The Pahrump Valley High School track and field team continued to build momentum during a weekday meet at Spring Valley High School on Thursday, April 9, delivering a well-rounded performance highlighted by strong finishes, personal bests, and several top placements.
With the meet featuring a smaller format, the Trojans did not compete in relay events, instead focusing on individual races and field events—and they made the most of those opportunities.
On the track, the Trojans showed early strength in the hurdles. In the boys 110-meter hurdles, Ulisses Alvarez crossed the line in 20.02, followed by Samuel Sylva in 23.03. On the girls side, Kyndra Cardwell ran 20.42 in the 100-meter hurdles and later returned to compete in the 300-meter hurdles, finishing in 1:02.66. Evan Strain represented the boys in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 52.76.
The sprint events brought several standout performances. In the boys 100-meter dash, Ben De Santiago led the way with a fourth-place finish in 11.62. He was followed by Justin Byers in 12.53, while Evan Strain recorded a personal best of 12.72. Cade Wulfenstein ran 13.00, and Josh Slusher added a personal best of 13.17. Kelan Sheppard (13.74), Samuel Sylva (13.88), Tyler Weaver (personal best 14.29), and Cade Castaneda (personal best 14.77) rounded out the group.
For the girls, Anjolina Mercado turned in an impressive performance, finishing second overall in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.73. She was followed by Cindal Monahan (15.20), K’Lynn Butler (15.29), Avery Farruggia (15.45), Christine Williams (15.46), Melanie Carson (15.84), Juliana Turco (15.99), Patience Moore (16.41), Citlaly Ruvalcaba (16.90), and Kaylie Abrego (18.33).
In the 200-meter dash, De Santiago continued his strong day with a second-place finish in 22.98. Byers posted a 25.17, while Alvarez ran 25.95. Personal bests came from Slusher (26.24), Wulfenstein (26.37), and Strain (26.66). Sheppard (27.20), Weaver (29.76), and Sylva (29.77) also competed.
On the girls side, Mercado again placed second overall, clocking a 28.03. Ma’liyah Collins followed with 29.39, while Monahan (31.28), Farruggia (31.69), Williams (31.82), and Butler (32.57) added solid efforts. Arionna Carson recorded a season best of 33.01, with additional finishes from Melanie Carson (33.37), Turco (34.93), Moore (34.98), Ruvalcaba (35.16), and Abrego, who set a personal best at 37.70.
The middle-distance and distance runners also made a strong impact. In the boys 1600 meters, Azael Machuca led the way with a third-place finish and a personal best time of 5:31.76. Manny DuPart also achieved a personal best at 6:03.87, followed by Akim Khan (6:21.13), Ethan Johnson (6:45.25), and Isaiah Veloz, who ran a personal best of 7:24.61.
The girls 1600 meters proved to be a highlight event for the Trojans, with Ava Bowers taking first overall in 6:23.57 and Alexis Clouser finishing second in 6:34.76.
In the 800 meters, DuPart again set a personal best at 2:45.17, while Khan (2:56.78), Johnson (3:07.39), and Veloz (3:26.18) competed for the boys. For the girls, Aurora Bowers ran a personal best of 2:58.48, just ahead of Avery Farruggia, who also set a personal best at 3:00.26. Christine Williams (3:19.73), Sarah Brown (3:33.31), and Anna Cinelli (personal best 4:20.34) added depth to the event.
The 400-meter dash saw Aydon Veloz deliver one of the top performances of the meet, finishing first overall with a time of 54.48. Byers (58.98) and Sheppard (59.18) followed, while Castaneda posted a personal best of 1:05.56 and Weaver finished in 1:08.46.
On the girls side, Ava Bowers recorded a personal best of 1:09.65, with Monahan close behind at 1:10.49. Arionna Carson added a personal best of 1:13.00, while Brown (1:15.76), Moore (personal best 1:19.92), and Cinelli (personal best 1:50.17) rounded out the group.
Distance runners closed out the meet with strong efforts in the 3200 meters. Machuca posted another personal best at 12:23.71, while Johnson (personal best 15:31.17) and Veloz (personal best 16:58.41) followed. For the girls, Kimberly Trejo ran 15:31.43.
In field events, while throwing competitions were held at individual schools rather than the meet site, the Trojans still delivered standout performances. Sonny Skinner led the way in the boys throws, winning both the shot put with a throw of 42 feet, 10 inches, and the discus with a mark of 133 feet, 10 inches. Chasen Hamann added a second-place finish in discus with a personal best of 118 feet even and threw 30 feet, 11 inches in shot put.
Additional personal bests in the throws came from Ace Blumer (27 feet, 5 inches in shot put), Julio Ackerman (25 feet, 9 inches), Ethan Marsh (23 feet, 10 inches), and Salvador Banuelos (22 feet, 9 inches). Juan Carlos Rodriguez and Lucas Silva also contributed solid marks across both events.
For the girls, Cailyn Marsh led in shot put with a throw of 24 feet, 8 inches, followed by Nyomi Skinner (22 feet, 10 inches) and Julie Briggs (22 feet, 4 inches). In discus, Briggs threw 70 feet, 3 inches, while Skinner reached 59 feet, 10 inches. Ava Bowers added a personal best of 57 feet, 4 inches, with additional efforts from Kaylie Abrego and Marsh.
In the jumping events, Evan Strain cleared 5 feet in the boys high jump. On the girls side, Trejo cleared 4 feet, 8 inches, and Aurora Bowers cleared 4 feet, 6 inches.
The girls long jump was another highlight, with Savannah Thompson taking first overall with a jump of 15 feet, 1 inch. Sarah Brown (personal best 12 feet, 4 inches), Juliana Turco (personal best 12 feet, 2 inches), and Kimberly Trejo (personal best 12 feet even) all posted strong marks.
Kelan Sheppard recorded a personal best of 16 feet in the boys long jump, while Ethan Johnson jumped 13 feet, 3 inches.
In the pole vault, Kyndra Cardwell cleared 6 feet, 6 inches, and Citlaly Ruvalcaba added a personal best clearance of 5 feet, 3 inches.
Overall, the meet provided another valuable opportunity for the Trojans to compete, improve, and continue building toward the latter part of the season. With multiple personal bests and several top finishes across events, Pahrump Valley continues to show growth and depth as the season progresses.
