Belen track meet returns, Los Lunas sweeps county titles amid state qualifiers

Alyssa Trujillo kept Belen in the middle of everything at Eagles Stadium, Emmanuel Valdez delivered a personal-best pole vault and Chalito Cano qualified in the 200 meters as the Jim Burke Quad returned to Belen High School and gave Valencia County an early read on who could carry local pride into district and state competition. The meet came back on Thursday, April 2, after a one-year absence and was trimmed to a quad with Belen, Los Lunas, Valencia and Socorro, but the wind still forced athletes to earn every qualifying mark.

Los Lunas left with both team titles, sweeping the boys and girls standings, while Belen finished second in both divisions. Valencia followed, with Socorro also in the scoring mix and Belen’s B squads included in the order. The result made the meet more than a routine early-season stop. It became one of the county’s first real pressure tests, the kind that shows which programs already have state-caliber depth and which athletes are ready to stretch beyond local competition.

For Los Lunas, Angel Aguilar was the headliner. He won both the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles, continuing a strong season that had already included victories at the Rio Rancho Invitational and the Turner Invitational. The individual sweep helped anchor the Knights’ team effort and reinforced why they entered the meet as the county’s most complete lineup.

Belen answered with athletes spread across multiple events. Trujillo handled one of the meet’s busiest workloads, moving between field and running events while winning the high jump. Valdez’s personal-best pole vault added another points source for the Hawks, and Cano’s qualifying run in the 200 meters kept Belen in the state-qualifying conversation. Belen also showed depth in the jumps and sprints, even as Los Lunas controlled the team totals.

Valencia produced one of the meet’s most efficient distance performances through Ean Elias, who won both the 800 and 1600 meters, hit a qualifying time in the 1600 and helped advance a medley relay. That kind of multi-event production mattered in a meet that drew depth across the board, including 19 boys in the 100 meters. The crowded sprint field underscored how much local talent is already chasing state standards.

Named for Belen coaching Hall of Famer Jim Burke, the meet returned after Belen skipped the event last year while hosting District 5-5A. Its comeback, even in a smaller format, gave the county an early season snapshot: Los Lunas has the team edge right now, but Belen and Valencia both already have athletes capable of making noise when the championship season arrives.