A Name Worth Honoring: Marilyn Sepulveda Meet of Champions Brings Out New Mexico's Finest at UNM — Tigers Represent, Wildcats Join the Field

ALBUQUERQUE — Under skies that couldn't quite make up their mind Monday, New Mexico's best high school track and field athletes gathered at the University of New Mexico Track and Field Complex for the most prestigious invitational meet in the state — a meet that carries the name of an Alamogordo legend.

The annual Marilyn Sepulveda Meet of Champions lured scores of the state's elite performers for an afternoon and early evening that included, alternately, calm conditions, stiff wind, and rain. When the dust and raindrops settled, the results sheet told the story of a statewide all-star showcase unlike anything else on the New Mexico prep calendar.

The Woman Behind the Name

The meet's namesake is no stranger to readers of the Alamogordo Town News. This prestigious event honors the late Marilyn Sepulveda — Alamogordo's own women's track and field coach, English teacher, and the driving spirit behind one of Southern New Mexico's most enduring athletic legacies. Medals are sponsored by her husband, the legendary Coach Bob Sepulveda. Together, the Sepulvedas delivered unparalleled results through their leadership of student athletes across decades of service to Alamogordo High School and the broader New Mexico sports community.

Coach Bob Sepulveda was a trailblazer of Hispanic origin who crossed racial and cultural lines with his Irish wife, partner, and co-coach, Marilyn. She was not only a teacher of the English language but a teacher of life — one who built champions in spikes and in character. Their son, Rene Sepulveda, himself a former NCAA track and field coach and local entrepreneur, helped establish this meet in her honor, a recognition that has grown each year since its founding into the premier all-class invitational in the state.

This is, as coaches statewide will tell you, the state championship preview. The Marilyn Sepulveda Meet of Champions invites only athletes who have posted a top-10 performance in their event across all school size classifications in New Mexico — a standard that alone tells you everything about the caliber of competition on display. To qualify is an honor. To win is a statement.

The 2026 edition was hosted by Rio Rancho High School and run using HY-TEK's Meet Manager at the UNM Track and Field Stadium, with field events opening the afternoon and running finals stretching into the early evening as New Mexico weather kept things interesting.

Individual Event Champions — 2026 Marilyn Sepulveda Meet of Champions

Girls Events

Girls 100 Meter Hurdles: Onaleigh Leiro, Eldorado — 15.01 

Girls 100 Meter Dash: Syrianna Raphiel, Clovis — 12.09 

Girls 200 Meter Dash: Syrianna Raphiel, Clovis — 24.25 

Girls 400 Meter Dash: Izabelle Akins, Sandia — 56.98 

Girls 800 Meter Run: Laila Martinez, Grants — 2:18.52 

Girls 1600 Meter Run: Laila Martinez, Grants — 5:07.76 

Girls 300 Meter Hurdles: Onaleigh Leiro, Eldorado — 45.00 

Girls 3200 Meter Run: Results pending full tabulation 

Girls Triple Jump: Grace Erinle, Albuquerque Academy — 38'11.5" 

Girls Pole Vault: Kate Crowell, La Cueva — 11'6" 

Girls Long Jump: Averi Schultz, Espanola Valley — 16'11"

Girls Discus: Sarah Martis, Los Alamos — 122'11"

Boys Events

Boys 110 Meter Hurdles: Marcos Ornelas, Artesia — 14.82 

Boys 100 Meter Dash: Hershul Olloway, St. Pius X — 10.68 

Boys 200 Meter Dash: Jhett Kinghorn, La Cueva Boys 

400 Meter Dash: Amin Cooper, Albuquerque High — 48.36 

Boys 800 Meter Run: Tagoya Pedro, Laguna Acoma — 1:53.56 

Boys 1600 Meter Run: Elijah England, Navajo Prep — 4:18.66 

Boys 300 Meter Hurdles: Raymundo Lujan, Eldorado — 38.84 

Boys 3200 Meter Run: Talen Riley, Volcano Vista — 9:37.50 

Boys Triple Jump: Raymundo Lujan, Eldorado — 47'3" 

Boys Pole Vault: Jhett Kinghorn, La Cueva — 14'0" 

Boys High Jump: J'Quan Samuels, Menaul — 6'6" Boys Discus: Aaron Torres, Fort Sumner — 159'0" 

Boys Long Jump: Marcos Perea-Ochoa, West Mesa — 22'9.5" 

Boys Javelin: Jett Whitmire, Artesia — 180'4"

Standout Performances and Double Winners

The headline of the day, before the weather turned, belonged to St. Pius X senior Hershul Olloway Jr. He claimed the premier event of the afternoon — the 100-meter final — with a winning time of 10.68 seconds.

