Tucumcari girls capture district track title

The Tucumcari girls track team breezed to a district title during the Class 3A-4 meet Friday at Ruidoso High School.

The Lady Rattlers amassed 121 1/2 points, well ahead of runner-up Dexter’s 100 points in the team standings. Ruidoso was third with 86 points, and New Mexico Military Institute finished with 61 1/2.

Haisley Huffman, a senior, captured two district titles for the Lady Rattlers. Her 17 feet, 4 1/2 inch effort in the long jump won the event by well over a foot, and her 35-10 distance in the triple jump won it by more than three feet.

Huffman, the defending state champion in both events, is ranked first in Class 3A in both.

July Lafferty took home a district title in the javelin throw with an effort of 105-10. She also finished second in the 400-meter dash in 27.48 seconds. Lafferty previously qualified for state in that event.

Tucumcari’s 1,600-meter relay team of Lafferty, Aubriana French, Riley Knapp and Caylee Benavidez won a district title with a time of 4:48.44.

Tucumcari’s uncontested 400-meter relay team of Lafferty, Huffman, Benavidez and Kyla Lopez won it in 75.34 seconds.

Others who finished in the top five for the Lady Rattlers were:

— Kirksey Smith, second, shot put (29-7 1/4), discus, third, discus (83-3), and second, javelin (94-11);

— French, second, triple jump (31-7), and fifth, long jump (14-5);

— Shantel Lopez, second, discus (87-5);

— Lopez, third, high jump (4-0), and second, 300-meter hurdles (1:02.94);

— Riley Knapp, third, 400-meter dash (70:51);

— Desiree Vargas, fourth, 100-meter dash (0:14.39);

— Aleeja Salvador, fifth, shot put (27-1 3/4);

— Ashlynn Box, fifth, 1,600-meter run (9:44.49);

— 800-meter relay team, second, Lafferty, Huffman, Benavidez and French (1:54.75);

— 1,600-meter sprint medley relay team, second, Desiree Vargas, Benavidez, Knapp and Box (6:33.33);

— 3,200-meter relay team, third, Smith, Amackey Hernandez, Maritza Flores and Cambree Benavidez (17:06.74).

Boys results

\The Tucumcari boys team finished in a tie for third with Dexter at the district meet with 99 points.

Host Ruidoso won the team title with 153 points with strong performances in the relay races, while NMMI finished runner-up with 106 points.

Luis Archuleta won two district titles for the Rattlers — the high jump (6 feet) and triple jump (38-7).

Tucumcari’s Fernando Ureste won the 800-meter run in 2:10.56, outpacing the No. 2 runner by more than nine seconds.

Alex Bueno De La O won the 3,200-meter run for the Rattlers in 11:15.79 and was second in the 1,600-meter run in 5:08.42.

Other Rattlers who finished in the top five at the meet were:

— Nick Romero, second, 110-meter hurdles (0:18.54), third, 300-meter hurdles (0:48.33), fourth, shot put (33-9 1/4), and fourth, discus (102-4);

— Jordan Rincones, second, shot put (38-6 3/4), and third, discus (108-6);

— Jeremy Jones, fourth, 100-meter dash (0:12.23), fifth, 400-meter dash (60.51), and third, long jump (17-5 1/2);

— Diego Martinez, fifth, 200-meter dash (0:26.62);

— 400-meter relay team, fourth, Alijah Martinez, Daymion Urioste, Archuleta and Adan Diaz (0:47.05);

— 800-meter relay team, second, Martinez, Urioste, Archuleta and Diaz (1:37.21);

— 1,600-meter relay team, second, Urioste, Martinez, Jones and Diaz (3:42.82);

— 1,600-meter sprint relay team, second, Martinez, Archuleta, Urioste and Ureste (4:09.32).

The state track meet will be Friday and Saturday at the UNM Track-Soccer Complex in Albuquerque.