Women Finish as National Runner Up; Men end in 7th Place
HOBBS, N.M. - The team delivered an outstanding all-around performance this weekend, highlighted by multiple event champions, podium finishes, and strong relay efforts across both the men's and women's squads.
Juliana Sakat led the way with an exceptional meet, capturing three individual titles in the 10,000m, 5,000m, and 1,500m, while also contributing to a second-place finish in the women's 4x800 relay alongside Antonella Lanuza, Maya Curtis, and Alyssa Kulesa.
On the men's side, Miguel Angel Lopez Carranza put together a strong distance double, finishing third in the 10,000m and fourth in the 5,000m, while Pierre Carlier added a fifth-place finish in the 1,500m.
Elizabeth Ewusie also claimed a championship performance in the steeplechase, finishing first, and added an eighth-place finish in the 5,000m. Alyssa Kulesa placed fourth in the steeplechase, complementing her relay success.
Both 4x800 relay squads turned in school records, with the women's team (Lanuza, Curtis, Kulesa, Sakat) and the men's team (Boutaguia, Nelson, Benzem, Carlier) each earning second-place finishes.
In sprint relay, the women's 4x100 team, featuring Taeja Bartee, Mary Laha, Shantay Augustine, and Lyric Butcher, placed sixth, while the 4x400 group (Grace Nwaeme, Maya Bergström Weekes, Mary Laha, and Shantay Augustine) finished seventh.
Natasha Lynch secured the national championship in hammer throw and broke the school record. Arthur Leandro De Sousa also reached the podium, finishing third in the shot put, while Koen Zandvliet narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish in the discus. Gabriel Ortiz broke the school record in the javelin with a fourth-place finish.
In the jumps, Kahdejah Bailey led the way with a second-place finish in the high jump and an additional seventh-place mark in the triple jump. Taeja Bartee contributed a fifth-place finish in the long jump, while Nickiya Shields placed fourth in the triple jump.
Additional contributions came from Rasheda Samuels (5th, high jump), Joshua Carter (8th, long jump), and Lovely Hibbert (7th, shot put).
Mary Laha and Shantay Augustine paced the hurdle group, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 100m hurdles, while also contributing on both relay events.
Ali Benzem highlighted the men's middle-distance group with a third-place finish in the 800m, in addition to his role on the runner-up 4x800 relay. Antonella Lanuza also scored points in the 800m with a sixth-place finish. Hafssa Boutrich added depth in distance events with a seventh-place finish in the 10,000m.
"Championships are a battle of attrition. Whoever survives that war wins. We had too many possible point scorers not deliver where we thought they could. Against good teams, they will always make you pay. I'm proud of how the 45 we brought battled all the way to the end. To come up half a point from a title on the women's side was tough, but we will regroup and try to be back in contention again," said Coach Burnett.