Albuquerque High's Amin Cooper pushed him hard across the line before doubling back to claim first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.36. 

Olloway, widely regarded as one of New Mexico's elite returning football running backs, was characteristically direct about what draws him to a meet like this: competing against the best, regardless of classification.

Clovis sprinter Syrianna Raphiel was the most dominant girls performer on the track, sweeping the 100 and 200 meter dashes with marks of 12.09 and 24.25 respectively.

Eldorado's Onaleigh Leiro matched that double-winner energy on the other side of the hurdles, taking both the 100-meter hurdles in 15.01 and the 300-meter hurdles in 45.00.

Her Eldorado teammate Raymundo Lujan pulled off the boys' equivalent — winning both the 300-meter hurdles in 38.84 and the triple jump at 47'3", establishing himself as one of the meet's most versatile performers of the day.

La Cueva's Jhett Kinghorn, a multi-sport standout whose football exploits are equally well-known in Albuquerque, cleared 14 feet in the boys' pole vault and crossed the 200-meter finish line first — a signal that the Bears are quietly building toward something special heading into the state championship

Grants' Laila Martinez was the distance star of the girls' field, sweeping the 800 (2:18.52) and 1600 (5:07.76) in commanding fashion

Navajo Prep's Elijah England's 4:18.66 in the boys' 1600 stood as one of the most impressive raw marks of the entire afternoon.

In the field events, Los Alamos senior Sarah Martis put the girls' discus competition to rest early with a throw of 122'11", well beyond state qualifying standard and a mark that announced her as the clear favorite heading into May.

Artesia's Jett Whitmire was equally dominant in the boys' javelin, launching a 180'4" throw for the win.

Top Programs at the 2026 Meet

While the Marilyn Sepulveda Meet of Champions does not crown an official team champion — the meet exists expressly to honor individual excellence across all classifications — the depth of top-three finishes tells its own story. 

Eldorado showed the most balanced program, placing multiple double-winners and logging points across hurdles, jumps, and sprints.

La Cueva contributed strength in field events and the sprints.

Artesia was a force in the throwing events and hurdles.

For distance depth, St. Pius X, Volcano Vista, and Santa Fe were consistently in the hunt across the 1600 and 3200 meters.

Alamogordo High School at the Meet

Alamogordo High School made the trip north to represent Southern New Mexico among the state's elite.

Simone Pamphile turned in a strong showing in the girls' long jump, finishing fifth with a mark of 16'1" — a competitive result against a field drawn from all five classifications statewide.

Cloudcroft did not have athletes who met this year's top-10 statewide qualifying standard across events and was not in the field. 

Tularosa was represented in the girls' discus, where Alivya Young placed seventh with a throw of 99'0" — a respectable showing for a 3A program competing on the same stage as 6A powerhouses.

For Tiger fans watching with an eye toward the NMAA State Championships in May, the meet served as valuable competitive intelligence. 

The Alamogordo program has produced qualifiers in throwing events and sprints in recent seasons, and the young athletes who earned berths this year are proving they belong in the same conversation as the best in the state.

A Legacy That Endures

Every April, when New Mexico's finest young track and field athletes line up at the University of New Mexico with the Sandia Mountains at their backs, they are competing in the shadow of Marilyn Sepulveda's name — whether they know it or not.

She was a coach. A teacher. A woman who crossed the cultural divides of mid-20th century Southern New Mexico with grace, purpose, and an unwavering belief in what young people were capable of when someone pushed them to find out. She taught the English language in the classroom and the language of excellence on the track. She helped build a coaching partnership with her husband Bob that produced state champions, lifelong athletes, and community leaders for decades.

For Alamogordo, this is not just a track meet. It is a homecoming — a reminder that one of New Mexico's most honored sports traditions carries our city's name on it, and that the woman it honors gave a great deal of herself to put us on the map.

The state championships are weeks away. The performances logged on Monday at UNM will echo in those lanes and pits when the medals truly matter.

For complete official results, visit: nm.milesplit.com/meets/730366-marilyn-sepulveda-meet-of-champions-2026

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