Los Lunas, Belen athletes shine at Meet of Champions

Sophia Cox kept Belen in the state conversation at the Marilyn Sepulveda Meet of Champions, where only athletes with one of New Mexico’s top eight marks and times across all classifications earned a lane at the University of New Mexico Track and Field Complex. That made every finish count for Valencia County, and Los Lunas and Belen delivered several of them.

Angel Aguilar led the Los Lunas group with a third-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles and a fifth in the 300 hurdles. Alexjandara Bachicha added a sixth-place finish in the 300 hurdles, Tayson Gaxiola placed sixth in the 400 meters, and Malaki Maestas finished sixth in javelin. Cox, meanwhile, remained one of the county’s most recognizable track names, taking second in the 100 and 200 meters and fifth in the 400 at the April 17, 2025 meet. Her earlier marks, 11.36 seconds in the 100 and 59.73 in the 400 at a Los Lunas invite, had already shown she still belongs among New Mexico’s elite sprinters.

The county’s reach stretched far beyond track. Bosque Farms native Holly Holm is set for a rematch with Stephanie Han on May 30 at the El Paso County Coliseum, with ESPN carrying the card. Han won the first fight in January by technical decision after an accidental head butt caused a cut, and the event is being billed as a title-night showcase by Most Valuable Promotions.

Belen is also keeping its gym busy. Belen Consolidated Schools is planning a December girls basketball tournament with a Pink Out theme, bringing in Santa Fe Capital, Portales, Valley, Cibola, West Las Vegas, Sandia Prep and Cottonwood Classical. The event fits Belen’s long holiday-tournament tradition, including the Hub City Tournament, and gives another set of visiting teams a reason to play in Valencia County.

The pipeline out of the county kept moving in college and coaching circles. Former Los Lunas standout Jalin Holland was named Best Defender and co-Most Improved Player at Colorado’s men’s basketball awards banquet, and the Buffaloes later said he will return for the 2026-27 season. Los Lunas softball standout Jaslene Duran signed with Northeast Community College, where coach Erin Sharpe, a Bosque Farms native and member of Valencia County’s 2015 state championship softball team, now helps lead the program. Former Los Lunas head football coach Greg Henington also turned up at Cleveland High School, which has won five of the past six 5A state championships, a reminder that Valencia County’s influence still runs through some of the state’s biggest programs.