The Pahrump Valley High School track and field team turned in an impressive performance at the Dave Butler Memorial Las Vegas Open Invitational on Saturday, March 7, competing against a massive field of 30 teams and approximately 2,600 athletes at Legacy High School. The all-day event began at 9 a.m. and continued well into the evening, wrapping up around 7:30 p.m.
Unlike a typical meet, the invitational featured a unique schedule that included newcomer races, mixed relays combining boys and girls, and wheelchair events. Despite the size and scope of the competition, the Trojans delivered a standout performance highlighted by numerous personal bests and strong finishes across both track and field events.
By the end of the day, the Pahrump Valley girls captured first place overall among small schools, while the boys team secured second place in the same division.
The distance runners helped set the tone early in the meet. In the 3200-meter newcomer race, Kimberly Trejo represented the Trojans well, finishing eighth overall while recording a personal best time of 15:42.93.
Relay teams also delivered strong performances throughout the day. The boys 4×800-meter relay team of Josh Slusher, Logan Tilley, Daniel Thompson and Kris Trejo finished third among small schools with a time of 9:23.51. The girls 4×800 relay team followed with a dominant effort, as Julianna “Jules” Ondrisko, Alexis Clouser, Ava Bowers and Addi Nelsen captured first place with a time of 11:03.64.
In the girls 100-meter hurdles, Diona Nixon led the Trojans with a time of 18.13. Ella Odegard followed with a personal best of 19.12, while Kyndra Cardwell crossed the line in 21.45.
Several of the younger athletes took advantage of the newcomer sprint events to post strong performances. In the boys newcomer 100-meter dash, Rene Gonzalez Valdez ran a personal best 12.52, Nehemiah Jenkins finished in 13.15 and Kelan Sheppard added a personal best of 13.31. On the girls side, Ma’liyah Collins recorded a personal best time of 13.70.
In the open 100-meter dash, Jace Wulfenstein ran a 12.29 while Hunter Wydick finished in 12.74. For the girls, Cindal Monahan completed the race in 14.87.
The Trojans experienced a setback in the boys 4×200 relay, where the team was disqualified after stepping out of their lane. However, the team quickly rebounded in later events.
The boys distance squad delivered one of the meet’s most impressive performances in the 1600 meters. Joaquin Flores finished fifth overall in a highly competitive field, running a personal best time of 4:39.80. Teammates also posted personal bests, with Josh Gent running 4:58.49, Logan Tilley finishing in 5:05.03 and Josh Flores clocking 5:19.70.
In the girls 1600 newcomer race, Ava Bowers recorded a personal best time of 6:19.74. In the seeded girls race, Jules Ondrisko placed 12th with a season-best time of 5:44.57. Addi Nelsen ran a personal best of 6:12.77, while Sophie Romero posted a season-best 6:41.70.
The Trojans also showed strength in the quarter-mile races. In the boys 400 meters, Aydon Veloz ran a season-best 54.89, Jace Wulfenstein followed in 56.24 and Ulisses Alvarez finished in 58.29. For the girls, Aurora Bowers recorded a personal best of 1:06.71, while Mary Miller finished in 1:10.95 and Cindal Monahan crossed the line in 1:11.80.
In the boys 300-meter hurdles, Jayden Crisler delivered a strong showing, finishing ninth overall with a time of 43.49. On the girls side, Diona Nixon ran 52.37, Ella Odegard finished in 57.54 and Kyndra Cardwell completed the race in 1:02.05.
Middle distance runners continued the Trojans’ momentum in the 800 meters. Logan Tilley finished the boys race in 2:17.41, while Daniel Thompson recorded a season-best 2:23.07. In the girls race, Jules Ondrisko posted a season-best time of 2:38.64. Addi Nelsen finished in 2:46.59, and Rosie Miller ran 3:00.64.
The sprint events later in the meet produced additional personal bests. In the boys 200 meters, Rene Gonzalez Valdez ran a personal best 25.58 and Ulisses Alvarez finished in 25.71. For the girls, Ma’liyah Collins recorded a personal best of 28.84 while Cindal Monahan finished in 30.89.
The boys distance runners capped their day in the 3200 meters with another series of personal bests. Joaquin Flores ran 10:26.53, Josh Gent finished in 10:52.72 and Josh Flores crossed the line in 11:38.91. In the girls race, Sophie Romero ran a season-best 14:14.03 while Alexis Clouser finished in 14:31.93.
The Trojans closed the meet with two strong relay victories. In the boys 4×400-meter relay for small schools, the team of Aydon Veloz, Joaquin Flores, Josh Slusher and Ulisses Alvarez captured first place with a time of 3:45.79. The girls relay team of Addi Nelsen, Mary Miller, Rosie Miller and Jules Ondrisko also took first place, finishing in 4:46.80.
The Trojans also made their presence felt in the field events. In the boys shot put, Sonny Skinner placed 11th with a throw of 41 feet, 3.75 inches. Brenden Thorn threw 30 feet, 2.75 inches, while Chasen Hamann recorded a mark of 27 feet, 5.75 inches. On the girls side, Julie Briggs posted a season-best throw of 24 feet, 2 inches. Nyomi Skinner threw 21 feet and Kaylie Abrego reached 16 feet, 3 inches.
In the discus, Sonny Skinner recorded a season-best throw of 119 feet, 11 inches, while Brenden Thorn added a season-best 116 feet, 6 inches. Chasen Hamann threw 93 feet, 1 inch. For the girls, Julie Briggs threw 56 feet, Kaylie Abrego reached 50 feet, 5 inches and Nyomi Skinner threw 45 feet, 3 inches.
In the high jump, Aydon Veloz cleared 5 feet, 6 inches to lead the boys, while Josh Gent and Kris Trejo each cleared 5 feet. For the girls, Rosie Miller cleared 4 feet, 8 inches, with Kimberly Trejo and Aurora Bowers both clearing 4 feet, 6 inches.
The Trojans also had strong performances in the horizontal jumps. In the boys long jump, Jayden Crisler recorded a jump of 18 feet, 6.25 inches, Daniel Thompson jumped 15 feet, 7 inches and Kelan Sheppard reached 15 feet. In the girls long jump, Diona Nixon delivered a personal best jump of 16 feet, placing seventh overall, while Sedona Norton also set a personal best at 13 feet, 9.75 inches.
In the boys triple jump, Crisler finished ninth overall with a mark of 41 feet, 2 inches, while Daniel Thompson jumped 34 feet, 10 inches. For the girls, Sedona Norton jumped 30 feet, 2.5 inches and Sarah Brown recorded a personal best of 26 feet, 2 inches.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Head Coach Dan Nagle emphasized the steady improvement the Trojans continue to show.
“It was a day full of personal best,” Nagle said. “So we’re getting better at each meet and if that continues we will be where we want to be at the end of the season.”
