Competing against a deep and talented field, the Pahrump Valley High School track and field team made the trip to Prescott, Arizona, on April 10 for the Bradshaw Mountain Invitational on April 11, bringing only their varsity athletes for the high-level meet. Facing 21 teams on the girls side and 22 on the boys side, the Trojans delivered a strong showing, with both teams finishing seventh overall.
The meet opened with impressive performances in the 4×800-meter relays. The boys team of Josh Gent, Logan Tilley, Josh Slusher and Josh Flores worked together to secure a third-place finish with a time of 8:56.90, setting the tone early for the day. The girls followed with another standout effort, as Avery Farruggia, Alexis Clouser, Ava Bowers and Addi Nelsen placed fourth overall in 11:13.31.
In the hurdles, Ulisses Alvarez turned in a personal best performance in the 110-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 19.95. On the girls side, Diona Nixon led the way in the 100-meter hurdles with a ninth-place finish in 18.28, while Ella Odegard ran 19.66 and Kyndra Cardwell posted a personal best of 20.23.
Sprint events saw several strong finishes and personal bests. Ben De Santiago led the boys in the 100-meter dash, finishing fifth overall in 11.54. Aeden Redditt followed with a personal best 12.24, while Justin Byers and Rene Gonzalez Valdez clocked 12.51 and 12.59, respectively. For the girls, Anjolina Mercado placed 11th overall with a 13.63, followed closely by Ma’liyah Collins at 13.80 and Cindal Monahan at 15.14.
Distance runners delivered some of the most impressive results of the day. Joaquin Flores claimed the individual title in the boys 1600-meter run with a personal best time of 4:36.82, leading a strong group that included Logan Tilley at 4:59.13, Josh Gent at 4:59.19 and Josh Flores at 5:13.52. On the girls side, Jules Ondrisko placed third overall in 5:47.62, while Sophie Romero earned a personal best 6:18.68. Ava Bowers and Addi Nelsen rounded out the group with times of 6:26.80 and 6:30.59.
In the 4×100-meter relays, the boys team of Ulisses Alvarez, Rene Gonzalez Valdez, Aeden Redditt and Justin Byers finished in 48.13, while the girls team of Ma’liyah Collins, Anjolina Mercado, Cindal Monahan and Christine Williams posted a time of 56.08.
The 400-meter dash proved to be another highlight, as Ben De Santiago raced to a first-place finish in 50.33. Josh Slusher also delivered a strong performance, earning a personal best of 57.53. For the girls, Aurora Bowers ran 1:06.96 and Avery Farruggia followed with 1:10.50.
In the 300-meter hurdles, Ulisses Alvarez clocked 49.89, while Aeden Redditt added another personal best at 50.55. The girls had an especially strong showing in the event, led by Jules Ondrisko’s second-place finish in 50.28. Diona Nixon followed in 52.69, with Ella Odegard at 57.10 and Kyndra Cardwell finishing in 1:02.75.
The boys 800-meter run showcased the team’s depth, with Josh Slusher and Logan Tilley both earning personal bests at 2:12.99 and 2:13.04, respectively. Joaquin Flores and Josh Gent added times of 2:14.68 and 2:15.62. On the girls side, Ava Bowers led the group at 2:52.17, followed by Avery Farruggia at 3:02.51, Addi Nelsen at 3:10.24 and Christine Williams at 3:19.04.
In the 200-meter dash, Ben De Santiago continued his strong day with a fourth-place finish and a personal best time of 22.86. Ulisses Alvarez, Rene Gonzalez Valdez and Justin Byers followed with times of 25.13, 25.64 and 26.00. For the girls, Anjolina Mercado and Ma’liyah Collins both earned personal bests at 27.50 and 28.32, while Cindal Monahan ran 31.04.
The distance events closed out with solid performances in the 3200-meter run. Joaquin Flores led the boys with a time of 11:06.03, followed by Logan Tilley at 11:31.37, Josh Flores at 11:43.78 and Josh Gent at 11:49.94. On the girls side, Sophie Romero earned a third-place finish with a personal best 13:12.12, while Jules Ondrisko placed fourth in 13:54.70. Alexis Clouser finished seventh in 14:31.60, and Kimberly Trejo ran 15:05.80.
The 4×400-meter relays capped off the track events, with the boys team of Josh Slusher, Justin Byers, Joaquin Flores and Ben De Santiago finishing fourth overall in 3:40.06. The girls team of Aurora Bowers, Avery Farruggia, Ella Odegard and Jules Ondrisko posted a time of 4:40.89.
In the field events, Sonny Skinner led the boys in shot put with a seventh-place throw of 43 feet, 3.5 inches, while Brenden Thorn added a mark of 31 feet, 5 inches. Thorn also competed in discus, recording a throw of 105 feet, 3 inches. On the girls side, Julie Briggs led the shot put group with a throw of 21 feet, 2 inches, followed by Nyomi Skinner at 18 feet, 7 inches and Chanel Thorn at 17 feet, 1 inch. In discus, Briggs threw 70 feet, while Chanel Thorn recorded a personal best of 68 feet, 9 inches and Nyomi Skinner added 64 feet, 7 inches.
In the jumps, Kimberly Trejo and Aurora Bowers each cleared 4 feet, 5 inches in the high jump. Kyndra Cardwell set a personal best in the pole vault, clearing 7 feet, 1 inch. In the long jump, Savannah Thompson led the way with a mark of 14 feet, 5.5 inches, followed closely by Diona Nixon at 14 feet, 4.5 inches. Thompson also competed in the triple jump, recording a distance of 31 feet, 1 inch.
Against a large and competitive invitational field, the Trojans demonstrated both depth and high-level performance across nearly every event. With multiple top finishes, personal bests and a pair of seventh-place team results, Pahrump Valley’s varsity squad showed it can compete with some of the strongest programs in the region while continuing to build momentum as the season progresses.
*Photos are from events earlier this season.
