Sanford shines at Swink, Primero posts strong invitational results

Kailain Sanford gave Primero a result that reached beyond Swink: the senior finished second in boys shot put with a throw of 46 feet and also took second in discus at 125-8 at the Ray Headley Invitational on April 10 at Swink HS Track.

Sanford’s shot put mark carried extra weight because he was already ranked second in the state in the event, a rare level of recognition for a small Las Animas County program. His 46-foot effort also marked another step forward from last year, when he placed second at the same meet with a personal best of 42 feet 3¼ inches.

Primero’s day was not built on one athlete alone. Sophomore Alyvia Robinson placed seventh in the 100-meter hurdles in 19.74 and fourth in the 300 hurdles in 54.13, while Kayden Olguin added sixth in the 110 hurdles in 19.89 and seventh in the 300 hurdles in 48.47. The girls 4x200 relay finished 11th in 2:12.45.

That spread of results mattered for a Bulldogs team that brought more than just its headline names. Charleigh Lopez, Elena Sandoval, Zeihnyeall Gonzales, Johnalynn Baca Bowie, Isabela Maldonado, Abram Dominguez, Brody Robinson and Sylar Booth were among the Primero athletes listed in the meet results, underscoring the depth the program has built around its spring roster.

For Primero High School, the performance at Swink pointed to a throwing group that continues to produce and a broader track program that is putting athletes into scoring and placing positions across multiple events. Sanford’s rise from a 42-foot, 3¼-inch finish in 2025 to 46-0 this season showed measurable year-over-year growth, while Robinson and Olguin gave the Bulldogs points in the hurdle races and the relay team kept the school in the mix on the track.

For a rural school in Las Animas County, those numbers do more than fill a results sheet. They show a program with enough organization, coaching and buy-in to keep developing athletes who can compete well outside Primero’s own league schedule and bring state-level relevance home to the community.