NMMI Sports Press
A small, but feisty contingent of NMMI high school track and field athletes traveled to Albuquerque for the Class 3A state championships this past weekend, overcoming multiple weather delays to bring home six medals while achieving some personal bests.
Junior cadet Sawyer Hull, an all-season athlete with a soccer state championship under his belt, won his first gold medal on Friday, easily topping the field in the high jump by matching his season-best height of 6 feet 2 inches.
He also qualified for the finals in both hurdle distances, finishing seventh in the 110 meter and eighth in the 300.
On Saturday, Hull ran a clean 110 through strong morning winds to finish 5th, with two of the faster competitors being disqualified for leaving their lane and pushing a hurdle with their hand.
Hull’s next scheduled event was the pole vault, but a delay in the Class A event pushed 3A back more than an hour. When the athletes finally began warming up, a lightning delay was announced and everyone in the stadium was sent to their vehicles for more than an hour.
District rival Dexter made the most of the break by playing cornhole in the parking lot, while other teams tossed footballs, tennis balls, frisbees or whatever else they could find to stay warm and pass the time.
Fans, coaches and athletes filed in and out of the stadium twice more as more delays were issued. When pole vault was finally about to begin, it was time for Hull to run the 300, where he improved his qualifying time by nearly two seconds to finish fifth.
Hull qualified for state in pole vault with a 9 foot 6 inch vault at the district meet, despite not competing in the event all season. After clearing 9 feet, Hull was unable to clear 9-6 and immediately began warming up for javelin.
On his first throw, Hull broke his personal best by almost three feet with a 157-foot rocket, beating second place by almost seven feet.
Assistant T&F coach Connor Williamson, also the Colts’ head basketball coach, was with Hull every step of the way and was impressed by his focus and poise through the unexpected delays.
“He doesn’t show a lot of emotion and he’s pretty quiet, so I’d have to call him a silent assassin,” Williamson said. “He’s competitive by nature, and definitely locked in every time he competes.”
Williamson said it’s been a joy to coach an athlete who listens to instruction and immediately applies it to his craft. Hull also plays basketball for Williamson and emerged as a deep scoring threat during the Colts’ run to a playoff berth in the winter.
“He absorbs everything. I can tell him something and he’ll apply it to the next rep,” Williamson said. “But obviously it’s not just coaching. He’s a talented kid. He’s got height, athletic ability, he learns quickly. He’s got a future in college track if he wants it.”
Another junior multi-sport athlete, Cohen Tomasits, took silver in the long jump on Friday morning then barely qualified for the 200 meter dash final with an 8th place finish in the prelims.
But on Championship Saturday, Tomasits improved his time by nearly a second to earn a fourth-place podium finish.
Williamson, a former Colt athlete and Bronco basketball player, who still trains himself for various athletic endeavors, said it’s been rewarding to pass on the knowledge he gained from his past track coaches to a new generation of competitors.
“I’ve been fortunate to learn from some really good coaches and it’s nice to be able to pass everything I’ve learned on to talented athletes like Sawyer and Cohen,” he said. “With school already out, I’m especially proud of this group that made it to state and stuck around to compete.”
Hull finished the meet with the fourth highest individual point total (18), which combined with Tomasits’ points put the NMMI boys’ team in seventh place out of 22 teams.
Four Colts – Jake Hayes, Jonas Pope, Conner DiPour and Cale Taylor – participated in the 4x400 meter relay, finishing eighth with a time of 9:39.38. Williamson noted that the relay team’s alternate, Taiyo Kiyonaga, stuck around to support his team at state despite a small chance of getting to compete.
“He’s from Japan and he asked me if he should stay. He had a chance to qualify for the triple jump, but knew it was slim, but stayed at school for the chance to compete at state, so I’m really proud of him,” said Williamson.
Lady Colt senior Isabella Moya finished off her high school track career competing in the finals of the 800 and 1600 meter runs, and served as anchor for the girls’ medley relay team which also included Siany McGhan, Anastasia Ament and Jaylah Clay.
“Moya has been a good runner for a while so we knew she would qualify for her individual events and she did a great job stepping up for the relay team, because they needed an 800 runner,” said assistant track coach Chantale Riddle. “Anastasia is a thrower, but stepped in when someone else was injured and was very focused and excited to compete at state as a senior.”
Sophomore Sabrina Tanner told her coaches she wanted to learn to vault about halfway through the season and by district was able to qualify with a height of five feet, but at state the starting height was six feet.
Tanner almost cleared the opening height on her final attempt, but her foot hooked the beam. By then most of the spectators had learned how new she was to the event and that she was attempting a major personal best, drawing cheers.
“She was so nervous and Connor is her vaulting coach and he was with Sawyer for high jump, so me and coach Abel did our best to help her and there was a nice man sitting next to us that gave her advice and encouragement,” Riddle said. “She was terrified, almost in tears before the event, but by the last attempt she really went for it and was so close. I think this experience has given her major motivation and she’s already planning to attend some camps during the summer.”
NMMI’s longtime multi-sport coach Jan Olesinski missed state while recovering from surgery, but Riddle said he was constantly calling to get results and offer any advice he could.
“He wasn’t physically there, but he was more invested than a lot of people that were,” she said. “He was calling me every two minutes for updates. He really cares about these kids and the programs he runs.”
With high-level former athletes as coaches and dedicated cadets willing to delay their well-earned summers to compete, the future is bright for Colt and Lady Colt Track & Field.
For Day 1 results, which include some finals, click here. For Championship Saturday results, click here.