The Pahrump Valley High School track and field team delivered another strong and encouraging showing at the Richard Lewis Invitational in Moapa on Friday, April 24, turning in a meet filled with personal bests, standout finishes and even a pair of school records as the postseason draws closer.
Even without entries in the 4×800-meter relay, the Trojans wasted no time making their presence felt on the track. In the hurdles, Ulisses Alvarez led the way for the boys in the 110-meter race with a time of 19.44, while the girls group showed impressive depth in the 100-meter hurdles. Ella Odegard highlighted the event with a personal best 18.15, followed closely by Diona Nixon at 18.21 and Kyndra Cardwell at 20.98.
Sprint events continued to produce steady improvements. Aeden Redditt ran a personal best 12.03 in the boys 100-meter dash, with Rene Gonzalez Valdez (13.05) and Joseph Scheer (13.23) following. On the girls side, Ma’liyah Collins posted a 13.73, while McKinsey Nottingham (15.05), Cindal Monahan (15.17) and Christine Williams (15.29) rounded out a competitive group.
Distance runners also delivered key performances, particularly in the 1600 meters. Josh Gent led the boys with a personal best 4:52.57, while Azael Machuca (5:22.87) and Timmy Stutzman (personal best 5:23.18) added solid runs. For the girls, Sophie Romero clocked a 6:11.67, Alexis Clouser set a personal best at 6:15.72 and Kimberly Trejo added another personal best with a 6:55.45.
One of the most electric moments of the meet came in the boys 400-meter dash, where Ben De Santiago continued his remarkable season. After first setting the school record earlier this year, De Santiago has now lowered that mark three additional times, breaking his own record for the fourth time this season. His latest performance, a winning 49.21, further cements his place among the state’s elite, ranking him third across all classifications and first in 3A.
The girls 400-meter dash brought more top finishes, as Jules Ondrisko raced to a personal best 1:00.45 to take first place. Avery Farruggia (1:07.97), Monahan (personal best 1:08.05) and Nottingham (personal best 1:08.19) all contributed strong efforts.
In the 300-meter hurdles, Jayden Crisler posted a 43.47 for the boys, while Alvarez added a personal best 45.39. Ondrisko returned in the girls race to take third with a personal best 48.54, while Nixon (personal best 50.83), Odegard (53.35) and Cardwell (1:04.47) continued the team’s consistent showing across events.
Middle-distance races added to the Trojans’ growing list of improvements. Daniel Thompson ran a personal best 2:14.70 in the boys 800 meters, while the girls saw Ava Bowers (personal best 2:38.88), Addi Nelsen (2:40.84), Rosie Miller (2:42.04) and Farruggia (2:55.50) all contribute.
Back in the sprints, De Santiago doubled back in the 200 meters with a 23.69, while Redditt added yet another personal best at 24.55. Gonzalez Valdez (25.94) and Scheer (26.52) followed. For the girls, Collins ran 28.70, Monahan 30.85 and Farruggia 31.23.
The distance events produced another historic moment in the boys 3200 meters, where Joaquin Flores delivered a breakthrough performance. Flores not only set a personal best with his time of 9:55.28, but also broke a school record that had stood since 2005, marking a significant milestone for the program. Competing in a strong field, he finished third while etching his name into Pahrump Valley history. Machuca (11:44.94) and Stutzman (personal best 11:46.92) followed with strong efforts. On the girls side, Romero placed third in 13:19.60, Nelsen finished fourth in 13:50.43, Clouser added a personal best 13:53.55 and Trejo ran 15:13.37.
Relay teams closed out the running events with determination. The boys 4×400 team of Alvarez, Gonzalez Valdez, Gent and De Santiago posted a 3:50.08, while the girls team of Nottingham, Bowers, Odegard and Ondrisko delivered an exciting comeback from fourth place to finish second in 4:25.75.
In the field events, Sonny Skinner led the boys in shot put with a third-place throw of 42 feet, 5 inches, while Taysom Christensen, Brenden Thorn and Chasen Hamann all added solid marks. Chanel Thorn, Julie Briggs and Cailyn Marsh represented the girls in shot put.
Skinner also paced the boys in discus with a throw of 128 feet, 5 inches, followed by Thorn (122-7), Hamann (121-0) and Juan Carlos Rodriguez (102-9). The girls discus saw personal bests from Briggs (79-1) and Chanel Thorn (73-4), while Nyomi Skinner added a 62-3 throw.
In the high jump, Rosie Miller cleared 4-10 to finish fourth, with Trejo clearing 4-8. The pole vault saw personal bests from Jayden Crisler (11-6) and Scheer (9-6) on the boys side, while Cardwell cleared a personal best 7-6 for the girls.
Crisler continued to shine in the jumps, posting a 19-4.5 in the long jump, while Thompson added a personal best 17-4.5. For the girls, Nixon and Savannah Thompson both reached 15-1, with Sarah Brown and Melanie Carson contributing as well.
Crisler capped off his strong meet by winning the boys triple jump with a leap of 43-6, while Thompson added a 35-11.5. Savannah Thompson led the girls triple jump at 31-7, and Juliana Turco recorded a personal best 24-7.5.
From record-breaking performances to a long list of personal bests across nearly every event group, the Trojans continue to build momentum at the right time. With the postseason quickly approaching, Pahrump Valley is showing both the depth and top-end talent needed to compete at a high level, and performances like those in Moapa are a clear sign the team is trending in the right direction.
