CHS Cross Country Bound for NMMI Invitational

kmarksteiner0
15 minutes ago
2 min read

By Don Eskins

The Cavemen and Cavegirl cross country teams will compete at the NMMI Invitational on Saturday, September 20, in Roswell. Competition will get underway at 9 a.m.

After opening the 2025 season on the road, and at much higher elevations, CHS head coach Michael Sims said his staff and kids are looking forward to running closer to home.

“Our first three meets of the season have been at Cloudcroft, Mescalero, and UNM in Albuquerque, all at very high altitudes. Living in the south, where the elevation is much lower, and competing at much higher elevations is tough, “ said CHS head coach Michael Sims. “So, it will be nice for our kids to get to run closer to home and in an environment that they’re more familiar with.

“I’m not sure just how many District 4/5A teams will be running with us at NMMI,” he said. “But I do know that Roswell High will be there, so it will be good for our kids to compete against them. It will be a barometer for us to see how well we stack up against them.”

CHS Times Go Down at UNM

In one of the toughest cross country events of the season, the UNM Invitational, the Cavemen placed 17th, and the Cavegirls 20th.The meet took place in Albuquerque on Saturday, September 13.

UNM hosted a field of 40 boys’ and 40 girls’ teams for the event, featuring many of the top cross country programs in the state.

“Myself and our coaching staff were really happy with the efforts we got from our kids,” he said. “Our rosters are filled with young kids, so that says a lot about how hard they’ve been working this season.”

“The one area that I was most pleased with was their times, in both the boys’ and girls’ races,” he said. “Overall, several of our kids were able to turn in personal bests, and that’s something that we can build on.”

Leading the way for the Cavemen was Rex Reynolds. Reynolds, in placing 76th, turned in a time of 18:12.

Rainelle Ruiz paced the Cavegirl effort. She placed 100th, traveling the course distance in a time of 22:50.

The following are Cavemen and Cavegirl varsity UNM Invitational results:

Cavemen Varsity: 76. Rex Reynolds, 18:12; 89. Dany Hernandez, 18:33; 92. Kaleb Vasquez, 18:37; 93. Javion Scott, 18:37; 103. Josiah Waddle, 18:50; and 142. Caisen Smith, 19:58.

Cavegirl Varsity: 100. Rainelle Ruiz, 22:50; 110. Alyssa Balencia, 23:29; 120. Soledad Martinez, 24:05; 132. Jocelyn Baca, 24:36; 135. Alessandra Aguilar, 24.43; and 167. Jaydance Gutierrez, 29:03.