Los Lunas Tiger Invitational Opens Track Season With Strong Early Performances

Wrapped in blankets and winter coats beneath a bright blue sky, athletes, coaches and fans packed Los Lunas High School on March 7-8 for the Tiger Invitational, and the host Tigers gave them plenty to cheer about despite the chill.

The Los Lunas boys dominated from the start, coasting to the team title with 185.50 points, more than three times the output of second-place Mayfield, which finished with 51.25. Moriarty was third at 43.50. Valencia placed ninth with 12 points.

Boys coach Joseph Baca liked what he saw. "Our team is looking strong," he said. "Stronger than it's probably been in past years."

The results backed him up. Los Lunas won 11 boys events, including a sweep of all four relays. The Tigers posted 44.33 in the 4x100, 1:34.05 in the 4x200, 3:35.67 in the 4x400 and 9:10.48 in the 4x800.

Among individual boys champions, Tayson Gaxiola was the standout, winning both the 200 meters in 22.93 and the 400 meters in 51.03. Joaquin Trujillo took the 100 meters in 11.41, while Brady Garcia won the 3200 meters in 10:25.47. Angel Aguilar claimed the 110-meter hurdles in 15.73, Emiliano Laport cleared 6-0 to win the high jump, and Malaki Maestas threw 150 in the javelin. Valencia's Elias broke 2:01 to win the 800 meters in 2:00.71.

On the girls side, Santa Fe edged Los Lunas for the team title, 96 to 87.50. Moriarty finished third with 51 points, and VHS placed 11th with 8 points.

Valencia's Marlea Klobuchar won the pole vault with a clearance of 8-6. Los Lunas collected individual titles through Adrianna Cordova, who won the 100 meters in 13.26, and Ashley Caraveo, who took the 300 hurdles in 53.68. The Los Lunas girls 4x200 relay team added another first-place finish in 1:52.26.

With the season just beginning, coaches and athletes treated the results as an early measuring stick rather than a final verdict. The Tiger Invitational offered a first look at how winter training has paid off, and for the Los Lunas boys especially, that early evidence pointed somewhere promising.