Track and Field Alums

Ten Heights students have gone on to win gold medals at the high school state track meet in Albuquerque in the past 20 years. In 2006, as an eighth-grader, Sophie Foutz ran for Farmington High on the state champion girls' 1,600-meter medley relay. In 2008, Heights grad Josh Newsome, running for FHS, won the Class AAAA boys' 100 meters in 10.96 seconds and the 200 meters in 21.89 seconds. He also ran on the state champion 1,600-meter relay along with Heights grad Evan With. The quartet clocked a 3:24.35. In 2012, Zhianna Flores (who ran at Heights as Zhianna McDonald) won the 300-meter hurdles at the state track meet in 43.61 seconds, breaking the state record. In 2013. Flores broke the 200-meter dash state record twice, running a 25.30 in the preliminaries and a 25.11 in the finals. She also repeated as the 300-meter hurdles state champion, clocking a 43.76. In 2014, as a senior, Flores broke her state record in the 300-meter hurdles, winning her third consecutive title in the event with a 42.89. The 42.29 she ran as a junior stood in 2014 as the 16th fastest 300- meter hurdles ever run by a high school girl. Zhianna Flores runs 25.11 to win the 200-meter dash at the 2013 state track meet. Also in 2013, Farmington Scorpion Jermey Klepac won the 300 hurdles at the AAAA state track meet, running a 40.28. Klepac also was a member of the state championship 800-meter relay which clocked 1:28.75. And, the Heights alum won the long jump with a leap of 21-10 3/4. Klepac added a second place as a member of the FHS 1,600- meter relay team to earn the trophy for the top point-getter at the state meet.

In 2014, Heights track alum Kaleigh Graham won the shot put at the state track meet with a heave of 38 feet. In 2015, as a freshman, Heights alum Hannah Sayyeau won the state pole vault with a jump of 9-6. In 2016, as a senior, Heights alum Cassandra Crowell won the state pole vault with a jump of 10-0. In 2017, as a junior, Sayyeau won the Class 6A javelin with a throw of 125-6. In 2018, as a senior, Heights alum Cydnie Stock won the Class 6A 300-meter hurdles in 44.96 seconds, and Sayyeau, as a senior, won the javelin again, this time with a throw of 127-7. In 2019, as a junior, Danielle Lopez won the 5A state shot put with a throw of 39 feet, 5 inches. In fall 2012, Heights track alum Brandon Levi placed second at the state cross country meet, running 16 minutes, 40.4 seconds --an average of 5:14 per mile. Then, in spring 2013, he placed second in the 3,200 meters at the state track meet after taking the lead on the last lap, running a 9:48.02 at the University of New Mexico track. Brandon Levi had a stellar 2012-13 high school season In 2008, Daniel Madera, a Heights alum, won the District 1 AAAA boys' cross country race as an FHS senior. In 2008, Heights eighth-grader Brandon Scott Nall, running for Piedra Vista, was an all-district cross country runner, finishing 10th at the boys' cross country meet in Farmington as a member of the district champion team. Nall then ran with the Panthers at the state meet and finished 37th as the Panthers, including former Heights runner Jordan Keeley, finished fourth in the Class AAAA team totals. At that time, it was PV's highest ever finish at state.

In 2008, Heights alums Brianna Ashley-Willie, Tayla Harmon, Miranda Dennis, Mickayla Hodgemann, and Amber Willems ran on the team that won the District 1AAAA cross country title and finished fifth at state. better than any other PV team had done at state. In 2007, Heights eighth-grader Kachina Ganz, running for Piedra Vista, was an all-district cross country runner. Ganz finished fifth in the District 1AAAA cross country meet in Shiprock. The top 10 finishers earn all-district status. Ganz was second overall on the team to Brianna Ashley-Willie, then a PV junior and a Heights alum. Ashley-Willie was fourth overall. The Panthers placed second as a team to Kirtland Central, one point behind the Broncos, and the next week ran at the state meet in Rio Rancho. Six of the girls were Heights kids --Ganz (still) while Tayla Harmon, Bianca Bialessio, Shelby Ramirez, Amber Willems and Ashley-Willie were Heights alumni. In 2012, Heights alumni Brandon Levi won the boys' District 1 AAAA cross country meet with former Knight Harrison Fleming second. Kerstin Ortiz, who got her start in running as a seventh-grader at Heights, won the girls' race. All three were running for Piedra Vista. Kerstin Ortiz wins the 2012 district cross country title.

Brandon Levi, right, and Harrison Fleming went one-two in the 2012 bov's race. In 2013-14, former Heights Knight Tierney Staley, a Basin high jump champion as an eighth-grader, had an senior year to remember. Staley, a linebacker, had two interceptions in the Farmington Scorpions' 7-0 football state championship victory over Roswell Goddard. Then he won the Class AAAA 182-pound state wresting title. Then he placed third in state in the javelin to help the Scorpions win the state track meet.

Tierney Staley after he won the 182-pound state wrestling championship. To the state high school meet! May 11, 2018: Heights eighth-grader Kylie Goodluck qualified for state in the pole vault, clearing 8-6 at the district track meet in Rio Rancho. She will vault in the 6A division on Saturday. May 10, 2017: Heights eighth-graders Bailey Rasmussen and Jenna Basham will be at the state high school track meet Friday and Saturday in Albuquerque. Rasmussen won the District 1-6A pole vault and will go to state with an eye on placing in the top six. Basham ran a 2:31 in the 800-meter run at the district meet to place fifth and will go to state as a member of the 1,600-meter medley relay team. May 13, 2016: Heights eighth-graders Garret Howell and Maren Hough are at the state high school track meet as relay alternates for Piedra Vista High School! May 9, 2015: Heights eighth-grader McKinzey Allee ran 5:33.74 to place second in the 1,600-meter run at the District 5A high school track championships and qualify for next week's state track meet! April 17, 2014: Heights eighth-grader Cydnie Stock ran a personal best 48.74 seconds Friday in the 300 hurdles to qualify for the state finals in the 300 hurdles! April 15, 2014: Two Heights eighth-graders have qualified to compete at the New Mexico high school track meet May 16-17, 2014, at the University of New Mexico track facility in Albuquerque. Cydnie Stock ran state qualifying times (49.29 and 49.34) in back-to- back weeks of the high school season after our Basin championships, so she will compete in the 300-meter hurdles. Hannah Sayyeau cleared the qualifying height (8-9) in the pole vault. so she will vault Saturday. She also ran 1:01.86 in the 400-meter dash to qualify to run the 400 at state.

April 15, 2014: Two Heights eighth-graders have qualified to compete at the New Mexico high school track meet May 16-17, 2014, at the University of New Mexico track facility in Albuquerque. Cydnie Stock ran state qualifying times (49.29 and 49.34) in back-to-back weeks of the high school season after our Basin championships, so she will compete in the 300-meter hurdles. Hannah Sayyeau cleared the qualifying height (8-9) in the pole vault, so she will vault Saturday. She also ran 1:01.86 in the 400-meter dash to qualify to run the 400 at state.