.70 seconds in the prelims, Ignacio’s Azala Perez stayed seventh – out of 96 initial entrants – in the 200-meter dash by slowing to a 30.88 in the finals, won by DHS’ Bekah Moenning in 29.21. Perez did not make the finals of the 100, but had the ninth-quickest time in the prelims (14.18) out of 88 competitors.

Junior Kelly Campbell tied three others for eighth in the high jump (4’4”), while Valdez and Perez teamed with Rachel Cooper and Jaylynn Herrera to lay down an eighth-place 57.60 in the 4×100 – the only relay in which IHS was represented.

Cooper, also a junior, took 34th in the 800 meters with her 3:00.68 right at the heels of 1A Dove Creek’s Kiera Baughman (3:00.61) as they were the closest to breaking three minutes and approaching the leading pack.

Thrower Alana Watts finished 14th in the shot put (28’0.25”) and 13th in the discus (82’3”), while Lea Monroe tied for eighth (7’0”) in the pole vault, in which AHS’ Naomi Teasyatwho had a swifter go over the bar at 9’0” than 3A Bayfield’s Katie Hawkins – 12th in the discus (84’10”) – to earn first.

Up next for the Lady Cats will be the 58th Annual Bloomfield Invitational on April 30 (start time 9 a.m.) and then the Terry Alley Invitational in Pagosa Springs on May 7.

2016 B&B/AZTEC INVITATIONAL GIRLS’ STANDINGS

(all teams New Mexico unless noted)

1. Aztec 100, 2. Durango (CO) 71, 3. Bloomfield 52, 4. Gallup Miyamura 50, 5. Farmington 46, 6. Kirtland Central 40, 7. Bayfield (CO) 29, 8. Montezuma-Cortez (CO) 22, T-9. Pagosa Springs (CO) and Farmington Navajo Prep 19, 11. Crownpoint 12, 12. Thoreau 7, 13. Dolores (CO) 4, T-14. Mancos (CO) and Newcomb 3, 16. Antonito (CO) 1.