CHS Track at District 4/5A Tournament

By Don Eskins

Carlsbad High’s Cavemen and Cavegirl track and field teams will be in Clovis on Friday, May 8, to compete in the District 4/5A Tournament.

While in Wildcat country, both teams and their individual participants will be shooting for district titles.

Also at stake in Clovis is a trip to this year’s state tournament, set to take place in Albuquerque on Friday and Saturday, May 15-16.

At the district meet, Cavemen and Cavegirl thinclads can punch their tickets to state by meeting New Mexico qualifying times and marks or by finishing first or second in their individual events.

“We’ll be ready to go! However, at our district meet, our goal will be to maximize the number of athletes—and the number of events they may compete in—at state,” said CHS head track coach Charles Millar. “So, our entries are going to reflect that.

“There’s a little bit of a chess match amongst kids who compete in each event,” he continued. “We hope to put up the kids we feel will have the best opportunity to score points at district—and at the same time have the best opportunity to qualify for state—in all of the scheduled events.”

So far, 2026 has been a good year for CHS’s thinclads, both seasoned and new.

“Overall, we’ve had a good year with some great success stories. Cassie Bielstein has been having an incredible senior year,” said Millar. “She’s been a workhorse for us for four years, and it will be sad to see her graduate, as it will be for Atria.

“Lennon Ananins is also having an incredible year. He’s worked his way onto two relays and is the top javelin thrower in the district. And then there’s Jonah Moyers, Marlely Munoz, and Bryan King, who’ve put out solid performances for us just about every week,” said the CHS coach. “Kaylee Dowdy and Shaelyn Dominguez have also been experiencing great seasons in the sprints as well. “

Ross Black Relays

CHS’s track and field teams got their final pre-district tune-up of the season at the Ross Black Relays in Lovington on Thursday, April 30.

However, CHS’s objectives at the meet weren’t so much about winning as about qualifying kids for state.

“We’d already qualified several of our kids for state, so, in Lovington, we sat a few kids like Atria Wells and Bryan King down in a few events to give other kids an opportunity to qualify,” said Millar. “To do that, we had to give up some team points, but giving kids another opportunity to qualify for state was more important.

“The weather wasn’t so cooperative either, so we left about half of our team at home,” he said. “We also left the meet early. We wanted to get our kids out of the bad weather, to keep them healthy and fresh for district.”

Turning in top performances for the Cavemen were gold medal winners Jonah Moyers, high jump; Braden Florez, javelin; and their 4x100 relay team, comprised of Trey Barta, Colton McKibben, Lennon Ananins, and Bryan King.

For the Cavegirls, turning in gold medal performances were Atria Wells, discus; Patience Renfro, triple jump; and their 4x100 Meter Relay team, comprised of Chaselynn Casey, Campbell Foster, Cassie Bielstein, and Kaylee Dowdy.

On the day, both the Cavemen and Cavegirls medaled in eight events. Those picking up medals were:

Cavemen Medalists: 1st place gold: javelin, Braden Florez 137-9; high jump, Jonah Moyers 6-0; 4x100 meter relay, Trey Barta, Colton McKibben, Lennon Ananins, Bryan King 44.28; 2nd place silver: javelin, Lennon Ananins, 135-6; 3rd place bronze: 100 dash, Jason Beene, 11.68; 3200 run, Javion Scott, 10:27.35; high jump, Marley Munoz, 5-10; and triple jump, Marley Munoz, 42-11.

Cavegirl Medalists: 1st place gold: discus, Atria Wells, 126-6; 4x100 meter relay, Chaselynn Casey, Campbell Foster, Cassie Bielstein, and Kaylee Dowdy, 52.15; 2nd place silver: 100 hurdles, Cassie Bielstein, 17.24; long jump, Cassie Bielstein 16-0; triple jump, Kylee Kunkel, 30-6; 3rd place bronze: 100 meter dash, Kaylee Dowdy, 13.29; high jump, Rylan Blair, 4-8; triple jump, Meagan McKibben, 30-4; pole vault, Aubrey Baeza, 7-0; and shot put, Lexus Munoz, 32-9.

Ross Black Relays Results

Top 10 Finishes, Top 6 Places

Carlsbad Cavemen

100 Dash: 3. Jason Beene, 11.68; 6. Jaden Harper, 11.94; 8. Damian Valencia, 11.95; 9. Andrew Fuentes, 12.02

3200 Run: 3. Javion Scott, 10:27.35; 4. Rex Reynolds, 11:10.62; 5. Josiah Waddle, 11:11.98; 7. Judah Wittmayer, 11:14.96

110 Hurdles: 3. Bryan King, 16.69; 5. Logan Hufstedler, 18.19

4x100 Meter Relay: 1. Trey Barta, Colton McKibben, Lennon Ananins, Bryan King, 44.28;

4x800 Meter Relay: 3. Caiden Smith, Aiden Mendez, Kleyvin Hernandez, Moldonado, Kaleb Vasquez 9:22.64

High Jump: 1. Jonah Moyers, 6-0; 3. Marley Munoz, 5-10

Long Jump: 4. Josiah Workman, 19-7; 7. Sam Onsurez, 18-8

Triple Jump: 3, Marley Munoz, 42-11; 5. Josiah Workman, 41-4; 7. Bennett Adsero, 39-11

Pole Vault: 4. Mathyis Meier, 9-6

Javelin: 1. Braden Florez, 13-9; 2. Lennon Ananins, 135-6; 4. Marley Munoz, 115-2; 7. Uriel Caro, 94-6

Shot Put: 6. Daniel Acosta, 40-2; 8. Ethan Rocha, 38-9

Carlsbad Cavegirls

100 Meter Dash: 3. Kaylee Dowdy, 13.29; 4. Shaelyn Dominguez, 13.53; 8. Haley Long, 13.80; 9. Chaselynn Casey, 14.07

3200 Run: 6. Jeannette Gonzales, 15:53.14

100 Hurdles: 2. Cassie Bielstein, 17.24; 5. Kylee Kunkel, 18.29; 9. Kenzington Vaughn, 19.75

4x100 Meter Relay: 1. Chaselynn Casey, Campbell Foster, Cassie Bielstein, Kaylee Dowdy, 52.15

High Jump: 3. Rylan Blair, 4-8

Long Jump: 2. Cassie Bielstein, 16-0; 4. Chaselynn Casey, 15-1; 6. Andrea Cortez, 14-7; 7. Rowyn Navarrette, 14-5

Triple Jump: 1. Patience Renfro, 30-10; 2. Kylee Kunkel, 30-6; 3. Meagan McKibben, 30-4; 5. Kenzington Vaughn, 29-5

Pole Vault: 3. Aubrey Baeza, 7-0; 4. Nicki Abeyta, 7-0; 4. Okalonii Negrete, 7-0

Discus: 1. Atria Wells, 126-6; 10. Aliyah Sandate, 66-0

Javelin: 8. Taygen Dowdy, 78-2; 9. Atria Wells, 77-5

Shot Put: 3. Lexus Munoz, 32-9