Metro-area milers have a great day at state track and field

May 10—Kate Henderson didn't react like she set a state record Friday afternoon.

Sandia Prep's talented junior distance runner broke a 16-year-old record in the Class 3A 1,600 at the University of New Mexico Track and Field Complex. Henderson's time of 5 minutes, 5.80 seconds bested the previous record of 5:10.13, set in 2008.

"It's really meaningful," said Henderson, who was born the year before the previous state record was established. "A state championship, break the state record, and set a (personal record) ... it's pretty crazy."

But she was unaware of how quickly she was moving.

"I wasn't thinking about that during the race, but I guess it kind of worked out," Henderson said. "When I hit the 800 mark, I just started pushing. When I got to the 400, I just gave it all I got. Quick steps all the way around. I told myself not to give up and keep pushing."

Henderson still has the 800 and 3,200 on Saturday, but said she was immensely pleased to win the mile, which she believes is the most difficult of the distances.

"I really wanted to become state champion in the mile, and it came true, and that was exciting," she said.

The metro area showed big in both genders in the 1,600 on Friday, which was the only open running final on the first day of the Class 1A-3A state meet.

Chesterton Academy senior Cecilia Campos (5:26.36) was the 1,600-meter champion in Class 1A, with eighth-grader Olivia Marquez of Oak Grove Classical Academy and freshman Faith Lujan of Legacy Academy rounding out the top three.

Campos trailed Marquez for over three-and-a-half laps, but ran her down in the final 200 meters.

"My strategy was just to take it easy the first few laps and pick it up little by little," Campos said. She lowered her PR in this event by eight seconds, she said. "I know she starts fast ... I honestly wasn't sure that I'd pass her in time."

Sophomore Joshua Marquez, Olivia's older brother, took the boys 1A title (4:42.76), and Shane Yara of Cottonwood Classical Prep (4:35.61) was the 3A state champ. Yara, a junior, overtook St. Michael's Landen Sandoval on the final lap.

"I trust my kick, I have a really good kick, so I knew I could outkick him in the last 400," Yara said. "Because it's a long (race), I trusted that I had the ability inside me."

Joshua Marquez also ran a leg of Oak Grove's state winning 4x800-meter relay. Cottonwood Classical Prep's girls also claimed a victory in the 4x8, which was the day's first event.

The boys 3A discus proved to be one of the more unusual events of the day, but only partially because East Mountain senior Tony Melof won the event.

Roman Garcia, the mayor of Vaughn, N.M. who was working that event as an official, was knocked out by a wayward discus toss by one of the Class 2A girls competitors during warmups. He was struck flush in the left side of his face, then fell backward to the ground, and apparently was briefly unconscious after his head smacked against the track surface.

After about 30 minutes of medical attention, Garcia was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, but appeared to be in good spirits and alert when he was carted off the facility in a stretcher. Nothing more was immediately known about his condition Friday night.

Melof was about to make his final three throws; the 2A girls were warming up while waiting for him to complete work in the 4x200-meter relay. Garcia was struck on the left side of his face from only about 15 feet away.

Melof of the Timberwolves broke three school records Friday in the discus, but none occurred in his three throws in the finals. His 136 foot, 1-inch heave in prelims stood up.

"I don't really remember anything about it, which to me is a good sign," Melof said of his winning throw. "I was just letting my body throw and going with muscle memory. ... I've been throwing good all week, and I felt ready coming into it."

Melof was the No. 2 seed in the event; he edged out Cobre's Derek Schuller in the discus. Schuller later came back and won the 3A shot put, with a mark of 51 feet, 6 1/2 inches.

But Schuller said he was hoping to approach 56 feet on Friday.

"I did not get what I wanted to. Kind of irks me," Schuller said. He also qualified for the 100-meter final on Saturday. "A little regret, but I'll be fine."

Of the three boys discus finals Saturday, it was 2A's Solomon Ross (142-3), of Santa Rosa, who recorded the best single throw of the day. Maya Kronberg of Bosque School (105-3) won the final field event of the day, the 3A girls discus.

Day 2 begins at 10 a.m. Saturday on the track, 8 a.m. for field events.