The stars shine at Harper meet
Mayoral, Byrd, Morris win impressively at prep track and field event
Look. There’s Amanda Mayoral, running in one race while everyone else behind her seemed to be running in another.
Or there. Watch Jordan Byrd, showing off a fifth gear that is unrivaled.
Take a short walk. And see Jackson Morris establish a record in his final home meet.
Oscar-caliber performances
abounded Saturday for the metro area’s elite track and field athletes as the Richard A. Harper Memorial meet concluded on a warm Saturday afternoon at Albuquerque Academy.
This recap could be initiated with any number of stellar performances, but perhaps best to start with Morris, the Chargers’
muscular throwing ace who, on his final attempt in the javelin, set a meet record with a heave of 202 feet, 10 inches.
“It was awesome,” said the Colorado State-bound Morris. “I just got really pumped up and I said, ‘I’m gonna do a big throw.’ ”
The previous record, 201-3, had been established 12 years ago by Highland’s Anthony Fairbanks.
“This one, I knew it,” Morris said with a smile. “I knew it was going pretty far when I released it.”
Byrd, a Manzano junior, continued to prove definitively that he has no peers in the short sprints.
He beat Los Lunas’ O’maury Samuels and Volcano Vista’s David Cormier in the 100-meter final — after Byrd dusted them both while setting a meet record in the prelims on Friday — winning Saturday in 10.76 seconds. Later, Byrd added the 200-meter title, in 22.12 seconds.
“It was good, especially running against O’maury, who I haven’t run with before,” Byrd said. “It’s really fun. We help push each other.”
Mayoral’s effortless-looking style is an enigma for her rivals. The Cleveland junior went out quickly in the 1,600-meter final Saturday and led all the way, adding this to the 3,200 she bagged on Friday. Mayoral finished in 5 minutes, 11.95 seconds, five seconds in front of Cibola’s game Juanita Johnson.
It was a huge day for Cleveland’s girls in general, who lapped the field at the Harper, scoring 99 points. That was more than twice the total of second-place Los Alamos (43½).
“Our biggest strength is we have a lot of depth,” said Cleveland senior hurdler Sarah Mackin. “And we have that very tight team closeness.”
Mackin, a University of New Mexico signee, won both hurdles finals. “I’m going into metros (next week) with a lot of confidence,” she said.
Caitlin Barnard, Friday’s long jump champ, added the 100 on Saturday as her Cleveland teammate, Aphiniti Crupper, who won the 100 earlier in the week at the Sepulveda, opted to try to qualify in the 200 instead.
The Storm also set a meet record in the 4x400-meter relay.
Volcano Vista’s and Academy’s boys tied for first place, each with 73 points, and it was thought to be the first tie in the meet’s history.
Aside from Byrd and Morris, the most memorable effort of the day belonged to Eldorado junior Harrison Smith III.
Academy’s Jordan Lesansee set the pace for the first 3½ laps in the 1,600-meter final, with Smith a stride behind him. Nobody was close to that duo, which pulled away.
But Smith finally overtook Lesansee with about 200 meters to go in a thrilling mano a mano final. Smith nearly broke the meet record, falling about a second short of the mark in a time of 4:18.51. Lesansee was three seconds behind as Smith beat the Charger for the first time in his life.
“The first lap was 64 (seconds) and I thought, ‘Wow, this is gonna be really quick,’” said Smith. “And Jordan didn’t let up at all. Last year, he did the same thing to me — he put such a big gap between us I couldn’t catch him. I knew (today) I had to stay with him. I found another gear.”
Another girls D-1 signee, Lauren Green of Volcano Vista (Nevada), won the 400.
“This is my favorite meet,” Green said. “I get the best feeling here. I don’t know if it’s the track or the atmosphere. It’s just something about this meet.”
Green also ran second to Del Norte’s Malakah Martinez — herself with several D-1 offers, although she has yet to commit — in a odd-looking, two-girl 200-meter final with six others having scratched.
Cleveland’s boys, who were third, five points behind Academy and Volcano Vista, produced several event winners Saturday: Daniel Johnson in the 110-meter hurdles, Veto Virgin in the 300 hurdles and Dylon Sandoval in the 400.
The Albuquerque Metro Championships are next Thursday and Friday at Nusenda Community Stadium.