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(Counter clockwise) Clovis freshman Lorena Garza, sophomore Renata Porterfield, senior Vanessa Vaca, freshman Kacee Escobar, sophomore Aimee Hilburn and senior Tyisha Brown have all qualified for state this weekend. Photo by Eric Kluth
It’s bear-hunting time for the Clovis High Lady Wildcats.
Specifically, “Lady Bears,” as in La Cueva.
CHS girls track coach Darrel Ray said the Lady Cats will need a near-flawless showing in the Class 5A state meet to win their first team championship since 1999, but he’s optimistic they’re positioned to do it.
“Everybody’s chasing La Cueva,” Ray said of the three-day event beginning today at the University of New Mexico track stadium in Albuquerque. “I feel like there’s only three teams that pull close enough to make them sweat.”
Those would be Gallup, Eldorado and Clovis.
Ray said one of the keys is to win, or at least place high in, the 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter relays.
Clovis, which has won the 400 relay at state each of the last three years, comes in ranked second in that event and fourth in the 800 relay. The Lady Cats are seventh in the 1,600 relay.
To that end, senior Monique Walker has been moved out of the 100 to run the anchor leg of the 1,600 relay. Walker also anchors the other two relays, and will compete in the 200 and long jump.
“Monique’s got to have a good weekend,” Ray said. “We need her to win the 200 and place in the top three in long jump.
“If we can’t win (the relays), we probably can’t win the meet. We’ve got to win the three relays to win the meet.”
Other potential contenders are junior Cristin Vick in pole vault and sophomores Brittany Blackmon in high jump and Kim Perkins in the 300 hurdles. Vick has a personal best of 10 feet, matching La Cueva’s Allie Snell and Alamogordo’s Brittany Armstrong for the top mark this spring in 5A.
Blackmon doesn’t compete in high jump, her only event, until Saturday afternoon. Her season-best of 5-3 in a qualifier meet at Hobbs in late-April puts her among the class leaders, and she’s consistently hit the 5-1 mark.
“I’m kind of nervous, but not really,” said Blackmon, who made it to state last year in high jump. “I just have a lot of determination when I jump.
“I know I’ve jumped (5-3) before, and I can do it again.”
Ray said Blackmon has a good chance at winning.
“She’s been as consistent as anybody in the state, if not more consistent,” he said. “What I like most about her is she answers challenges. If she feels like she’s got competition, she’ll go for it.”
Sophomore Kim Perkins, who also runs on the 400 and 800 relays, ranks fourth in the hurdles after winning in 47.24 seconds in Saturday’s 4-5A District meet at Leon Williams Stadium.
“I’m really glad to be going in the hurdles,” said Perkins, who also qualified last year. “I really have to work on my starts, but hopefully I can run a 46 this weekend and be first at state.”
The Lady Cats have three events today — Vick, freshman Kela Williams (110 hurdles preliminaries) and the 400 and 1,600 relay prelims.
Clovis’ squad of 17 this weekend includes just three seniors — Walker, Tyisha Brown (shot put) and Vanessa Vaca (javelin)